Heaphy Track Great Walk - Guided Five Day Walk
- Duration: 7 Days (approx.)
- Product code: AAHT2
Available November to March
- Includes guiding with a local, highly knowledgable and friendly guide.
- Includes all accommodation - 1 night Bed & Breakfast in Takaka, 4 nights in DOC huts on trail and 1 night Bed & Breakfast in Karamea.
- Includes all meals on the trail, freshly prepared for you, plus homemade snacks and beverages.
- Includes shuttle bus transportation return from Nelson.
The day before you start the walk you can either choose to get picked up by shuttle bus in Nelson (approximately midday) and driven to Takaka (approximately 2 hours). You can either stay the night at Annie's Nirvana Lodge (a hostel) or choose to upgrade your accommodation to a luxury boutique B&B. Breakfast is included.
Day One: Brown Hut to Perry Saddle Hut (17.5km 5 Hours). In the morning you are driven from Takaka to Browns Hut, the first hut of the track, but you don't stop here. The first night is at Perry Saddle Hut, a 5 hour walk with a 700m altitude gain. The wide, well-graded track climbs gently up through the bush, giving views of Mt. Olympus and the thick bush of the Aorere Valley, and on a fine day it is possible to see Mt. Taranaki in the distance.
Day Two: Perry Saddle Hut to Saxon Hut (12.5km 3-4 Hours). An easier day, the track goes through patches of beech forest before the wide expanse of the tussock covered Gouland Downs comes into view. The track meanders down to Cave Brook, passing the famous 'boot pole' on which trampers over the years have tied their old boots. Then you come to a limestone outcrop, with caves and waterfalls, and visit the oldest hut on the track, the Gouland Downs Hut. Afterwards continue on the flatter part of the Downs to Saxon Hut.
Day Three: Saxon Hut to Lewis Hut (24km, 6-7 Hours). The longest day of the walk, made up of a morning 3- 4 hour walk to McKay Hut and another in the afternoon. The track crosses the Saxon River flats, then onto the broad ridge between the McKay and Gouland Downs, passing an old pole marking the boundary between the Nelson and West Coast provinces. The vegetation varies between tussock and shrub fringed beech forests, and you get views of the ocean in the distance. After a leisurely lunch at McKay Hut you begin the long gentle descent. The bush is ever changing from the alpine scrub to taller and taller trees and the welcoming sight of the tree ferns and lowland forest. You stay the night at the Lewis Hut at the junction of the Heaphy and Lewis rivers with a good opportunity for a swim.
Day Four: Lewis Hut to Heaphy Hut (7km, 2.5 Hours). The easiest of the days, a leisurely walk along the river flats of the Heaphy River, with its luxuriant rainforest of kowhai, cabbage trees, and nikau and a visit to one of New Zealand’s biggest rata trees. In the afternoon there is the option of a swim in the lagoon, walk along the beach, or an off track visit to the very special Field’s Cave. You stay at the Heaphy Hut for the night.
Day Four: Heaphy Hut to Kohaihai River Mouth (16km 5 hours). The final day is a 5 hour walk along the magical West Coast, with high cliffs, pounding seas, nikau and karaka tree forests and wild scenery. After a few hours of walking, the distinctive cone of Kohaihai Bluff may be seen in the distance, where your vehicle is waiting (along with any luggage transferred from Takaka) for the short drive into beautiful Karamea (15 minutes), where the group enjoys well-deserved hot showers and a relaxing night at The Last Resort. One night of lodge accommodation and breakfast at The Last Resort is included in the price. Here you can share a drink at the bar, enjoy an evening meal together and of course celebrate your achievements and experiences over the last 5 days.
After breakfast you are driven back to Nelson.
*Please Note: This guided walk package is available November to March.
