
2. The Heaphy Track Walk
Location: Starts/ends at Karamea, West Coast, NZ
One of the most famous of New Zealand's series of 9 “Great Walks”, the Heaphy Track is an epic journey through the Kahurangi National Park and showcases all the terrain that gives the West Coast its famously-beautiful reputation.
Guided tours are available with Southern Wilderness New Zealand who combine expert guidance with a culinary aspect that adds a hint of luxury to the walk itself.
Spread out over the course of 82 kilometres which can typically be navigated over 4 to 6 days depending on pace, the track follows an ancient Maori trail across a wide array of terrain that spans everything from giant trees, sheer cliffs, bridges spanning broad rivers and, of course, majestic mountains.
The spectacle shifts from one panorama to the next each day and it's this variety – as well as the relatively “moderate” difficulty – that make the Heaphy Track such a popular walk.
It's the most gentle of the Great Walks, and thus can serve as a great introduction for gauging your endurance should you be planning to embark on any of the others throughout the country during your time in New Zealand.
Spread out over 82 kilometres and typically navigated over 4 to 6 days, the Heaphy Track Walk follows an ancient Maori trail across a wide array of terrain from giant trees, sheer cliffs, bridges spanning broad rivers and, of course, majestic mountains.
The track features plenty of huts maintained by the Department of Conservation that can be booked prior to departing and make for great stopovers, with their distances strategically placed to coincide with the average walking distance of a day's journey for most travellers.
The walk can be done in both directions – from west to east or vice-versa – with the journey from the west (starting at Collingwood and ending in Karamea) the easier of the two options, allowing you to focus solely on the beauty of the surroundings rather than any perilous slopes.
With the exception of one or two, the seven total huts along the track are famously well-maintained by DOC members, and provide cooking facilities and utensils such as pots and pans.
If you're not feeling confident enough to do the track independently, guided walks are available that take care of both navigation and dining concerns, as your guide will typically have skill and knowledge with food preparation on the journey – although this option can prove costly.
If you're looking to take your first steps (literally) into the world of the NZ Great Walks, the Heaphy Track is an ideal, and unforgettable, starting point.