Heaphy Track - A gem not to be missed!

---

The Heaphy Track is an old pack trail that was finished about 100 years ago with the intention that it would provide a route from the goldfields at Collingwood to the West Coast. However by the time that they finished the route the rush had been over for years and it was overgrown and forgotten for 60 years or so until it was remade into a walking track. Today the Heaphy Track spans 82 kms passing through lush Nikau palm forests along windswept beaches over the alpine tussocks of Southern Alps to the Nelson region. There is no easy way to get to and from the track so we went by bus all 575 kms. Blake and I woke up early to drive to the track head at Koihaihai, a 5 hour drive from Nelson. You may think that sitting on a van for 5 hours would be boring but it went by fast because our bus driver, Rory, regaled us with stories including his plans for retirement - joining a local commune and having a veggie garden. He is quite a character and I have never met any guy who was so into Jane Austen books.
We arrived at Koihaihai in the early afternoon and we were wondering why the trampers to be picked up looked so eager to leave. We stepped out of the van and before we could wonder why again, the sandflies sucked us completely dry... on a national holiday too, Waitangi Day, the day that New Zealand became a British colony. I guess those buggers never take a day off. Everyone who has done the track raves about the West Coast beauty which looks similiar to the Northwest Pacific beaches, huge waves, rainy and foggy much of the time and sea stacks. However, this was our least favorite part because it rained (unsurprisingly) and the sandflies were so thick that it sounded like a downpour on the tent because they kept bombing it.
Day 2 on the trail was much better. It stopped raining and the sun shone while we ran for our lives away from the sandflies. The trail follows the Heaphy River along limestone cliffs with lots of scary swing bridges to cross. The next nearly 4 hours were spent climbing gradually to the alpine region. Since the trail was meant to be a pack trail there are no steep grades and even though you are climbing it is only a little harder than walking on flat ground. We arrived at the campsite just as a strong wind blew some fog in so that we couldn't see anything!! Our hard work wasn't rewarded. That night in the tent was absolutely the worst night that I ever spent in a tent. It was so windy and rainy that I thought that we were going to be blown away and I finally had gotten to sleep when it was time to wake up again. I was so exhausted! Everyone who slept in the hut bounded out of the hut with lots of energy while we dragged ourselves around.
Day 3 had the best scenery in all of New Zealand. The day was long, 27 kms, but it meandered in and out of golden tussocks surrounded by mountains and blue skies! The views were spectacular and we felt like we were Frodo and Sam from Lord of the Rings on a long journey. The weather changes so quickly here and by the time that we were arriving at our third campsite it had begun to pour. We camped next to huts so we were able to get out of the rain. Spectacular views of both oceans were promised but we were in a fog bank so it was a struggle to find the outhouse, or longdrop as they refer to it.
Day 4 started out to be rainy and very windy. We had *only* a 5 hour walk, our shortest day, so we decided to wait out the weather while almost everyone else left. We hung out for 4 hours and it did clear up!! Success! We walked downhill passed all the weary trampers on their first day who begged to know how far it was to the hut. I'd like to think that we never looked so drained, remember they're climbing uphill, but I am sure my energy does wane after a while. We stopped to enjoy a view when we heard a loud buzzing. Invasive wasps are becoming quite a problem here and they are so numerous that we could hear them buzzing like a giant buzz saw. I was taking off my jacket when a wasp got in between my jacket and arm and it stung me on the arm!! I am allergic to wasps and the next day my arm was swollen to twice its normal size and it was so itchy. It was my first serious injury on the trip, I hadn't even gotten a blister! The end of the trail was glorious, it was a great sense of accomplishment to have walked so far, but we couldn't celebrate for long because the sandflies had rediscovered us again so we had to cover up completely to avoid be eaten like an ear of corn.
I really loved the Heaphy because it covers such a wide range of geography from beaches to alpine and it is a relatively easy track except for the long distances which could have been spread out over a fifth day. It could be improved if those damn wasps left!

---

Comments

[Jihan]

Bonjour mon amie!
Breena!!!! You sound like you're having a GREAT time out there! I wish I were travelling with u right now:(