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There are so many New Zealand hikes and wanderlusts on my list that I haven’t had the chance to check out yet. No matter how I go out and fix these problems, the list just keeps getting longer. Funny how this happened.
But there’s one track I’ve always wanted to do, and that’s the Heaphy Track. New Zealand has ten great walkincluding Xifei, I have basically done it, and some have even done it several times. The infrastructure at Great Walks is better than our usual homeless man in the backcountry – They also have a higher price tag and book up quickly. Larger, more luxurious cabins with guards. Some even have flushing toilets (!!!). There are wide and well-maintained trails, and for some of them you can choose a guided option.
While New Zealanders pride themselves on being tough and cheap when it comes to hiking (no argument about it), there are some benefits to easier routes. I’ve slogged across cold rivers, climbed over tree roots, scrambled up treacherous rocks, and even walked in knee-deep mud (fuck that). I’m pretty sure the motto here is: “Why build a nice switchback trail when you can just walk up the mountain?”
But I’m going to be honest: I love the chance to walk without using my hands, hold on for dear life, and pray to God that the torture ends soon. I don’t really care about being hardcore.
While you won’t see many New Zealanders on the popular Great Walks, when I went to the Heaphy Track in May this year it was all locals. From May 1st, our autumn season, the track is open to mountain bike enthusiasts. At 84 kilometers this walk is the longest (excluding canoeing on the Whanganui River) and in my opinion the best.
So why did I put it off for so long? Because the start and end of the track are seven hours’ drive apart. I had no idea how to organize it, especially since I prefer hiking alone. The start of the west coast is also a ten-hour drive from Wanaka. That’s quite a commitment, and it would cost nearly $500 to relocate my car in addition to fuel: It currently costs me $175 to fill up my little car here. No.
But then I mentioned to a friend that I would love to challenge Heaphy this year and they told me Golden Bay Airlines as the best logistics option. Looking from left to right, how come I don’t know? You can fly between the start and end points and they have plenty of shuttles. They simplify the process of organizing homeless people and do so at an affordable price. It will save you 450 kilometers of driving time. Count. I. exist.
How do I organize my logistics? Golden Bay Airlines:
- I spent a day driving from Wanaka to Westport and stayed in a motel that night
- The next morning I drove north and dropped off a bag of clean clothes and toiletries at the small airport in Calamia
- Then I drove 15 minutes to the start of the track on the west coast side
- I parked at Kōhaihai Campground, which is where the trail starts
- Over the next four days I walked the Heaphy Track
- I stayed in these cabins in order:
- Day 1 – Heaphy Cottage
- Day 2 – James McKay Cottage
- Day 3 – Perry Saddle Lodge
- I was met at the end of the Brown Cottage track by Golden Bay Air for a private transfer to Takaka Airport
- I picked up my taxi and another bag from Takaka airport
- I stayed in Takaka for three nights to explore Danga Bay
- I returned to Takaka Airport to drop off the car and catch a short flight back to Kalamiya Airport
- The shuttle then took us back to the track start at Kōhaihai, where I parked the car
- Then drive back to Wanaka
**This may seem like a lot, but basically, when you book Golden Bay Airlinesthey cover all of these services so the process is streamlined and the timings are all consistent so you don’t have to wait. For those of you reading overseas, Karameya and Takaka airports are small, about the size of a room; they are more like airstrips and not suitable for large commercial aircraft. There was no queue or anything.
I decided to walk north from the Kalamia/West Coast side to Takaka along the Heaphy Trail. Most people do it the other way, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t think it’s harder either way. Karamea is closer to where I drove than Takaka.
My GPS tells me that the track is 84 kilometers long and is mostly evenly spaced over four days, usually 16-25 kilometers per day. For me, it really wasn’t that hard. I thought the days would be much longer than I thought – about four to five hours a day. The best part, though, is that the track feels flat. If you look at the DOC elevation profilelooks intimidating. You are climbing 1,000 meters, but the distance is over 20 kilometers. It’s so gradual that you won’t notice much tilt.
I noticed that my back was more sore than usual because my backpack was heavier and I was carrying more cameras and food than a short-distance wanderer. So don’t be put off by the 20km days – they’re easy, the track looks flat, there are no steps except for the bridge (remember people ride bikes), and it’s very well maintained. You can also extend your stay by staying in some of the smaller cabins.
You can also drink the water along the trail—tannins in the leaves dye the water brown. It tastes totally fine and tastes better than my tap water at home.
I decided to tackle Heaphy in the autumn. It doesn’t have the same avalanche danger as the mountain trails, so it’s a trail you can walk year-round. While I imagine it can be unpleasant and cold in the winter, I imagine you’ll probably have the track all to yourself!
Also, I know a lot of people think this is weird I like to hike alone I found the idea of being the only one on the track to be awesome. I’m an introvert. I generally hate people. There is nothing I can do.
I will use this opportunity to emphasize Prepare accordingly And carry a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), which you can rent if you don’t have one. This condition is triggered if you suffer a life-threatening injury or are in danger of serious injury or death. Trust me, search and rescue personnel would rather find you via a GPS location on a public minibus than start looking for a body.
There’s also the risk of flooding, which means you may need to stay on the track for longer. There are many cabins and several emergency shelters. Bring extra food. I always bring extra food.
I was really impressed with the biodiversity and it was the best part of the Heaphy Walk. It was incredible, I would even say it was one of the best hikes I have ever seen. The scenery here is incredible and varied. The west coast is green and wet, with trails winding along the rugged coastline and surrounded by Nikau palms. You’ll then pass through some incredible forest before climbing up into red grass country. Colorful. very beautiful.
I saw kiwi, tūī, bellbird, fernbird(!!), whio, Weka, CreluRobin, Rifleman, and more. You can tell that the area has a lot of predator control measures in place to protect it; this bird life marvelous. Here you can also find the largest carnivorous snail, the Powelliphanta snail. What exactly is it? I was vaguely aware of this, but I was intrigued. I searched hard, but only found three shells. A DOC ranger told me that it is difficult to find them alive.
Along the Heaphy Track you can see the queen of birds: takahē. I didn’t see one; cue tears. It’s not like I haven’t tried. Takahē poops up to nine meters a day. You bet I’ve been following those poop trails along the bushes around the track for a long time. But nothing. Others do see them, which makes me happy. While I was there, some people were hanging out around the Saxon Hut at sunset.
I have been privileged to see takahē many times in ecological reserves and their breeding facilities, but never in the wild. I guess it just means I have to go back.
The Takahē is a large, heavy bluebird that was declared extinct for fifty years. Not many creatures can boast of rising from the dead.
In 1948, doctor Geoffrey Orbell discovered wild southern antelope in the Murchison Mountains of Te Anau. Today, after extensive conservation efforts, there are currently approximately 500 southern antelopes in New Zealand. Many live in predator-free ecological reserves and islands (list here). The Murchison family is still inhabited, but it’s not really accessible to the public. I’ve been trying to get there through crafty ways for years without success, pun intended. I know explaining it ruins a joke, but weasels are members of the mustelid family and, like stoats, are one of the worst predators introduced to New Zealand. In fact, in 2007 stoats managed to kill half of the southern antelopes there. Furry monster.
but what makes kahurangi national park Particularly special is the release of the second wild takahē population in 2018. This major milestone brings us one step closer to restoring land, birds and other creatures to their original state.
Many thanks to Golden Bay Air for organizing all the logistics and making this possible. As always, I’m keeping it real – all opinions are my own, as if you don’t expect much from me.