Pinchgut Hut via Mount Thomas summit, Forrestdale Road, and Whare Stream
- 2 days loop track
- Medium
A circuit route following the old trail into Pinchgut Hut.
|
Walking time
|
2 days
7 hr – 10 hr
|
|---|---|
|
Distance
|
11.0km |
|
Type
|
Loop track
|
|
Grade
|
Medium
Parts of this route are not maintained by DOC. Track may be overgrown. Grades explained
|
|
Bookings
|
No bookings — open access
No — open access
|
|
Starts
|
Mount Thomas car park, Hayland Road, west of Loburn |
|---|---|
|
Maps
|
NZTopo50-BW23
|
|
Altitude
|
360m
–
1,020m
Altitude change 660m
|
See Mount Thomas for information about routes onto Mount Thomas. From the summit, follow Forrestdale Rd, which deteriorates into a 4WD track overgrown with gorse. This then ends but a foot track begins just on the left side of the terminus at point E2457471 N5784279 (see "coordinates" for alternative formats).
Follow this foot track down to Gorge Stream. The track has had some snipping and goes in a fairly direct line. From here on, the track gets quite pretty and in good order. It climbs up to the next spur and drops down to Whare Stream. Across the stream the start of the track has been wiped out but it is pretty much opposite where it emerges from the true right. Please take some secateurs, slasher, loppers whatever to keep it open.
You can return via the track to Wooded Gully as described in Wooded Gully - Pinchgut Hut. It's quite nice too.