Pinchgut Track

From the parking area, walk along the gravel road for a further 300 m then take a track that drops down to the Okuku River. Cross the river, picking up a marked track leading to a clearing. Turn right and follow another short section of marked track. Turn right onto a vehicle track, following it for 400 m, then left onto a benched track above Okuku River. Along this section you pass through an impressive stand of kānuka. Two large land slips are bypassed by walking along the edge of the river. Beyond Whare Stream the track climbs steeply, then sidles along the hillside to Pinchgut Hut.

From Pinchgut Hut, it's 3 hours to Bob's Camp Biv via Cattle Peak Route, and 2 hours 30 minutes to the junction with Bob's Camp Bivouac Route via Whare Ridge Route.

From Loburn, follow the Loburn - Whiterock Road for 13 km. Turn into Taaffes Glen Road and follow this until you reach Round Hill Stream where there is a small parking area.

NZTopo50 map sheet: BW23 (Cust)

Wasp populations reach high numbers from January to March – wear light-coloured clothing and carry antihistamine cream/tablets as a precaution.

River crossing over Okuku River may not be possible in high flows.

Before you go into the outdoors, tell someone your plans and leave a date to raise the alarm if you haven't returned. To do this, use the New Zealand Outdoors Intentions process on the AdventureSmart website. It is endorsed by New Zealand's search and rescue agencies and provides three simple options to tell someone you trust the details about your trip.