Heaphy Track

The Heaphy is the longest of the Great Walks at about seventy-eight kilometres, and its appeal is how much the landscape changes along it: a climb from Golden Bay beech forest onto the Gouland Downs, a stretch of open red tussock tableland scattered with limestone arches and caves, then a long descent through forest to the Heaphy River and out along a West Coast shore lined with nikau palms and pounded by surf. Great spotted kiwi call at night on the downs, and the coastal section has a subtropical look that is startling at that latitude. It is also the only Great Walk open to mountain bikes, and only outside the main walking season - roughly May to November. The catch is logistics: the road distance between the two ends is around 460 kilometres, so most people fly, use a shuttle service or arrange a car relocation. Huts must be booked and the coastal sandflies are notorious.

What you actually see

• The Gouland Downs - red tussock tableland with limestone arches.
• The nikau coast - palm-lined West Coast surf on the final day.
• Great spotted kiwi - calling at night on the downs.
• The bike season - the only Great Walk open to bikes, in winter.

When to go

November to April for walking; May to November for biking. Book huts well ahead. Sort the end-to-end transport before anything else - it is the hard part.

Honest expectations

The two ends are 460 km apart by road, so transport costs real money and planning. Sandflies on the coastal section are severe. The downs are exposed and weather changes fast. Rivers can rise.

Nearby

Collingwood and Golden Bay are at the eastern end; Karamea and the Oparara Arches at the western.