How to Conquer the Heaphy Track: The Essential 2024 Hiking Guide

The Heaphy Track is one of the most popular New Zealand hikes and for good reason. Not only is it one of the best hikes on New Zealand’s South Island, but it’s one of the best hikes in New Zealand, full stop.

Why is the Heaphy Track one of the best New Zealand hikes, you ask?

Well, just for starters, it offers the most diverse landscape of any Great Walk in the country. From lush beech forest, to giant rata trees, to wild West Coast scenery, this New Zealand hike shows a lot in a relatively short timeframe.

You also get to complete an epic crossing to the West Coast, all while living in (relative) luxury, thanks to the fantastic New Zealand Great Walk hut system. 

Sound good? Well, read on for our complete guide to the Heaphy Track. 

Heaphy Track: Overview

• Location: Kahurangi National Park, Nelson/Tasman Region, South Island 
• Length: 78.5 km 
• Time:  3 – 6 days
• Season: All year (best from November – April)
• Gateway city: Nelson or Takaka 
• Type: One-way
• Booking Required: Yes
• Sleeping: Huts or camping 
• Start: Brown Hut
• Finish: Kohaihai
• Difficulty: Easy to moderate 
• What to expect: Expansive tussock downs, lush native forests, iconic nikau palms and epic West Coast scenery 

Heaphy Track Location 

The Heaphy Track is located in Kahurangi National Park in the northwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand.

The closest town to the Heaphy Track is the hippy enclave of Takaka, in Golden Bay. Takaka is 99 km, and just under 2 hour’s drive, from Nelson, the largest city in the region.

Takaka has a reasonably well-stocked Fresh Choice supermarket, but if you’re after a broader range of supplies, you’re best basing yourself in Nelson to get organised. 

Want more New Zealand hikes near Nelson? Check out the Travers Sabine Circuit

Heaphy Track: The Trail

The Heaphy Track is a 78.5 km one-way track that travels from the Aorere Valley in Golden Bay to the West Coast, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. 

The Heaphy Track is one of ten Great Walks that dot the country and is largely considered one of the best hikes in New Zealand. This may help your decision if trying to choose between the north or south island of New Zealand!

Of all of New Zealand’s hikes, the Heaphy Track traverses an incredibly diverse range of terrain – native forest with giant rata trees, secluded valleys, limestone cliffs and caves and beaches fringed by nikau palms are all part of the package here. 

The landscape is rugged and varied with mountain views and beautiful beaches. Each day is completely different from the next – it’s a truly epic adventure and what makes the hike truly special. 

Related: The Complete Guide to Hiking Mt Arthur

You can walk the Heaphy Track in either direction, although the vast majority of hikers walk east to west. This way, most of the climbing is done on the first day and the epic West Coast scenery is saved for the end, providing a very dramatic finish to the hike. 

Best Time to Hike the Heaphy Track

The best time to walk the Heaphy Track is from December to February. This is during New Zealand’s summer and you can expect warm days with pleasant evenings.

Unlike many other New Zealand hikes, the Heaphy Track is open year-round and you can walk the trail during the winter months (June to August). 

Related: How to Visit Blue Lake Nelson

During the winter, the weather will be cooler and wetter, but you’ll have a more peaceful experience as there are far fewer hikers. The notoriously bad West Coast sandflies also seem to go on holiday during the winter, offering a reprieve from these psychopathic critters. 

From 1 May to 30 November, the Heaphy Track is open to mountain bikers, so if you’re hiking at this time, expect to share the trail with them. 

How Much Does It Cost to Walk the Heaphy Track?

There are no fees to complete a day walk on the track or for entry into the Kahurangi National Park (or for any of New Zealand’s hikes for that matter). You must pay for your accommodation along the Heaphy Track, whether that be huts or camping. 

How much you’ll pay depends on whether you’re a New Zealand resident and which time of year you hike in. 

Hut Fees

Great Walks huts aren’t cheap, but hey, I guess that’s what you get for walking some of New Zealand’s best hikes!

During the Great Walks season (1 October – 30 April), New Zealand residents pay $37 per person, per night and international visitors pay $56. 

From 1 May – 30 June and during September, all hikers pay $32 per person, per night. 

From 1 July – 31 August, all hikers pay $26 per person, per night

Read next – Angelus Hut: How to Visit New Zealand’s Most Spectacular Hut

Campsite Fees

During the Great Walks season (1 October – 30 April), it costs $16 per person, per night for New Zealand residents to camp and $24 for international visitors. 

From 1 May – 30 September, all hikers pay $16 per person, per night to camp. 

How to Book the Heaphy Track 

Whether you’re camping or staying in the huts, The Heaphy Track must be booked in advance. 

The huts along the Heaphy Track book up very quickly, so if you are a good planner and know your dates well in advance, it pays to book early. 

If you’re like us and love to plan on the go, never fear as cancellations do arise. This is actually how we ended up getting a spot only a week or so in advance! 

Bookings for the 2024 hiking season are now open and can be booked via the DOC’s online system.

Pro tip: if your international card gets blocked when booking things on foreign websites, try using a Wise card. It’s what we do and it’s never let us down!

Transportation to the Heaphy Track

The two ends of the Heaphy Track are 463 km apart. So, you need to figure out how to start in one location and finish in another. 

Round-trip packages

Various companies offer round-trip packages for the Heaphy Track. With this option, all of the hard work is done for you. 

The Heaphy Bus offers a Heaphy Track return special for $190 per person. This involves taking a bus to the trailhead and from the end of the track. 

Golden Bay Air offers a return package of $269 per person, which includes a shuttle from Takaka to the Brown Hut trailhead, a shuttle from Kohaihai to Karamea and then a flight back from Karamea to Takaka. 

Read next: The Complete Guide to the Tableland Circuit

How to get to the start of the Heaphy Track

The start of the Heaphy Track, the Brown Hut trailhead,  is approximately 1 hour from Takaka. 

From Nelson

• You can drive your own car and park it at the Brown Hut car park. 
• You can take a shuttle or a bus.
  •  The Heaphy Bus, which runs from Nelson to Brown Hut daily in high season and on-demand at other times. It costs $75 per person. 
  • Trek Express also offers trekking transport services. They have a useful ‘Existing Trips’ section where you can find trips to join. Fees range from $50 – $120 per person. 

From Takaka

• You can drive your own car and park it at the Brown Hut car park. 
• You can hitch a ride. Around Golden Bay, you will notice various yellow ‘thumbs up’ signs. These are communal hitchhiking stops. 
• You can take a shuttle. Golden Bay Air offers a shuttle to the trailhead. It costs $70 per person, with a minimum 2-person charge. 

How to leave the end of the Heaphy Track

The Kohaihai trailhead is 15 km from Karamea, a very small town with little in the way of services (except for the brilliantly quirky Last Resort). 

To get from the Kohaihai Trailhead into Karamea, most people use a shuttle. 

• Karamea Connections offers an on-demand shuttle from Kohaihai to Karamea. It costs $35 per person with a minimum charge of $70. They do not have a website but they can be contacted at +64 3 782 6838. 
• Karama Express also offers an on-demand shuttle service from Kohaihai to Karamea. 

Alternatively, The Heaphy Bus also runs from Kohaihai direct to Nelson on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, but must be booked in advance. It costs $135 per person.

From Karamea, the easiest and most popular way to get back is to book a flight from the west coast end back to Takaka. Flights are run by Adventure Flights Golden Bay ($220 per person) and Golden Bay Air. 

Alternatively, from Karamea, hitchhiking is always an option. Hitchhiking is relatively common and accepted in New Zealand, although, with more travellers and hikers on the road these days, there is more competition for lifts. 

As a note of confidence, we hitchhiked back to Nelson and it was easy for us to get back. 

Don’t have your own set of wheels and need to rent a car? We personally use and recommend Discover Cars.

How difficult is the Heaphy Track? 

The Heaphy Track is not an overly difficult hike and anyone with a reasonable degree of fitness can complete it. Of all of New Zealand’s hikes, it’s pretty manageable.

To give you a sense of perspective, Zandy first did the Heaphy Track when he was 10 years old!

The Heaphy Track may be easy, but accidents can still happen. Make sure you’re covered by travel insurance. Our favourite is SafetyWing.

What to expect on the Heaphy Track 

Huts

There are 7 Great Walk Huts on the Heaphy Track, all of which are relatively flash. (This may somewhat soften the blow of their high cost).

These are Brown Hut, Perry Saddle Hut, Gouland Downs Hut, Saxon Hut, James Mackay Hut, Lewis Hut and Heaphy Hut. 

All of the huts have bunks, mattresses, heating, toilets and washbasins with cold water.  Some huts  (notably James Mackay and Heaphy Hut) even have flush toilets! All except Brown Hut and Gouland Downs have stoves and cooking supplies. Sound luxurious? Welcome to the Great Walk hut system. 

You can only stay a maximum of 2 nights in each hut. 

Camping

There are 9 Great Walk Campsites on the Heaphy Track.

Campsites have basic facilities including toilets, sinks and a water supply. Some also have picnic tables and cooking shelters. 

Technically you’re not supposed to come in the huts if camping, but no one really polices this. 

Weather

The weather in New Zealand is infamously changeable and this changeability is even more pronounced in Kahurangi Nationa Park. Be prepared for 4 seasons in one day when you hike the Heaphy Track! 

The West Coast of the South Island can be wet at any time of year, so we recommend preparing for wet and windy conditions. 

Despite this, the region is also one of the sunniest in New Zealand. Ironic, right? For this reason, we always recommend packing for all weather. Check out our packing list that we recommend for the Heaphy Track.

In the peak hiking season, you should expect warm days that average around 22C, with the occasional rainy day thrown in the mix. 

During the off-season, rain is much more common and daily highs are around 13 – 15C. 

Water

Generally speaking, as with most New Zealand hikes, water is abundant on the Heaphy Track and you never have to carry much at any given time. 

Any running water found along the Heaphy Track is generally safe to drink and doesn’t need to be treated – it’s also usually delicious! 

You should treat all water at the huts, however, as this is sitting rainwater and can be contaminated by bird and possum droppings. 

Pro tip: for treating water on all our hikes, we use a Steripen – it’s a game-changer.

Food 

There are no facilities to purchase food on the Heaphy Track, so you must bring all the food you need for the duration of your trek.  

Backcountry meals are very popular, because they are light and easy to prepare, if not a bit expensive.

They can be purchased at many places in Nelson, including the supermarket and specialty outdoor stores. We prefer the Radix Meals, which can be found at MD Outdoors. 

If you would like to prepare your own food, instant noodles, pouches of beans, chickpeas and tuna, couscous and instant pasta packages are all great options. 

Pro tip: add dehydrated shitake mushrooms to your meals. They’re lightweight and have a lot of nutrition. They can be purchased at the supermarket and need to be soaked in cold water for 20 minutes before being cooked. (We actually discovered this trick from watching other hikers whilst on the Heaphy Track).

Rubbish

Pack it out, folks! Make sure to bring a bag to collect your garbage and take it out with you. Please, please do not throw your rubbish out on the trail or leave it in the huts.

Pro tip: to minimise rubbish on the trail, decant as much of your food beforehand as possible. 

Navigation

It is very easy to navigate the Heaphy Track. There are numerous, clear trail markers along the trail which are easy to follow. 

Unlike other New Zealand hikes, you don’t need a map or a navigation device.

Mobile Reception and Electronics

Like most New Zealand hikes, there is very limited mobile reception along the Heaphy Track, so do not depend on it. You can normally only access it from a few high points. 

There are no places for charging your electronics on the trail, so we recommend bringing a power bank to keep your devices fully juiced. 

Heaphy Track Section Breakdown

Section 1: Brown Hut to Perry Saddle Hut 

• Distance: 17.5 km
• Time: 5 hours 
• Elevation: + 770m
• Difficulty: Moderate

From the hut, the track follows the Brown River for 200m before crossing a footbridge. 

Once on the other side, you begin the long climb towards Gouland Downs. 

After 11 km of climbing, or around 3 hours from Brown Hut, the track reaches Aorere Shelter and Aorere Shelter campground, an ideal spot for lunch or morning tea. There is a good water supply here. 

Beyond the shelter, the track remains wide and continues to climb, but at a gentler pace. 

Within one hour, or 3 km, you reach a recommended 5-minute detour to Flanagan’s Corner, the highest point of the track at 915m. On a fine day, walkers can even see the North Island and Mt Taranaki.

At an elevation of 880m, Perry Saddle Hut (28 bunks) has views of the Douglas Range across the Aorere Valley. 

Nearby is deep Gorge Creek, a cold but refreshing stream and a great way to wash away the first day’s grime. 

If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can add a climb of Mt Perry onto this day, or at the start of day 2. 

Section 2: Perry Saddle Hut to Gouland Downs Hut

• Distance: 7 km
• Time: 2 hours
• Elevation: + 250m
• Difficulty: Easy

Early in the section, the track enters the bush and remains there for the next hour or so, crossing a handful of streams, 3 of them bridged. 

The third one is Sheep Creek, and from here the track opens into the bowl of Gouland Downs, a vast expanse of rolling tussock. You can also see distant mountain ranges and granite rock outcrops. 

Section 3: Gouland Downs Hut to Saxon Hut 

• Distance: 5.4 km
• Time: 1.5 hours
• Elevation: Minimal – approx. + 100m
• Difficulty: Easy

Over the first hour of the section, the track crosses 3 streams.

From the third, Weka Creek, the track re-enters the bush and begins climbing. It’s a gentle 20-minute climb before the track levels out and in 10 minutes, reaches Saxon Hut (16 bunks) and Saxon Campground. 

Saxon Hut is located on the edge of the downs and has excellent views. 

West of the hut is the ‘enchanted forest’, an area of mossy beech forest covering limestone formations. It’s a magical and surreal landscape and well worth exploring. 

Section 4: Saxon Hut to James Mackay Hut 

• Distance: 12 km
• Time: 3 hours 
• Elevation: Minimal – approx +100m
• Difficulty: Easy

From Saxon Hut, the track descends slightly to some tussock flats beside the Saxon River and then climbs gently for around 1 hour up to a broad ridge, which joins Gouland Downs to Mackay Downs.

Once you’re there, you get your first view of the Tasman Sea and the mouth of the Heaphy River. 

The track crosses several more streams and then Deception Creek, which is signposted. 

Within 15 minutes of crossing the Creek, you arrive at James Mackay Hut (28 bunks). 

Section 5: James Mackay Hut to Lewis Shelter

• Distance: 12.5 km
• Time: 3.5 hours 
• Elevation: – 700m
• Difficulty: Easy

This section is all downhill, first through beech forest and then into the more diverse forest of the West Coast. When you bottom out, you see your first nikau palms.

Lewis Shelter is an emergency shelter only, with no overnight stays. 

Section 6: Lewis Shelter to Heaphy Hut

• Distance: 8 km
• Time: 2.5 hours 
• Elevation: None
• Difficulty: Easy

A short, but stunning 8-kilometre flat walk beside the Heaphy River through lush, prehistoric rainforest and past spectacular limestone cliffs. Most of the time, you’re in a rainforest so lush and thick, that its canopy forms a tunnel

You’ll encounter several large swing bridges, including the longest swing bridge in New Zealand, the 150m-long Heaphy River Bridge, which spans the confluence of the Lewis and Heaphy rivers. 

Several massive ancient rata trees grace the track and the region’s iconic nikau palms become more prevalent as you approach the warmer West Coast. 

In the final hour, the track remains close to the river until you skirt a steep bluff, looking at the Heaphy River below and the Tasman Sea just to the west. This is a very scenic end to the day (the hut is only 15 minutes away).

At the spectacular Heaphy Hut (32 bunks), the Heaphy River meets the Tasman Sea with a turbulent clash of freshwater and salty sea. The hut is set on an open, grassy area enclosed by nikau palms and overlooking a lagoon in the Heaphy River. However, swimming should be avoided due to dangerous undertows.

Section 7: Heaphy Hut to Kohaihai Campsite

• Distance: 16.2 km
• Time: 5 hours 
• Elevation: None
• Difficulty: Easy

This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful sections on the entire track. Real coast lovers say it’s one of the most beautiful on the entire South Island. 

The entire section meanders along the coastline, in and out of the bush. There are signs where hikers have gone onto the beach to walk. 

When you arrive at Twenty Minute Beach, you have the opportunity to walk on the sand. 

Katipo Shelter marks the halfway point of the day, 2.5 hours from Heaphy Hut.

From Scotts Beach, you make a steady but gentle climb to a saddle. You top out at a spur track to Scotts Hill Lookout – a 10-minute walk to a spectacular view of the coastline and then descend

The track ends with a big swing bridge over the Kohaihai River that deposits you at Kohaihai, where there is a shelter and a campground.

Heaphy Track Itineraries

There are a number of itineraries you can make to hike the Heaphy Track. 

We’ve laid out a popular 5-day, 4-night option that we really love.

Heaphy Track Tips and tricks

• Don’t feed the wekas. Yes, they might ask, but feeding any wildlife is super harmful and a big no-no. Just don’t do it. 
• Bring earplugs for the huts. Trust us on this. 
• Bring sandals, crocs or any comfortable footwear for the huts. Your feet will thank us. 
• Use our packing list to ensure you don’t forget anything essential!
• Bring repellant for the sandflies. Dettol and baby oil is a good mix and surprisingly effective.
• Spending a night at The Last Resort in Karamea is a good way to finish your hike.
• Take your time on the track and consider spending an extra night or two to soak in the beautiful scenery. It’s truly a unique and beautiful part of the world, so don’t rush hiking one of New Zealand’s best hikes.

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