Accommodation
Along the route, there are seven huts that must be booked and paid for year-round (Oct–April $30.60; May–Sept $15.50; book online at
w
doc.govt.nz), with heating, water and toilets (mostly flush). All except Brown and Gouland Downs have cooking stoves, but you need to carry your own pots and pans. There are also nine designated campsites that also must be booked (Oct–April $12.30, May–Sept $8.60) and are mostly close to huts, though you can’t use hut facilities. There is a two-night limit in each hut or campsite. Take all provisions with you, and go prepared for sudden changes of weather and a hail of sandflies.
The route
Ninety percent of hikers walk the Heaphy Track from east to west, thereby getting the tough initial climb over with and taking it relatively easy on subsequent days.
Brown Hut to Perry Saddle Hut
(17km; 5hr; 800m ascent). A steady climb all the way along an old coach road, passing the Aorere campsite and shelter, and Flanagans Corner viewpoint – at 915m, the highest point on the track.
Perry Saddle Hut to Gouland Downs Hut
(7km; 2hr; 200m ascent). It’s a very easy walk across Perry Saddle through tussock clearings and down into a valley (passing the famed pole strung with used tramping boots) before crossing limestone arches to the hut. This is a great little eight-bunk hut (no cooking facilities) where you might hear kiwi at night.
Gouland Downs Hut to Saxon Hut
(5km; 1hr 30min, 200m descent). Crossing Gouland Downs, an undulating area of flax and tussock.
Saxon Hut to James Mackay Hut
(12km; 3hr; 400m ascent). Cross the grassy flatlands, winding in and out of small tannin-stained streams as they tip over into the Heaphy River below.
James Mackay Hut to Lewis Hut
(12.5km; 3–4hr; 700m descent). If you have the energy it is worth pressing on to a haven of nikau palms – but sadly also less welcome sandflies.
Lewis Hut to Heaphy Hut
(8km; 2–3hr; 100m ascent). It is possible to get from Lewis Hut to the track end in a day but it is more enjoyable to take your time and stop at the Heaphy Hut, near where you can explore the exciting Heaphy rivermouth: its narrow outlet funnels river water into a torrid sea, resulting in a maelstrom of sea and fresh water.
Heaphy Hut to Kohaihai
(16km; 5hr; 100m ascent). This final stretch is a gentle walk through forest down the coast until you reach Crayfish Point, where the route briefly follows the beach. Avoid this section within an hour of high tide, longer if it is stormy. Once you reach Scott’s Beach, you have only to climb over Kohaihai Bluff to find the Kohaihai Shelter car park on the other side – and hopefully your pre-arranged pick-up from Karamea.
The Heaphy Track
The huge expanse of Kahurangi National Park encompasses 40,000 square kilometres of the northwestern South Island, between the wet and exposed western side of the Wakamarama range and the limestone peaks of Mount owen and Mount Arthur. over half New Zealand’s native plant species are represented, as are most of its alpine plants, and the remote interior is a haven for wildlife, including rare carnivorous snails and giant cave spiders.
The park’s extraordinary landscapes are best seen by walking the Heaphy Track (78km; 4–5 days), which links Golden Bay with Kohaihai Bluff on the West Coast. one of New Zealand’s Great Walks, it is appreciably tougher than the Abel Tasman Coast Track, though it compensates with beauty and the diversity of its landscapes – turbulent rivers, broad tussock downs and forests, and nikau palm groves at the western end. The track is named after Charles heaphy who, along with Thomas Brunner, became the first european to walk the West Coast section of the route in 1846, accompanied by their Maori guide Kehu. Maori had long traversed the area heading down to central Westland in search of pounamu for weapons, ornaments and tools.
Kaikoura
The small town of KAIKOURA, 130km south of Blenheim and 180km north of Christchurch, enjoys a spectacular setting in the lee of the Kaikoura Peninsula, wedged between the mountains and the ocean. Offshore, the sea bed drops away rapidly to the kilometre-deep Kaikoura Canyon, a phenomenon that brings sea mammals in large and varied numbers. Whale watching and swimming with dolphins are big business here, and the presence of expectant tourists has spawned a number of eco-oriented businesses offering swimming with seals, sea kayaking and hiking.
Brief history
Kaikoura got its name when an ancient Maori explorer who stopped to eat crayfish found it so good he called the place kai (food) koura (crayfish). Maori legend also accounts for the extraordinary coastline around Kaikoura. During the creation of the land, a young deity, Marokura, was given the job of finishing the region. First, he built the Kaikoura Peninsula and a second smaller peninsula (Haumuri Bluff). Then he set about creating the huge troughs in the sea between the two peninsulas, where the cold waters of the south would mix with the warm waters of the north and east. Realizing the depth of Marokura’s accomplishment, the god Tuterakiwhanoa said that the place would be a gift (koha) to all those who see its hidden beauty – and it is still known to local Maori as Te Koha O Marokura.
The Ngai Tahu people harvested the wealth of the land and seas until Te Rauparaha and his followers decimated them, in around 1830. The first Europeans to settle were whalers who came in the early 1840s, swiftly followed by farmers. The trials and tribulations of their existence are recorded in the Kaikoura Museum and the more evocative Fyffe House. Kaikoura ticked on quietly until the late 1980s when whale watching really took off and put the place on the tourism map. Since then it has steadily expanded, becoming more commercial, though without losing its small-town feel.
The Marlborough Sounds
The Marlborough Sounds are undeniably picturesque, a stimulating filigree of bays, inlets, islands and peninsulas rising abruptly from the water to rugged, lush green wilderness and open farmland. Large parts are only accessible by sea, which also provides the ideal vantage point for witnessing its splendour. The area is part working farms, including salmon or mussel farms, and part given over to some fifty-odd reserve areas – a mixture of islands, sections of coast and land-bound tracts. The Sounds’ nexus, Picton, is the jumping-off point for Queen Charlotte Sound where cruises and water taxis provide access to the undemanding, varied and scenic Queen Charlotte Track. Heading west, Queen Charlotte Drive winds precipitously to the small community of Havelock, New Zealand’s green-lipped mussel capital, before exploring the spectacular vistas of Pelorus Sound and perhaps taking the backroads or a boat to view the rich swirling waters of French Pass.
Biking the Queen Charlotte Track
Though the Queen Charlotte Track is primarily for hikers, mountain bikers can ride the whole thing in a day or two. There are two steep ascents but it is not overly technical, and with pack transfers and abundant accommodation you won’t need to lug heavy panniers. Most of the track is open to bikers year-round, though the northern quarter (Ship Cove–Camp Bay) is off-limits from December to February.
Marlborough Sounds Adventure Company operates a three-day Freedom Bike Ride with bike rental, transfers and comfortable accommodation at Punga Cove and Portage Resort.
Alternatively you can rent a mountain bike and organize your own trip, either camping or staying in cheaper accommodation.
Picton
Cook Strait ferries from Wellington arrive in Picton, a small harbour and tourist town sandwiched between the hills and the deep, placid waters of Queen Charlotte Sound. Many people stop only for a coffee, looking out over the water before pressing on, but Picton is the best base for exploring the Queen Charlotte Track, serviced by several water taxis, and a good spot for getting into the Sounds on cruises and kayak trips. The town itself has a few noteworthy attractions and it also makes a decent base for exploring the wine region around Blenheim, half an hour’s drive to the south.
Brief history
There was a European settlement in the region as early as 1827 when John Guard established a whaling station, but Picton itself didn’t come into being until the New Zealand Company purchased the town site for £300 in 1848. Picton flourished as a port and service town for the Wairau Plains to the south but predominantly as the most convenient port for travel between the islands.
Queen Charlotte Drive
The 35km Queen Charlotte Drive between Picton and Havelock is a picturesque and spectacular backroad sliding past the flat plain at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound and climbing up the hills overlooking Pelorus Sound before descending to SH6 and Havelock itself. It is a slow and winding drive, but you may want to take it even slower by stopping to wander down to a couple of sheltered coves or up the Cullen Track (a 10min walk yields spectacular views). With water taxis providing convenient access to fabulous out-of-the-way spots, it may seem a little perverse to try to see the Marlborough Sounds by car. Doubly so when you start weaving your way around the narrow and twisting roads – don’t expect to average more than 40km/hour, but ultimately it is well worth the effort as the views through the ferns to turquoise bays are magical.
Around 18km west of Picton, a narrow road heads north to Anakiwa, the southern end of the Queen Charlotte Track. Here you’ll find a wharf used by water taxis taking hikers back to Picton, Anakiwa Lodge and Anakiwa Backpackers.
Queen Charlotte Sound
Picton is a pretty spot, but you’ve barely touched the region’s beauty until you’ve explored Queen Charlotte Sound. This wildly indented series of drowned valleys encloses moody picturesque bays, small deserted sandy beaches, headlands with panoramic views and cloistered islands, while grand lumpy peninsulas offer shelter from the winds and storms, and solitude for the contemplative fisherman or kayaker. For a taste of these labyrinthine waterways, take one of the many day-cruises from Picton, but to really appreciate the tranquil beauty you’re better off kayaking round the bays or tramping the Queen Charlotte Track. The relatively calm waters of the Sounds also give the opportunity for scuba diving, checking out the rich marine life of the huge wreck of a Soviet cruise ship.
The Queen Charlotte Track
The Queen Charlotte Track (71km one-way; 3–5 days; year-round) is a stunningly beautiful walk partly tracing skyline ridges with brilliant views across coastal forest to the waters of Queen Charlotte and Kenepuru sounds. It is broad, relatively easy going and distinguished from all other Kiwi multi-day tramps by the lack of DOC huts, replaced by some lovely accommodation. Access and egress is generally by boat from Picton. Water taxis can transport your bags to your next destination each day. Boats call at numerous bays along the way, so less ambitious walkers can tackle shorter sections, do day-hikes from Picton or take on the track as part of a guided walk.
The track passes through some grassy farmland and open gorse-covered hills, but both ends of it are forest reserves. There are a number of detours off the main track, including a short walk from Ship Cove to a pretty forest-shrouded waterfall, a scramble down to the Bay of Many Coves, or a foray to the Antimony Mines (where there are exposed shafts – stick to the marked tracks). To do the whole track in three days, get an early start from Ship Cove and plan to hike to Camp Bay. From there you have a fairly long day to Portage, then a relatively easy finish.
The Marlborough Wine Country
In July 1972, Marlborough County Council Livestock Instructor, S.G.C. Newdick, wrote “Vineyards: in regard to these, as there is a glut on the market of grapes there does not appear to be any likelihood of vineyards starting up in Marlborough in the foreseeable future.” In the intervening years Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc single-handedly put the New Zealand wine industry on the world map, and made the Marlborough Wine Country the largest wine region, with almost sixty percent of the national grape crop.
Many wineries go all out to attract visitors, using distinctive architecture, classy restaurants, art and gourmet foodstuffs. The profusion of weekend visitors from Nelson, Wellington and further afield has spawned a number of smart B&Bs throughout the district, trying to out-luxury one another. If this is what you’re after there’s little need to bother with Blenheim itself, particularly since most of the vineyards are closer to the small, equally unremarkable town of Renwick, 10km to the west.
Blenheim
In the early 1970s, BLENHEIM, 27km south of Picton, was a fairly sleepy service town set amid pastoral land: now it is a fairly sleepy service town completely surrounded by some of the most fecund and highly regarded vineyards in the land. It is also much visited and as a result has developed a passable café culture, but most of the attractions of note are beyond its rather conservative town limits.
Wine country
The gravel plains that flank the Wairau River around the towns of Blenheim and Renwick form some of New Zealand’s most prized wine country. The region, sheltered by the protective hills of the Richmond Range, basks in around 2400 hours of sunshine a year, making it perfect for ripening the grapes for its esteemed Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes also grow well (guaranteeing tasty bubbly), as do olives, used for light golden olive oils.