Taipo River Track to Harman Pass

Time: 2 - 3 hr From the SH73 car park, it takes 2–3 hours to reach Dillon Hut via a 4WD road. This road crosses private land—please respect property boundaries, stay on the track, and follow all signage. At the end of the road, you’ll need to cross Seven Mile Creek. The creek can be swift, so take care when choosing a safe crossing point. Once across, it’s a short walk to Dillon Hut, which sits on a grassy, tree-dotted flat about 800 m up the Taipo Valley from the creek.

Time: 3 to 4 hr Less than an hour upstream from Dillon Hut brings you to Scotties 3 Wire. Cross the three-wire bridge to the true left of the river, then climb steeply to reach a bush-covered terrace. The track follows this terrace for several hundred metres before descending sharply to a series of river flats, which continue for a few kilometres. Around 600 m past Dunns Creek, the track sidles back into the bush and follows the river from above. It then opens out again onto river flats below Hura Creek. After crossing Hura Creek, a marked track leads to Mid Taipo Hut, 500 m beyond. Note: During heavy rain, Seven Mile, Dunns, and Hura Creeks can become impassable.

Time: 2 - 3 hr From Mid Taipo Hut, head upstream for about 1.5 km to reach the Mid Taipo Swing Bridge. Cross to the true right bank and continue upriver. From here, the track crosses several side streams and alternates between riverbed and bush travel. A three-wire bridge provides access across Tumbledown Creek. Just upstream of a large tarn, you'll find the old Julia Hut—full of character, with an open fireplace—on a terrace clearing. The newer Julia Hut is a few minutes further along the track, located on a lower terrace. A short path from the hut leads down to the Taipo River. Approximately 450 m downstream, on the true right of the river, hot springs can be found at the river’s edge—follow your nose as you approach. You may need to dig them out to form a usable pool. Do not submerge your head , as there is a risk of amoebic meningitis.

Time: 3 - 4 hours From Julia Hut, follow the track upstream and cross the Mary Creek Swing Bridge. The track climbs and sidles above Mary Creek before eventually descending to the creek bed. Travel stays on the true left initially, but after about 30 minutes, marker poles guide you across to the true right and up toward the Mary Creek gorge. Cross the creek below the gorge and follow the markers as the track climbs and sidles high to bypass it. Continue following the marker poles, crossing Mary Creek again above the gorge, then climbing through easy bluffs to reach Harman Pass. In misty or cloudy conditions, the marker poles can be hard to see—take care to stay on route.

Dillon Hut Dillons Homestead Hut Mid Taipo Hut Julia Hut Julia Hut (old) Huts generally contain no cooking equipment trampers are advised to travel 'self contained'.

Access into the Taipo Valley is via a rough gravel track from SH73. The track begins opposite the first farmhouse on the left after crossing the Taipo River Bridge while driving toward Otira, and climbs over a high terrace. The carpark adjacent to SH73 has parking for 2WD vehicles. The road is not maintained past this point. 4WD vehicles can continue from here to as far as the Taipo River where the end of vehicle access is signposted. From this point, vehicle access is not recommended – the Taipo river here is deep, swift, and should not be crossed, even by experienced 4WD drivers. Further streams and creeks, especially Seven-Mile Creek are frequently impassable because of flooding. There have been reports of cars being broken into and disabled at track ends. Use this location on Google Maps to help find your way there.

We encourage you to continue gaining the skills and knowledge required for a safe trip. The NZ Mountain Safety Council has lots of free resources and information you can use. These can be accessed via www.mountainsafety.org.nz . We recommend trying these online learning tools: Trip Planning Tramping / field Skills Basic Navigation River Safety Additionally, check out the range of helpful videos available from the NZ Mountain Safety Council YouTube channel

No dogs.