Day 1 – Brown Hut to Perry Saddle Hut

17km (5.5 to 6.5 hours)

From Brown Hut the track crosses the Brown River Bridge and then a grassy flat before starting a steady climb through regenerating Manuka and Kanuka and soon after changing to lush podocarp and beech forest. There are several small windows in the bush that allow views of the Aorere River and the Douglas Range beyond, with Mt Olympus being the most northern dominant feature. The first creek to get water is normally after 60 minutes walking, with flowing creeks at regular intervals thereafter.

After 90 minutes there is a fork in the track with the downward left fork taking an hour to reach Shakespeare Flat in the Aorere Valley floor. Soon after this point, the podocarp forest starts to thin and Hard, Red and Silver Beech are predominant.

After 3.5 to 4 hours Aorere Shelter is reached which has views of the Aorere Valley, Farewell Spit, and on a clear day Mt Taranaki. The shelter has a toilet and water supply.

A further 45 minutes sees the track start to level and soon after Flanagans Corner is reached which is the highest point on the track at 915m. A short 2-3 minute side track (recommended) gives a great view of Mt Olympus (left skyline), the Dragons Teeth (middle skyline), and Mt Gouland (right skyline) with the Perry Saddle Hut visible to the west.

From this point the track descends slowly for 30-40 minutes to Perry Saddle Hut.