Pinchgut Hut

Time: 5.5 hours

Distance: xx km
Start: End of Taafes Glen Road, North Loburn
Finish: Same place it's there and back
Date: Friday 27th Feb 2026

Sparrow's fart. I was checking the Okuku/Fox riverflow on Ecan's website and eating my porridge. Everything looked hunky dory so Pinchgut Hut was a go. 

Two hours later we were picking up punters and working our way northwest.. After Rangiora, you really need Google Maps to navigate across the Ashley River and through to North Loburn. Despite that, we ended up on a forestry road with a closed gate. We back-tracked to Taaffes Glen Road which has two fords.  I paused for thought at each one while the others egged me on. I had to channel Meesh to get me though. This entailed putting my foot gently on the pedal and driving through at a steady speed. The belly of the Toyota Wish got scraped but no worries mate. We parked at a point where we weren't quite sure if we should keep going. We were only 50 minutes from home - but it felt like the wop-wops. 

The track starts with a crossing of the Okuku river. Today it was meandering along at a great grey-green greasy Limpopo pace.  I stomped across in my boots and the others looked appalled.  Despite my forewarning, no-one was quite expecting this. After a few minutes of doubt everyone followed suit except for Jane, who whipped off her trainers and walked daintily through, pink nail polish shimmering up from the depths.  Dry shoes!!!

On the other side, the rest of us were sodden, but from here the track is easy to follow through beautiful bush, past beehives (we quickened our pace) and blackberries (we slowed our pace). At some point we climbed up and around a slip then dropped down to the river. 

There was about 5-10 minutes of intense boulder hopping upstream. Jane balanced carefully across and, I must admit, had she fallen in I would have been rather delighted. 

to the orange track marker. The track left the river here and we climbed up a steep hill. Eventually things levelled out and we descended to the hut.

Lunch ar pinchgut hut. inside hiding from the sandflies.

Retrun journey, Blue whale has the most sperm - more than a mouthful. Met a few people a young couple and a couple of hh. Carolyn didn't like the walk. Jane was ready for it to be over.  Back to the berries and the bees and then the final river crossing. Seemed a bit deeper. Jan dropped her shoe in but it floated.