Heaphy Track

in the Kahurangi National Park

The track crosses a range of landscapes, over tussock downs to the lush forests, nikau palms and roaring seas of the West Coast.

82kms - 4 to 6 days

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A journey of contrasts

	Walking through lush forest on the Heaphy Track, Kahurangi National Park
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Choose this track and you’ll get luxuriant rainforest; sub-alpine tussock grasslands; high, rugged mountains; and, finally, lowland forest and palm-fringed surf beaches. You’re in for 82 kilometres of hard walking, but the frequent scenery changes will certainly take your mind off sore feet.

The track is staged within the Kahurangi National Park, the second largest national park in the country. Even to a non-geologist, Kahurangi’s rocks are deeply interesting. Much of the rock is sedimentary, laid down in an ancient sea, then faulted, uplifted and scoured by glaciers. Parts of the region are limestone or marble; these areas are characterised by an abundance of caves, bluffs, natural arches, sinkholes and water-worn outcrops. The park contains the largest cave system in New Zealand and has yielded our oldest fossil (540 million years old).

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Special moments

Rocks in the Kahurangi National Park date back 550 million years.
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After the tussocky journey to Gouland Downs, the ‘boot pole’ will bring a smile to your face. This pole wears a variety of old boots, bestowed by hikers over many years. Now that you know about the pole, you have the option of packing a boot to add to the collection! Also here is a limestone outcrop where you can explore caves and waterfalls - take a torch and see if you can find a cave spider.

The Heaphy River section of the journey is magical. You’ll walk at a leisurely pace along the river flats, surrounded by a rainforest of kowhai, cabbage trees and nikau palms. A detour to see one of New Zealand’s biggest rata trees is totally worthwhile.

Love the flora

Some people call Heaphy Track the ‘flora walk’, because of the diversity of plant species. A camera that takes a good macro image makes an excellent hiking companion.

In sub-alpine areas, daisies brighten the tussocky hills; in the forest, trickling streams display soft cushions of moss and tiny orchids grow beneath the trees; on the coast, flax bushes and nikau palms put the land and seascape in a tropical mood. And whenever you climb or descend, you can watch the forest evolve as the altitude changes.

Find the fauna

	The Kiwi, a nocturnal flightless bird and New Zealand's most famous national symbol
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Feature Presentation WELCOME TO NEW BIRDLAND Before humans arrived, New Zealand was a land of the birds. Our only mammals were two species of bat, and even they were airborne. Photo credit: Tourism New Zealand Read More ›

The park also has some fascinating insect species - large cave spiders, weta and powelliphanta (carnivorous land snails). Finding snails might seem like an odd thing to do, but powelliphanta are worth the effort. Look for them near limestone outcrops where there’s enough calcium to nourish their sizeable shells.

Both long and short-tailed bats live in this national park. If you see a bat, let the Department of Conservation know at the end of your journey. Bat sightings are definitely something to get excited about.

Brown, flightless weka (woodhens) sometimes hang out around huts and campsites. During the nest-building season, they’ve been known to run off with hikers’ socks and shiny objects. A weka’s nest must be a fine thing indeed!

The trail of the greenstone hunters

The path followed by the Heaphy Track was first used by Maori pounamu hunters travelling from Golden Bay to the pounamu (jade) rivers of Westland. Pounamu was highly valued for tools, weapons and ornaments.

The most treacherous part of their journey was the coast north of the Heaphy River mouth. Huge bluffs were rounded using long flax and vine ladders - a perilous activity to say the least. Charley Heaphy, a draughtsman with the New Zealand Company, used some of the ladders when he made an exploratory trip along the west coast with a Maori guide. His journal says: "The cliffs overhang slightly and the ladders are quite perpendicular. A number of cormorants who had their nests in crevices of the rock were screaming and wheeling about us at the intrusion. As several of the rotten steps gave way under our feet, our position was far from pleasant."