A range seperates the Urewera and Whirinaki forest parks. There's no official route between them. I've heard of a few high routes crossing the range but it would be a lot of climbing and bush bashing, and at 1300m it would probably be leatherwood or very dense forest.
The Wairoa Gourge cuts a channel through the range, providing an alternative route, however its not an easy one and probably the hardest days tramping I've done. I've walked it downstream previously to prove it was possible, but this time im going upstream which changes things a little.
The siddle track continues for another 3 kms up the Waiau untill it forks into the Te Toatoa/ Wairoa streams. Here the track crosses a swing bridge and carries on to Te Toatra hut so i drop into the Wairoa. The first couple of kms are easy on shingle/ terraces. There's a few campspots, 1 well used by hunters with a fireplace and log table. After this the valley narrows, the sides become sheer and unsiddleable, and most of the walking is in the water. Its no more than waist deep at this stage but its colder, with my average altitude always increasing.
There's a few geothermal springs in this section. There not as hot or impressive as the ones up puketitri road, but the best is enough for a warm shower. Some drop straight down into deep pools in the river and are unutilisable. The warms doesn't last long as there's soon a gourge to swim. Its only about 10m, but against the current so requires a resonable swim. After this it's doable untill the major forks, just slow with a few mid rapid crossings and bolders to get past.
At the forks the Wairoa continues SW and the much smaller Skips creek NW. The Wairoa provide the most direct route, coming out right by the hut, however there was a waterfall ladst time that was unsure if it would be passable upstream. I take a gamble at the unknown Skips creek.
After about 10mins theres another waterfall created by a logjam, its less than a metre high but has a deep pool at its base and looks unpassable. My first attempt is to swim right up to the fall and climb a crack to the right, however the currents too stong and im pushed under and end up back where i started. Not wanting to turn back i try the left side and manage to get right under the log. It takes a few attempts, each ending in a spash, but somehow im able to haul myself over the log. Had my food pack not been almost empty i doubt it would of been possible. Going downsteam it would of been a piece of piss. There's another simular fall but easier then the vally opens up and its easier going, eventually the sides become climbable and its an easy bush bash up to join the Moerangi mountain bike track. Im now out of the Urewera and into the Whirinaki forest park.
Its a very easy 4km on the track to Rodgers hut, beside the placid Wairoa stream before it plunges into gourge and rapids. Rodgers is architecturally identical to Te Waiotukapiti, both made of toatra slab. There's 6 bunks, a tank and a wood stove installed in the open fireplace. Its the first hut with a European name- another sighn im getting south.
I've got my next tresure chest burried near the hut, and it's a bloody close call to find a campfires been lit less than a metre away from my burriel.
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