The Waiotahi Track is the best maintained and most straightforward route to Crosbies Hut.

Of the six tracks to Crosbies Hut, two are closed due to storm damage, two require multiple stream crossings, and the northernmost is so isolated that leaving vehicles at the trailhead is not recommended. 

The Waiotahi Track, on the other hand, has one unbridged stream crossing at the valley head, so walkers are unlikely to be thwarted by heavy flows. It’s also close to Thames and therefore offers a safer car park.

From the trail head, walk north and uphill on the broad and well-graded track. It sticks close to the Waiotahi Stream, on the true right bank, for 1.3km then turns east to cross the stream. This simple crossing shouldn’t pose difficulties except in the heaviest rain. 

The track now climbs onto a spur and turns north again as it wends its way towards Pt550, which it passes on the 500m contour. There are occasional views westward over the Firth of Thames to the Hūnua Ranges.

The track then climbs gradually over 1.5km to 580m. Passing Pt665 on its western side, it descends briefly to a saddle and a track junction with the Karaka Tramping Track. This route to Crosbies is not as well maintained, is several kilometres longer and requires a number of stream crossings, so it’s a riskier prospect if rain is forecast.

Across the saddle, walkers now join the Karaka Tramping Track as it rises to Pt656 and the junction with Tarau Track, which is currently closed due to storm damage. The trail’s condition begins to worsen from here. If rain has fallen recently the track will be muddy, and after Pt656, along 3km of flattish ridge travel, it is impossible to avoid and is ankle-deep in places. Boots and gaiters are recommended.

Just before Pt646 is a junction with the currently closed Whangaiterenga Track, the only route to the hut that begins in Kauaeranga Valley. 

Crosbies Hut is eventually reached after a short, sharp climb past Pt646 and another brief climb through a tunnel of trees. 

The hut has an interesting history. The area was cleared for farming in 1880 but life was tough and the settlement was abandoned in 1926. In 1989, Swedish tourists Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen went missing while tramping in the area. A memorial plaque to the pair is located in front of the hut. 

Crosbies is a great alternative to Pinnacles Hut, the only other hut in Coromandel Forest Park, and has magnificent views of Mercury Bay, Table Mountain and the Coromandel Range.