Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The trail begins by meandering up through the north branch valley of
Stern Creek
, across
strange but beautiful meadows. At twin lakes the route switches back into climbing mode
for a short, sharp ascent towards the saddle leading over to the catchment of
Goat Creek
.
Once over the saddle it's around one hour to Goat Creek Hut (four bunks), recently restored
to its original 1958 design. It will take around four to five hours to cover the 12km from
Stern Valley to Goat Creek Hut, which means you're around halfway through the day's jour-
ney.
The hut sits near the confluence of Goat Creek and the
Mokihinui River South
branch,
which is then followed in the direction of Mokihinui Forks. The river must be forded en
route, so choose your crossing carefully and sit it out if the conditions aren't right. A 90m
bridge is planned for the South branch, although a completion date hadn't been set at the
time of research.
As it follows the river downstream, the track passes through the magnificent podocarp
Mokihinui Forest
, in which reside whio, the karearea (NZ falcon) and pekapeka (native
bats). Along the way you will also pass The Resurgence - a large spring that breaks the sur-
face in a magical bubbling pool.
It's around two to three hours (9km) from Goat Creek to
Mokihinui Forks
, where the
South branch meets the
Mokihinui River North
branch, and the historic Mokihinui Forks
Hut (10 bunks) is located.
Turning left at the forks, the trail continues for another 3km (less than an hour) to the
head of the
Mokihinui River Gorge
and
Specimen Point Hut
(22 bunks). This hut sits atop
a bluff over the Mokihinui with spectacular views down river.
Day 5: Specimen Point Hut to Seddonville
4-6 HOURS, 16KM
From Specimen Point, the Mokihinui Gorge leads the way as you follow the old miners'
road for the largely flat walk out to Seddonville.
The Mokihinui River was the focus of a significant environmental stoush, when a
government-owned electricity company was granted consent to dam the river and build a
hydroelectric power station just upstream from Seddonville, in 2010. DOC, backed by other
ardent conservationists Forest & Bird, lodged an appeal with the Environment Court and in
2012 the project was abandoned. At the time of writing Forest & Bird was lobbying for the
river and its catchment to be added to Kahurangi National Park.
