Directions

From Karamea township drive 15 kilometres north on the Karamea-Kohaihai Road, to the Kohaihai River and road end – the start of the Heaphy walking track through Kahurangi National Park to the Nelson and Tasman region. The road is sealed until you enter the Park boundaries where you will see the familiar green and yellow information signs from the Department of Conservation.
You will find an excellent camping and picnic area at road end, with toilets, shelter and a telephone.

Heaphy Track - Heaphy Hut and Katipo Creek Shelter

Heaphy Hut is the first hut on the Heaphy Track proper.

It is a 28 bunk hut at the mouth of the Heaphy River.  All huts on the Heaphy Track have heating, toilets, bunks, mattresses and water…this one also has gas cooking.  Great Walk Passes and bookings for this hut are required through Department of Conservation/I-Sites.  For visitors in a hurry who don’t have time to do a Great Walk, you can, by doing Heaphy Hut have a taste of what wilderness walking is all about.  It is great as a one night stay walk, or you can even be helicoptered in by the local Karamea Charter Helicopter and walk out.

Heaphy Hut is the first hut on the Heaphy Track proper.  It is a 28 bunk hut at the mouth of the Heaphy River.  All huts on the Heaphy Track have heating, toilets, bunks, mattresses and water…this one also has gas cooking.  Great Walk Passes and bookings for this hut are required through Department of Conservation/I-Sites.

For visitors in a hurry who don’t have time to do a Great Walk, you can, by doing Heaphy Hut have a taste of what wilderness walking is all about.  It is great as a one night stay walk, or you can even be helicoptered in by the local Karamea Charter Helicopter and walk out.

From the carpark, follow the track as per the Scotts Beach description.  Do check the tide timetables before you leave here, as the track further up can be impassable for two hours either side of high tide in rough or high seas.

Enjoy the beautiful beaches, wild surf and warm rainforest palms, rata and karaka forest as you walk north through forest and occasionally on to beaches.  Some of the small streams are not bridged and can be dangerous after heavy rain…and be cautious of the stinging nettle which grows in places.  Grab a handful of that, and you’ll be very uncomfortable.

Just beyond Katipo Creek is Koura Point…koura being the Maori word for crayfish.  Here there is no high tide track over the point.  Sometimes  the track at the top of the beach can be impassable two hours or so either side of high tide when sea conditions are rough.

There is a DoC campsite at Katipo Creek – called Katipo Creek Shelter it is typical of Great Walk campsites – there are five tent sites, a water supply, toilets and sinks.  This campsite is about three hours into the Great Walk.

Two hours further on nature’s washing machine awaits you - the Heaphy River mouth is an exciting place. The river surges out through a narrow gap into the sea; in-coming waves halt the flow and the churning of salt and fresh waters is spectacular.

Hot tip: 

Do the Heaphy in winter – no crowds, the sandflies have gone to sleep, and the huts are hugely discounted…..oh, and the northern West Coast weather in winter is sublime – stable and moderate – no frosts unless you’re doing an alpine trip.

The Heaphy Track

The Heaphy Track, located in Kahurangi National Park at the north-west corner of the South Island, is the longest of the Department of Conservation’s Great Walks. For 78.4 kilometres the track crosses the Park’s range of landscapes, starting from the nikau palms and roaring seas of the West Coast and ending at the junction of the Brown and Aorere Rivers, over expansive tussock downs to the lush forests, 

The track is well formed and suitable for fit, well-equipped people. All rivers and major streams are bridged. The track takes four to six days to walk. There are huts and campsites where you can stay for a fee. Bookings are required.

The nearest towns that cater for trampers are Nelson, Takaka, Westport and Karamea. Karamea has an information centre, petrol station, accommodation, cafés and restaurants, supermarket and general store, and a range of transport options. Takaka has an i-SITE, petrol stations, supermarket, small sport/camping and hardware stores as well as cafés and accommodation. Collingwood has a petrol station, small grocery store, shops, cafés, a pub and accommodation.