Free

Time from nearest huts:

• Aikens Corner to Townsend Hut: 4–5 hours
• Kiwi Hut to Townsend Hut: 2 hours

From Kiwi Hut, continue on the true right of the Taramakau to Michael Creek. Cross the Taramakau River here and head upstream on the true left to where a large fan of the unnamed creek where a large orange triangle marks the start of the route.  

The route travels in and out of the creek bed which is followed up past a small fork on the true right. At around 520 m the track proper leaves the creek and climbs steeply up the bush faces onto a narrow ridge and follows this up through the sub-alpine zone and out into scrub and open tussock to where the hut is located.