Last year was a tough year physically, as I tore my peroneal tendon on my right ankle. It is a small tendon, seems pretty innocuous by the looks of it, but let me tell you it is pretty fundamental in allowing us bi-peds to move around without pain. Anyway, I didn’t get much tramping or bike riding in because of it. However, it has finally started to feel better, so I decided to get out and do a “solo” trip on the Heaphy track in November before the hoards of summer vacationers and tourists showed up.

The track is 78.4 km long with about 1500 m of elevation change. It is one of the “Great Walks” of New Zealand and has become quite popular. Well, it has always been popular, but now it is even more so. It usually takes 4 to 5 days to complete the tramp or 2 or 3 to ride it … unless you are a nut job in which case you do it in 1 … riding or tramping. It has a difficult shuttle because the end is a seven-hour drive from the start. After some research, I discovered that Golden Bay Air will shuttle you from the Tākaka airport to the start at Brown’s hut and then pick you up and fly you back from Karamea on the West Coast. You can do it the other way as well, but I was doing the more common direction.

This shuttle option sounded way mo’ betta than a 7-hour bus ride. Plus as a solo person, the cost wasn’t that much more for the benefit gained. The only downside is that I couldn’t get on the plane on the 12th because it was full. Faced with a decision to go fast or go slow, I chose to add an extra day. What’s the hurry, right?

I spent at least 2 weeks ahead of the trip working on my packing as I was a bit worried about carrying weight on my still-recovering tendon. I bought a kitchen scale and weighed everything. In the end, I got everything down to 28 lbs without the camera….32 lbs with it. I could have gone lighter, but I had to bring a tent since I was camping the last night.

I went on the DOC website to book the huts (don’t use Safari to do this, btw—it doesn’t work). The huts were surprisingly full because it was the end of the biking season for the track and everyone was trying to get a ride in while the weather was warm and before the track was closed to biking for the summer.

The schedule was to drive to Tākaka, get the shuttle to Brown Hut and hike up to Perry Saddle hut for the first day. It’s a pretty big day, 19 km with 800 m of climbing, so I was a bit anxious to see how I felt. Then on to Saxon Hut (12 km), MacKay Hut (11.8 km), Heaphy Hut (19 km), Katipo Creek Shelter (8 km) and out to Kōhaihai Bluff (8 km) where the shuttle would pick me up. Overall, a pretty leisurely schedule. I was a bit nervous about camping at Katipo Creek as the sandflies there had been described as “ferocious, even by West Coast standards.”

Day 1: Brown Hut to Perry Saddle Hut (19 km)

The weather forecast for the first two days was a bit iffy. I got to the Tākaka airport and hung around until the van showed up. Two bikers were debating whether to bail or not because of the weather. In the end they decided to give it a go. We drove to the trailhead and piled out. It was gray and drizzly, but not too bad. I loaded up and headed out.

The climb to Perry Saddle was described by most as not as bad as it looks on the profile because the grade is pretty gentle. I found this to be true. It was off and on rain on my way up. I abandoned the rain jacket after a short while as it was just too hot and it was more comfortable just hiking in shorts and a synthetic top. Oh, the miracles of lycra!

I wasn’t pushing very hard, but made pretty good time to Flanagan’s Corner, which is the high point of the trail. It was just a few short km’s to the hut from there. I got to the hut around 4:30 pm and was the only one there. I will say, that the last 4 kms of the hike on the first day are a bit rocky and a bit treacherous when it is wet, but overall I agree with the assessment that the climb isn’t that bad for a 800 m elevation gain. Strava put the day at 18.35 km and 807 m of elevation and it took me 4 hrs and 42 minutes. DOC time is stated as 5 hrs.

I was puzzled by the lack of people at the hut. The hut is nice and has 32 bunks—pretty big. I grabbed a bunk space that looked reasonable and had a hope it might not be too crowded. The warden came by and I helped him get some firewood to heat up the hut. He said the hut was chockablock full, I was just there early. He was right, people started streaming into the hut around 5:30 pm. So much for quiet. I was pretty exhausted from the stress of the US election and the hike, so I just made some dinner and retired to my bunk early. People kept streaming in and it was quite noisy. Earplugs kind of helped, but not really. A group showed up at 10:30 pm and took the last spaces in the room I was in. Ugh. Really, 10:30 pm? Welcome to the New Zealand hut system.

Day 2: Perry Saddle Hut to Saxon Hut (12 km)

The weather forecast for Day 2 was looking pretty grim with very heavy rains and winds projected for the afternoon. I got up early after a suspect night sleep, made my coffee and got on the trail pretty early. I had a short day (12 km and limited climbing) to Saxon Hut, so I wanted to try to get there before the storm really set in.

The first few kilometers were a bit rocky, but it was overall a pretty easy and mostly downhill hike to Saxon Hut. I stopped at the Gouland Downs hut for a quick break and to check it out. It’s an older hut, but I guess they have released some Takahē there and you have a good chance to see them if you stay. That would have been a treat. I was starting to regret having brought my 4 lbs of dead weight called my camera because to this point it had spent most of its time in my pack feeling heavy.

The forest is amazing to walk through. The details of the ferns. The colors. The impossibility of passing through it without a trail is awe-inspiring. I was now really glad that I had my camera and a leisurely schedule to drift through the forest on my own.

The fog came and went as I walked along the forest. It has been a really tough couple of months mentally and the solitude and quiet of the beech forest was medicine for my soul. [Use arrows to scroll through the images below.]

Again, I got to the hut before anyone else. As I entered I saw my Crocs sitting by the door! Hallelujah! And thank you to whoever carried them down for me. I chose a likely-looking bunk and then hung out reading The Hobbit for the rest of the day. It was nice to have some relaxation time along with the hiking. I do wish there were more comfortable places to sit in the hut though. Tough on an old keister.

As the day wore on, more and more people showed up. There was a big family group on bikes that took up an entire room. Some women from Invercargill that were on some annual adventure outing together also showed up. At first they wanted the room I was in and asked me to move, then changed their minds. I ended up with a group of 7 folks from Christchurch. They were nice and I ate dinner with them and chatted. One of them, Roger, wasn’t feeling well and pretty much stayed in bed.

The hut was chockablock again and, of course, a group showed up at 10 pm and proceeded to cook dinner and make a racket. It was hard to sleep … and then I contributed to the problem. One of the women in my room shook me awake because I was snoring. Doh! I hate being that guy. I didn’t sleep much after that because I was worried about snoring again.

Day 4: MacKay Hut to Heaphy Hut (21 km)

I “woke” up to a beautiful sunny day. It was one of the longest days of the trip (21 km) but pretty much all downhill. From the Mackay hut you could see all the way down the valley to the Tasman Sea and where the Heaphy Hut was located—my destination for the night. People had described this section of the trail as one of their favorites as it takes you from the beech forests to the sub-tropical rain forests of the West Coast. I was really looking forward to it.

I started out early as usual and had the trail to myself. The beech forest was amazing. I never get tired of looking at the details of the ferns, moss and lichen. It is a magical place that is nearly impenetrable. You can see why the flightless birds have managed to survive. My pace was so slow that eventually the women from Invercargill caught up to me. We chatted and they headed out in front me. I continued my leisurely pace.

About 20 minutes later, I saw a couple of them standing by the side of the trail pointing down the hill and making the quiet signal. I approached and they said “Kiwi!” Sure enough, just down the slope 20 meters or so was a giant kiwi ambling through the forest. I was so excited! I had always wanted to see one and what luck! They are usually nocturnal but do come out during the day on rare occasions—this was one of those rare occasions.

I decided to slowly work my way down the slope closer to the kiwi with the thought that if it should any signs of distress I would back off. It didn’t seem to care that I was there. I got within about 15 meters and just watched it for a good 10 minutes as it worked its way through the forest. I tried to get some pictures, but I was so excited that I didn’t get my settings right and only ended up with a somewhat blurry shot of it. But wowzaa!!!

A lot human Kiwis have never seen a real kiwi. The ranger I talked to that night was amazed we had seen it during the day. She said she had only seen them at night.

By the time I got the Heaphy hut, I was feeling pretty tired. Although it wasn’t a hard day, it was a long day. That coupled with 3 nights of bad sleep made for a tired old man. The hut was super nice, but the thought of another loud night didn’t sound appealing so I asked the ranger if I could just camp. “Sure, no problem.” She asked my plans for the rest of the trip and I told her I was camping at Katipo Creek. She said “Ugh, don’t do that. It is a mess and the sandflies are brutal. Go to Scott’s Beach instead.”

I set up my tent, walked around the beach, hung out in the hut, ate my dinner. I was really tired so climbed into bed at 7 pm. I finished The Hobbit and then just thought I’d rest my eyes for a while. I didn’t wake up until 6 am the next morning.

Day 5: Heaphy Hut to Scott’s Beach Shelter (12 km)

The beech forest was long gone and I was now hiking in the subtropical palms. The transition is really cool and at times you might think you are in Hawaii! I was blessed with a rare blue bird day on the West Coast and was treated to some amazing views as the trail traverses the coastline. The beaches are amazing and I could not help myself from taking heaps of pictures. It was nice not being in a hurry and being able to pop out onto some of these secluded beaches to take a peek. [Use arrows to scroll through the images below.]

I walked by the Katipo Creek shelter and the ranger was right. It was completely overgrown, didn’t have a very interesting view and the sandflies were fierce. It would be hellish to stop there … so just don’t … trust me.

I got to the Scott’s beach shelter around 1 pm. It is a misnomer to call it a shelter. There is no shelter. Just a picnic table in an overgrown field. There were a couple nice camp spots, so I set up the tent while battling the sandflies and then took everything I needed for the day out to beach. On the beach, the sandflies were not bad as long as the breeze was blowing. I spent the rest of the day just watching the ocean, strolling up and down the beach, having dinner and then watching the sunset. It was lovely. When it was time for bed, I boogied back to the tent and dove in there before I got carried away by the gangs of sandflies. I felt a tickle in my throat and thought that was weird.

Day 6: Scott’s Beach to Karamea (22 km)

I woke up not feeling very good and had a sore throat. Damn. I was only 3 km from Kōhaihai and the shuttle wasn’t supposed to pick me up until 12:30 pm, so I was going to have a lot of time to kill. I had spent 5 hrs on Scott’s beach the day before, so despite being beautiful, I wasn’t up for that. So I packed up and headed out. I got to the car park around 7:30 am and thought I would find a place to relax and wait for the shuttle. As bad as the sandflies were at Katipo Creek, I think they were worse here. Ugh.

I looked on the map and saw it was only 14 km to the Karamea airport so rather than sit in sandfly world for 5 hours, I decided I would just walk to the airport. At first it was a pretty nice walk along the shore, but then it cut inward and was just through a bunch of dairy farms loaded with my good friends the sandflies, although I had a lot of adoring fans cheering me on as I walked along. Walking on the pavement was hard on the feet and it was surprisingly hot too. I was pretty sure somebody would pick me up on the road, but no luck. At about 17 km I could see the airport, but wasn’t there. I had run out of water and was less than happy with my choice to walk at this point.

Earlier I had seen some very studly dude fly by in the other direction on a very high-end bike. Turns out he was doing some crazy 24 hr ride for Red Bull TV. Just at my maximum crabby, a white van pulled over and asked if I needed a ride. They happened to be the crew filming the biker dude, were heading to the airport and, of all small world things, were from Colorado. Whew. It was only 3 km, but I was grateful after 6 days of walking.

I headed back to office where there was a comfy lounge chair outside in the shade. I confidently and gratefully claimed it as mine and waited for the airplane. Two other bikers from Aussie were on the plane with me. As we were waiting, one of them pulled out my Katadyn and asked “is this yours?” Clearly, I had some good karma stored up. It was a gorgeous day for flying and the views over the Kahurangi Ranges were amazing. It is a really rugged set of mountains that are very hard to access. We touched down in Tākaka and I headed home. I felt terrible the next morning and thought “Damn, this feels just like COVID.” I pulled out a test we had lying around and, sure enough, it was COVID. Sigh.

It was a great trip and the body held up. A little more sleep would have been good, but there you have it—cost of doing business. It is definitely a trip worth doing and it is certainly worthy of its designation as a “Great Walk.” The leisurely pace was nice, but 6 days was a bit much. I was lucky that the weather was so nice on Scott’s Beach; if it had been pissing with rain, that would have been a long, miserable day. If I did it again, I would do it in 4 or 5 days.