Australian Geographic

The Heaphy Track

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THE HEAPHY TRACK, (pronounced he-fee) located in the north-western corner of the South Island, in Kahurangi National Park, is NZ’s longest Great Walk. It can be walked in either direction (guided options generally start from the east) and offers a mix of landscapes that differ from the primarily alpine scenery further south. On the Heaphy, you’ll traverse grassy flats, beech and tropical forests and pristine beaches. There are seven huts and nine campsites.

It’s worth noting that the guided options on the track still require you to bring your own sleeping gear. But with most of the food and cooking equipment supplied at each hut, your pack won’t be as heavy as if you were lugging everything.

As it’s a point-to-point walk, if you opt to go independen­tly, you have the hassle of organising pick-ups/drop-offs. Not a deal-breaker but worth thinking about – as is the quality of the food cooked up by the guides – this writer can vouch for that!

Walking east–west, you start at Brown Hut, in Golden

Bay. This means the track’s steepest section, a 17.5km walk to ascend 800m to Perry Saddle Hut, is tackled first. This is a gradual ascent following a relatively easy track, with (bridged) creek crossings and views along the way to Mt Olympus and the Dragons Teeth mountains. The highest point is 915m Flanagans Corner, accessed via a side-track.

The next day’s descent travels across Gouland Downs, a plateau of open tussock country. Walkers traverse a mixture of eerie plateau, tussock fields and dense forest before reaching James Mackay Hut. Here, you get your first glimpse of the Heaphy River and the Tasman Sea in the distance.

On day three, the track drops quickly into lush, coastal/ tropical forest to the Heaphy River, passing Lewis Hut, on the way to Heaphy Hut. The lush plant life – a consequenc­e of the west coast’s higher rainfall and lower altitude – is a contrast to the previous days’ alpine vegetation.

The final day follows the Heaphy River on its south-west journey to the Tasman Sea. Walkers soon reach this point, before turning south along the west coast beaches and ambling towards the track’s end. It’s a mighty walk that showcases a less well-known part of the South Island.

 ??  ?? Guides on the Heaphy Track pause at Scotts Beach to take in the magic weather (and view) they’ve scored on day one.
Guides on the Heaphy Track pause at Scotts Beach to take in the magic weather (and view) they’ve scored on day one.
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