In 2012, we spent three months exploring New Zealand, where trails are tracks and hiking is tramping. We did seven Great Walks. Sometimes we camped in our tent, and sometimes we stayed in huts provided by the Department of Conservation (DOC).
In February, we spent five days and four nights on the Heaphy Track in Kahurangi National Park. John was 59 and I was 57. We stayed in huts.
We had wanted to do this track, but our time was limited and the weather had deteriorated. Our choice was either to do the Heaphy Track in the rain or not do it at all. We decided to do it in the rain.
This track is not a loop, but there are options for getting you to the trailhead. We opted for a fun and scenic flight. We had Jim of Remote Adventures fly us from Karamea to near the trailhead the evening before we were to start.
The 25-minute flight followed the Heaphy Track …
… and we were treated to what would be our best views of the track.
After landing …
… at “Cow Pasture Airport,” a friend of Jim’s drove us the short distance to the trailhead. We spent the night in the Brown Hut.
The next morning, as we started up the trail, we were happy to see that the dry weather was holding. However, the closer we got to our destination, the Perry Saddle Hut, the more the weather deteriorated. The rain started shortly after we arrived at the Perry Saddle Hut, and it continued through the night.
The next morning, we began to question the wisdom of doing this track in the rain. However, this experience provided us with an invaluable education in the Kiwi attitude toward getting wet. As we prepared to leave for the next hut, the DOC Hut Warden told us a bit about the portion of the track across the Gouland and Mackay Downs that we would encounter later that day. She casually recalled a time when the water had been chest deep, but that it was “no problem” because the water was clear enough to see the boardwalk below and the current wasn’t too strong. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the words “chest deep water” and “no problem” being in the same sentence. With that happy thought, we set out into the pouring rain.
The track descends from Perry Saddle to cross the tussock-covered downs toward the Mackay Hut, our destination for the day. Not that we saw much of it. As we approached the Mackay Downs, we encountered a deep stream. We naively stopped and put on our water shoes to keep our boots and socks relatively dry. We also rolled up our rain pants. Not long after, we decided it was safe to put our boots and socks back on.
However, we soon discovered that the numerous small streams crossing the downs had swelled and merged. We finally understood the futility of trying to keep anything dry in such conditions. So, we sloshed through the water flowing over the track, feeling lucky that it never went above our knees. Our mistake was not getting an earlier start, as we later learned that those who did had avoided wading altogether. On the other hand, those who left after we did encountered water that was even deeper. But luckily, it was only crotch deep. No problem.
The next day started out drizzly but eventually cleared, and we had mostly dry weather for the remainder of our trip. The track descends from Mackay Downs through forest until it crosses both the Heaphy and Lewis Rivers.
Being from the U.S. Pacific Northwest, we are accustomed to seeing water stained to the color of tea by tannins leaching from evergreen trees. However, the water in these creeks and rivers is stained to such a rich dark brown that it resembles root beer. We are also accustomed to seeing creeks and rivers spread out on beaches before calmly flowing into the ocean. But here, boosted by the recent rainfall, the creeks rushed through narrow channels and tumbled over rocks before crashing into the Tasman Sea.
The last day on the Heaphy Track was our favorite as the track took us through some outrageous forest …
… and along the beautiful, rugged coast.
Early on this trip, I questioned the wisdom of doing it in the rain. At times, I wished we hadn’t started it.
But if we hadn’t done it, I would never have learned to be grateful for wading through water that was less than chest deep. After all, it was “no problem.”
All photos from this trip are on Flickr.
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