The first day is a scenic drive from our base in Motueka, through the Buller Gorge, to Kohaihai, which is the start (or end) of the Heaphy Track, on the west coast. From here we will walk along the coastal section of the track to the Heaphy hut at the mouth of the Heaphy River. This section of the track is regarded by many as the best coastal walk in NZ. It meanders in and out of spectacular Nikau palms, Karaka and Rata forest, over rocky headlands with beautiful stretches of beach. Listen to the pounding West Coast surf.

This is a 5 hour walk, flat to gentle undulations. We spend the night at the beautifully located Heaphy Hut.

On day two of our walk, we spend the entire day exploring up the Heaphy River as far as the Lewis Hut, where the track then begins to climb to its higher sections of the Mackay and Gouland Downs. This is a very relaxing day with only day packs. We walk through magnificent lowland rain forest with massive northern rata trees festooned with a myriad of epiphytes. We also walk under massive limestone bluffs and will explore the Field Cave.
Bird sightings may include; weka, pigeon, falcon, tomtits, bellbirds, tuis, cormorants, oyster catchers and fernbirds. We can take a late evening walk to look for the elusive great spotted kiwi.

The track from the Heaphy Hut hugs the coast. Seabirds may be observed today including the Cormorant, Oystercatchers and Gulls. We may even see a seal sunning itself on the rocks.  Walking down the coastline we also have a chance to spot our large native pigeon (the Kereru), especially when one of their favourite foods – the nikau berry – is ripe. We pass the iconic Scott’s Beach and ascend the Kohaihai Bluff before making our way back to Kohaihai. We spend the next two nights in Karamea at the Last Resort where we can experience West Coast hospitality.

On the morning of day five we return to Motueka, or Nelson, depending on your outgoing travels. We will make a brief visit to the historical Denniston Plateau, where author Jenny Pattrick set the book ‘The Denniston Rose’. This route will take you down the Northern West Coast to Westport, then through the picturesque Buller Gorge.

We will be stopping en-route at Murchison for lunch.

Arrival time in Nelson will be approx. 3 to 3:30pm, so it is advisable not to book a flight out of Nelson until after 4:30pm in the event of unforeseen circumstances delaying our return.