10 September Thursday: Day 17
Stats: Karamea to Lewis Hut
Heaphy track: 41 kms: 9.6kph
This morning started off
promising then it rained as predicted… quite heavy rain!!
We’ve managed to pack everything
on our bikes and have avoided using backpacks, which is great. An easy bike ride of 15 kms to
the start of the Heaphy track. It’s really heavy rain now. After a banana,
toilet stop and photographing some tramper's about to start (we offered, they were most appreciative), we were off, it
was 11.30am. Noel has walked this track 30 something years ago but for me it’s a
whole new experience!!
The first part was very rocky and
very steep, up and down and it’s still very wet. There was a bit of walking/pushing
happening and I was worried the tramper's behind us would catch us up. Met a
group of older bikers that had varying body parts bleeding (not profusely),
very little gear as they had helicoptered into the start of the track the day before and were desperate to finish the
track... they’d have been in Karamea by (late) lunchtime. I’m thinking this might not be a Caro type of
adventure.
Stunning coastal scenery, sandy
beaches, boulder beaches and Nikua palms. Stunning but too wet for photo’s!! Stopped
at a shelter, about half way to Heaphy Hut, for lunch (12.30ish pm). There was a
German backpacker also sheltering there, complete with a day pack and shopping
bags. He’d seen a kiwi at Perry saddle hut.
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| Stunning coastal scenery, albeit a tad wet and cold to enjoy it completely |
Didn’t stop for long as the cold was seeping in to us, still pouring. The track was easier riding, a less rocky surface, less steep ups and downs, through Nikua forests, absolutely stunning!! May have to do this bit again sometime on a fine day!!
Arrived at the Heaphy Hut about 1.30pm and warmed up by the fire for ½ an hour. There was 1 couple there and more arriving as we left. The rain was clearing too, as predicted. We headed away from the coast following the Heaphy river, a narrow track but less tricky than earlier, muddy in places though.
Arrived at the Lewis hut and unpacked and changed as everything was damp to sodden. A couple were there who owned/worked for a local guiding company. They were setting up with utensils etc as this hut is a lunch stop for their, yet to begin summer, tours. They left for the Heaphy hut at about 5 pm so we are on our own and since it is getting dark it’s unlikely anyone else will turn up.
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| Drying out, warming up |
It’s an older hut with a row of mattresses on bunk benches, it’s got gas elements, some pots and a coal pot belly which works but is not roaring. We have hung all of today’s clothes up to dry. We went for a walk back to the swing bridge hoping to spot a kiwi, we could hear one and we saw big kiwi footprints by the river but unfortunately no kiwi to be seen.
There is a very small candle for light so it’s an early night for us. Really appreciate having the hut to ourselves. All track huts, throughout the country, are on limited booking spaces due to Covid. This allows 'social distancing' so only half occupied at maximum anyway.
It’ll be a big day for us tomorrow.
11 September Friday: Day 18
Stats: Lewis Hut to Perry Saddle
Hut Heaphy track: 37kms: 6kph
A very tough day!!!
Up at 6.30am, luckily most of our
stuff has dried. I had added a few lumps of coal on my middle of the night toilet
expedition. I slept pretty well, but still tired
as finding the track surface needs a lot of concentration.
Left the hut just before 8am and the climbing started immediately. Started off quite well with a good surface. I had huge trouble with almost all the bridges, going uphill most had lips to get onto and I wasn’t going quick enough to get over that lip so had to get off and push each and every one. When I say bridges, they are just small and cover the various water channels removing water from the track sides. The majority of bikers do the track in the opposite direction and hence the reason for the lip on the bottom side of each bridge.
There was a, reasonably large, tree across the track which must’ve happened during last nights stormy weather. We had to lift the bikes over, very tricky!! Pleased Noel was there with his muscles!? (EDITORS NOTE: aww shucks!)
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| "You shall not pass!!"... tree over track, time for some technical thinking to pass it |
Met 3 hikers on their way down the hill and there were 2 at James McKay hut. It took us (me mostly) nearly 3 hours to get up that hill….a huge effort!!! Stopped at the hut for soup and crackers, ideal!!
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| Looking from James McKay hut back to whence we came (mouth of the Heaphy River visible on the coast) |
A smoother, quicker ride to Saxon hut, meeting a few hikers on the way. The hut was a lunch stop for lots of people but we still saw the resident Takahe grazing on the lawn…very cool!!! As we left the hut 1 DOC worker, that was checking traps, was waiting for a helicopter to pick her up.
Rode through some cool limestone country and could see a big cave/arch in the distance. It was a reasonable track to the Gouland Downs hut. Saw 2 Takahe crossing the track just prior to the hut. There were several DOC staff waiting on a helicopter, some flying out, some staying.
It was 7 kms to the Perry Saddle hut, I was getting pretty tired. The surface was quite rocky (big rocks) and uphill so I probably walked the last 3 kms to the hut.
The hut was a welcome sight, getting there 5.30ish pm. 2 people already there and another 6 mountain bikers turned up later. The hut is relatively new so it had solar lights as well as a coal fire and gas stoves. Cooked dinner, drank tea ate chocolate etc and an early'ish night. A couple of other people arrived with head torches on then a couple more after we went to bed.
We’re both knackered , it’s been
a pretty big day!!!
12 September Saturday: Day 19
Stats: Perry Saddle hut to
Collingwood: 52 kms:13kph
I didn’t sleep so well, but can’t blame our room full of people as they were very quiet. They were up by 6.30am, so we did too. We were breakfasted and packed by 8.30am . We looked positively overpacked compared to the other bikers, most of who were shuttled by plane one way and biking back. Got some sideways looks because of this until one asked us... and were stunned that we had biked there from Arrowtown!!
Left our pot behind, turns out we didn’t need
it, we would have got by with what was in the huts anyway.
Quite a cold wind blowing. The
first half down was quite a rocky surface, hard to negotiate, so there was a bit
of walking. Once it got a bit easier it was fine, probably a third of the way down. Arrived at Brown hut about
11.30am. Met quite a few bikers, 1 big group doing the whole thing, 1 couple
doing a day trip and some mountain runners with not much gear so they must’ve
been doing the whole track in a day perhaps... mad!
Back on an actual road, gravel at first. Up a steep hill, ouch. Stopped to see a swing bridge historic site on the Aorere river. Then onto Bainham and Langfords store (world famous in Bainham... no, actually appears of few calendar photo's etc), which is an eclectic mix of antiques and other stuff for sale, and a café famous for it’s Devonshire teas. We had an ice cream and soaked up the glorious day!! This whole area is dairy farms, the calves are out in the fields, the stock and farmland look great.
Arrived in Collingwood about 3.30pm. Quite buggered!!! Very pleased to be here and getting a very warm welcome at Collingwood Park Motel. The motel lady checked to see if we could do the Farewell Spit bus tour tomorrow, sadly we can’t because the social distancing is still in place at Covid Level 2 and they can only take half their normal numbers. However Paddy, the chap that runs the tours turned up before he closed to say he’d rejigged the seating and had space for us, yay!!!
So booked a 2nd night
at the motel. Got our laundry washed and dried too which is always a bonus.
Went for a short walk through the
town. Collingwood is in a stunning location, lovely sandy beaches to the north
and south. Dinner at the Collingwood tavern.
The Heaphy track is the longest
“great walk” in NZ, quite a bit of variety , fabulous to see Takahe particularly but
all the bird life in general. Nice to see the older tramping huts still
operational, and obviously a popular track for day trippers from either end.
Maybe I would bike it the other way, I’d be very keen to bike or walk from the Karamea start
to the Heaphy hut, that coastline would be spectacular on a fine day!!
13 September Sunday: Day 20
Stats: None …another day off!!
We were very lucky to get booked
on this tour to Farewell Spit yesterday, so really appreciate the opportunity... and we are not disappointed.
With Paddy our driver/guide and 9
other passengers we left at 8.30am, (leaving times vary according to the tides). Picked
up 1 extra at the locked gate at Puponga, triangle flat. You can park here and walk on 4 kms of the spit, but
our tour has the only vehicle access allowed. Farewell Spit became a World
Heritage site 13 August 1976.
It was windy, Paddy estimated 30-35
knots, so the sand was flying along the surface. Getting to the north side of
the beach the bus got stuck in the soft sand, everybody had to get off the bus
and the men pushed it onto firmer ground. (EDITORS NOTE: aww shucks again!)
Went to Fossil Point, the most
west we could go on the beach, impressive with it’s rocks and caves. Then east
to the Farewell Spit lighthouse which was first opened in 1870 with a wooden
structure and replaced in 1897 by the
current steel structure. It is the 2nd tallest lighthouse in NZ at
27metres.... although hard to realise it is as it sits on pretty much flat land one a couple of metres above sea level! Macrocarpa trees planted around the houses make it a sheltered hot
spot at ground level. Had a cuppa in one of the lighthouse keepers house. The
lighthouse was automated in 1984 so the houses are well preserved and still
used as accommodation for research purposes.
We then headed east of the
lighthouse to see Gannets flying in. There’s a colony there and spring is when
the numbers increase and nesting activity begins. Some Gannets were flying
with seaweed in their beaks for their nests, must be strong flyers as the wind was very strong. Also saw Cassaway Terns, which are
quite big, Black Oyster Catchers and a seal
lying on the beach. Also after leaving the beach and passing an estuary there was some Spoonbills.
Climbed a sand dune and ran down,
the wind was crazy strong, we could hardly stand up!
We drove back to Triangle flat
and around to Cape Farewell, a formidable place in rough weather I expect. An
absolutely brilliant tour, getting back to Collingwood at about 2.30pm.
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| Cape Farewell.... last point of NZ viewed by Captain Cook and his crew as they departed after their discovery circumnavigation of New Zealand in the 1700's |
Had a late lunch from our leftovers. Getting quite windy and cold here now so just relaxed and did a bit of reading.
Tonight we went along to the food
cart for burgers, it was meant to be open until 7pm but it was closed, too cold
for patrons probably as well as the lowered numbers about due to Covid. So dinner at Mad Café, a slightly alternative place, the
food was lovely. A brief walk to the end of a street to see the lighthouse
working.
Heading to Takaka tomorrow, looks
like rain is coming too unfortunately!!
