Paddy's Track
- Distance
- 11.7 km
- Vertical gain
- 782m
- Duration
- 0d4h15m
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A popular hill walk near St Arnaud is the Mt Robert loop which takes walkers up Pourangahau / Mt Robert a few kilometres southeast of the town. The 9km loop is comprised of two tracks: Paddy’s Track, a gentle trail passing Bushline Hut; and the lower section of Pinchgut Track which consists of steep switchbacks to the roadend carpark. We wanted a less steep trail so opted to take Paddy’s Track up to Relax shelter near the summit and return the same way (11km total).
![The trail climbs up high above the lake, granting panoramic views across the entire region](https://c123ac9d.albert-nz.pages.dev/_app/immutable/assets/DSC08548.C84I4Zff.webp)
![The party passes over a saddle near Bushline Hut](https://c123ac9d.albert-nz.pages.dev/_app/immutable/assets/DSC08542.CAC7Q6w2.webp)
![A walker crests the hill near Bushedge Shelter, about to tackle the steep downhill of Pinchgut Track](https://c123ac9d.albert-nz.pages.dev/_app/immutable/assets/DSC08561.CtxfoccQ.webp)
![Needle ice was present along much of the track. It's the first time I've experienced it.](https://c123ac9d.albert-nz.pages.dev/_app/immutable/assets/DSC08537.YUCqgZIl.webp)
Back in St Arnaud
We were only in town for a couple of nights but enjoyed heading down to Lake Rotoiti which was a short walk from our accomodation. I already want to come back to this region, possibly for some fast-packing in summer - there are so many interesting longer trails to explore.
![Meeting the local longfin eels (tuna kuwharuwharu)](https://c123ac9d.albert-nz.pages.dev/_app/immutable/assets/DSC08487.DJmrAHIN.webp)
![A night walk didn't reveal any kiwi, but a narrow layer of dense fog settled over the lake making for dramatic sights](https://c123ac9d.albert-nz.pages.dev/_app/immutable/assets/DSC08513.DmbfNXUD.webp)