Making a Heaphy Track Booking - Following Faultlines

Tucked up in the top left corner of the South Island of New Zealand is Kahurangi National Park. It’s less heard of and less visited, but it’s the country’s second largest national park! It’s got the biggest diversity in terms of plant life, abundant bird life, caves, and a touch of that West Coast wild, but, most importantly for this post, it’s got the Heaphy Track running through it, too.

Hiker approaches the camera as he crosses a suspension bridge on the Heaphy Track. — Hubby (then-fiancé) crossing one of several suspension bridges on the Heaphy Track.

What Do I Need To Know About The Heaphy Track?

The Heaphy Track is one of our 10 Great Walks of New Zealand. It’s another of our multi-day tramps (that’s the same as a ‘hike’) and it’s the longest of them all at 78 kilometres (48 miles), – but certainly not the hardest, as it’s relatively flat.

A good chunk of it runs out to the West Coast, and then you turn a corner and start travelling south down the West Coast for a large chunk. It can be walked in either direction over four days and three nights or over five days and four nights – or it can be cycled, like the Paparoa Track, in just two or three days! NB, cycling is allowed May until November only.

You can walk in either direction, but most go from Brown Hut, the easternmost point on the track, out to the west and down the coast, finishing at Karamea on the West Coast.

Brown Hut is sometimes referred to as Golden Bay when talking about the Heaphy Track, so don’t get confused, both mean the eastern, inland trailhead.

As for the western, coastal, end, the exact end point is at Kōhaihai Shelter on the West Coast, which is not Karamea itself, but 17 kilometres (or 11 miles) north of the town of Karamea, but you might see them used interchangeably, too, when doing your research. They refer to the same end of the trail.

I went in April 2019 and we walked it over four days. We walked east to west (Brown Hut to Kōhaihai Shelter), too, and the recommendation to do it that way is just because it gets the elevated part of the track (Perry Saddle) out of the way early.

Beautiful blue skies and blue sea. taken from the sandy shore of the West Coast. — The Heaphy Track had stretches taking us down the beach once we’d hit the West Coast.

Booking Your Huts/Campsites

There are seven huts and nine campsites on the Heaphy Track, all maintained by the Department of Conservation. You won’t need to stay at them all, so you have lots of choices with how many days you choose to go for and what walking intervals and distances you would like to do on each day.

We did something unusual for us and stayed at the first hut the night before we started walking – as Brown Hut is right at the start of the track. We then spent four days and three nights walking, so we used four huts in total.

Young couple gaze at each other as early morning light hits the banks of the Brown River behind them. — Hubby (then-fiancé) and I, all set to go on our first morning leaving from Brown Hut.

At the other end of the trail there is no hut to be able to do this but Kōhaihai Shelter is a campsite, too, so there is a campsite at the other end.

In the middle of the Heaphy Track, there are five spots where the campsites and huts share their sites, so they’re adjacent. From inland, out to the coast, the first of these is Perry Saddle Hut and Campsite, then Gouland Downs Hut and Campsite, then Saxon Hut and Campsite, then James Mackay Hut and Campsite, ad then Heaphy Hut and Campsite.

Additional campsites are Aorere Campsite, which falls between Brown Hut and Perry Saddle Hut,

And Katipo Creek and Scotts Beach Campsites, which fall between Heaphy Hut and the Kōhaihai Shelter endpoint.

There’s also a seventh hut, without a campsite attached, and it’s Lewis Hut, which falls between James Mackay Hut and Heaphy Hut. It’s not for booking, it’s for staying at in an emergency if the river is too high and you cannot get across. So just consider the track as having six bookable huts, but know that Lewis Hut is there if the unexpected happens.

Department of Conservation Huts/Campsites

The huts host between 8 and 32 walkers each night. There’s quite a lot of variation as not everyone stays everywhere. Gouland Downs Hut is really quite small, taking only 8 people, and Heaphy Hut is the biggest one, taking 32 people.

The campsites have between 4 and 20 tent sites, depending on where you stay (except for Kōhaihai Campsite at the end, which has 50 sites available).

These are bigger than those on a typical backcountry trail, but that’s because our Great Walks are more popular than other tramping tracks. Bookings are essential on Great Walks, and in-season, wardens are placed at the huts to steward the trail and they will check you have a booking before letting you stay.

Photo shows the green lawns in front of Heaphy Hut and the river mouth of the Heaphy River flowing out to sea. — The view from Heaphy Hut.

Tell Me About The Cooking Facilities

Being a Great Walk, the Heaphy facilities are maintained often, but some of the facilities differ between sites. Huts that don’t have gas cooking facilities are the smaller huts: Brown Hut and Gouland Downs Hut.

Huts that do have gas cooking facilities are Perry Saddle Hut, Saxon Hut, James MacKay Hut, Lewis Hut, and Heaphy Hut. If you want to avoid packing a gas cooker, choose from the five huts that do have cooking facilities. We always take a gas cooker anyway though, as they’re light and portable, and if you want a hot drink on the trail, you can stop and do that.

You’ll definitely need to carry one if any of your nights are in campsites.

Tell Me About The Sleeping Arrangements

If you’re staying in huts, expect shared bunk rooms and the usual plastic mattresses.

The newer huts, Perry’s Saddle Hut, James MacKay Hut and Heaphy Hut, have the bunk rooms away from the living areas. In Brown Hut and Gouland Downs Hut, which are small and just one room, the sleeping quarters are in the same area as the cooking quarters. In Saxon Hut, they’re separate, but it’s a smaller, older hut, compared to some of the others.

You can definitely mix and match, having some nights in tent and some nights in a hut, if you prefer, but remember you may feel you want to maximise use of the tent if you’re carrying it all that way! Whatever you’re doing needs to be booked in advance.

Early morning sun illuminates the Brown River and the surrounding valley. — Brown River, taken not far from Brown Hut.

Tell Me About The Toilets

Nearly all the huts and campsites on the Heaphy Track have long drops for toilets, and toilet paper supplied. I always pack a roll though, because you never know!

Actually, there’s two spots you’ll get flushing toilets, and that’s the newer (ten years old) James MacKay Hut, and the Heaphy Hut! Make a booking here if you hate long drops and want to use them as little as possible.

Step One: Making a Great Walks Booking Account

Booking one of the Great Walks of New Zealand is not hard, but before you book your space on the trail, you will already need to have an account set up with the Department of Conservation Booking Service. If you’ve already booked a Great Walk before (or any other trail actually, as they systems have now merged), you will have an existing account, so make sure that the login credentials are still working for you.

Some of the Great Walks are incredibly popular – the Milford Track books out in minutes – and while the Heaphy Track is not as popular, it’s always a good idea to have this part sorted out ahead of time so that you can get on with booking your spot on the day it opens.

The link to the Department of Conservation Booking Service is https://bookings.doc.govt.nz/.

Photo taken looking upwards through native ferns at a blue sky. — The Heaphy Track has such variety to offer in terms of plant life.

Step Two: Booking through your Great Walks Booking Account

Once you have your account with the Department of Conservation Booking Service and you’re logged in, good to go, you can book your spot on the trail. Be aware of the date that bookings open that year.

For the current season, the bookings are already open, but Department of Conservation always announce the date in advance, which is normally in late May. That lets people have the chance to book their track before Great Walks season begins in October (for most).

To avoid disappointment, formulate your plans ahead of the date so when late May rolls around, you’re ready to go and have the details you need for booking day. Normally they open bookings at 09:30am, but obviously check this, as this could change, and while it may not be as urgent that you do it on the day for the Heaphy Track, if you have a big group (we were a group of twelve) or want to walk on a public holiday (we went over Easter), you need to get in fast.

The Heaphy River river mouth with its sandy surrounds littered with driftwood. — The mouth of the Heaphy River, as it approaches the West Coast.

Know Your Party

One of the first things that needs sorting out before you book the Heaphy Track is who you are going with. Are you cyclists or walkers? Are there both in your group?

Do the cyclists want to cycle both ways in the amount of time it takes the walkers to travel one way so that they can collect your group’s vehicle and meet the walkers at the other end? Are you a group who would prefer to stretch the walk over five – or even six – days, or smash it out in four?

You’ll need the first names, last names and ages of the people in your group, if one person is doing the booking on everyone’s behalf. If you need everyone to pay ahead of time, get them to transfer their money to the person doing the booking, or have them reimburse, later.

Twelve hikers pose for the camera, all geared up in waterproofs for a wet day on the Heaphy Track. — Day two was wet!! Here we are, all geared up for it.

Know Your Dates

You’ve got your group, now you also need your dates. How many days and nights do you want on the track, and which direction do you want to go in? There are lots of hut and campsite names to remember, some with gas, some without, some with campsites adjacent, some without, so have it all written on paper where you want to stay.

Have a plan B in case one spot is booked up of where else you could stay that night, but think about this in advance so you don’t rush a decision in the flurry of booking pressure and end up with too long of a day spanning too many kilometres.

You might be like our group, and using Brown Hut as your accommodation the night before you walk, so that you can start bright and early, so remember that that’s your first date, but your walking days are on top of that. What I mean, is, although a four day track would normally mean three hut bookings, we needed four, so there were four dates to enter.

A rainbow stretches across a grey sky on the Heaphy Track. — We walked in April 2019 so had some fine weather, but also some wet weather.

Run Your Search

On the day that bookings open – at least, I’d recommend booking as soon as you can to avoid disappointment – be all logged in and ready at 09:30am and refresh the browser when the clock hits half past.

There’s a calendar you can us to enter your dates (include the night before if you’re staying on the track) and choose the Heaphy Track from the options given. Enter the number of people you are going with and the direction, click Search, and the next page will present you with a grid.

Select Your Dates

The grid shows you green or red spaces (or red with an exclamation mark, which means nearly booked out but not quite), that correspond to each campsite, hut and date. All you need to do is select the squares that align with your chosen dates and sites, being careful that you don’t book a campsite or hut with the same name if you are going for the other!

Click Reserve and it should go through to the details page, where you’ll put in names and ages for everyone, and then you’ll just have to make your payment.

Waves lap at big boulders on the West Coast. — The Wild West Coast – our last day on the Heaphy Track.

Make Your Payment

Hopefully you’ve been successful with the booking process thus far, and you are at the stage of making payment.

Fees on the Heaphy Track are a little higher than they would be on a standard backcountry track, but that’s due to the popularity of the Great Walks. It’s not the cheapest one of the ten, but it’s not the most expensive one either.

You can walk the Heaphy Track year round, but fees differ across the different seasons, and there is a higher rate for international visitors. (Well, actually, it’s a lower rate for the New Zealanders, just to incentivise to get out there into our own backyard more and explore our beautiful country!)

If you’re staying in any of the huts, a New Zealander will pay $44NZD 🇳🇿 ($27USD 🇺🇸) per night, in-season (October to April). An international visitor will pay $66NZD 🇳🇿 ($41USD 🇺🇸) per night, in-season, to stay in one of those huts.

If you’re staying in any of the campsites (with the exception of Kōhaihai Campsite), a New Zealander will pay $19NZD 🇳🇿 ($12USD 🇺🇸) per night, in-season (October to April). An international visitor will pay $28NZD 🇳🇿 ($17USD 🇺🇸) per night, in-season, to stay in one of those campsites.

If you were to walk in the months of May, June, or September, (which is the end of autumn, the start of winter and the start of spring, respectively), a night in a hut will cost you $38NZD 🇳🇿 ($23USD 🇺🇸), regardless of where you’re from.

For a campsite, staying in May, June or September will cost $19NZD 🇳🇿 ($12USD 🇺🇸), regardless of where you’re from.

It’s cheaper still, – and colder still – if you choose to brave July or August, at only $30NZD 🇳🇿 ($18USD 🇺🇸) per hut. Campsites rates in winter are the same as in May, June or September – that’s $19NZD 🇳🇿 ($12USD 🇺🇸) per campsite – for everyone. Truly consider if you want to be camping in such cold weather though, I’m cold just thinking about it! If it’s the same price to camp in a warmer month, why not do that?

Kōhaihai Campsite is the cheapest – it is at the end of the Great Walk, but is really just another road accessible campsite in the area that all members of the public use – even those not using the Heaphy Track – so it’s just $10NZD 🇳🇿 ($6USD 🇺🇸) per night.

A group of twelve hikers pose around the Heaphy Track trailhead sign. — At the end!! This is the trailhead at Kōhaihai Shelter.

Tips And Tricks

1️⃣ If your group is bigger and finding it tough to get all the hut bookings you need, consider cycling the track! You’ll only need two or three bookings that way, so you might be more successful if you’re after particular dates. Just remember you can’t cycle the track in December, January, February, March or April. (It’s busier with walkers, then.)

2️⃣ If you are cycling, and struggling to get particular hut bookings, you could consider camping! After all, the tent is going to be strapped on your bike somehow, so it’s not really extra weight on your back anymore. That said, you do need to pack quite light if you’re cycling so you don’t overbalance, so try and get hut bookings in the first instance, and try and get the five huts that have gas cooking facilities.

3️⃣ If your group is on the larger size, you may want to split the booking responsibility between two people, so if only one has success, at least half the group has spots. If it’s important the group stays together, however, be flexible on the dates instead, having plan B and plan C dates worked out ahead of time.

Cancellations and Refunds

Always a shame when something crops up! There are so many possible sets of circumstances that could arise, so just have a chat to the Department of Conservation by phone or by email, and go from there. This page of theirs goes into detail about cancellations and refunds.

Booking Your Transport

I hope, if you’re reading this, that that means you and your group have successfully booked your spots on the Heaphy Track! Like all tracks that are out in the wilderness, you will need to think about getting in and out of the track. If you have a vehicle, consider the risks of leaving it unattended in a quiet carpark for a few days, and if you don’t have a vehicle, there are lots of local transport operators to help you out.

Whatever option you do, there’s one road in and one road out, so expect a lot of driving as you will have walked a long way and will be quite some distance from where you started. The distance is even greater by road; it’s unavoidable!

Hikers recede over the wooden bridge crossing Brown River on the Heaphy Track. — Crossing the Brown River on our first morning on the Heaphy Track.

Getting In/Out of the Brown Hut/Golden Bay End

For most people, the Brown Hut/Golden Bay end of the Heaphy Track will be where you start – that’s because the steepest part of the track, the ascent to Perry Saddle, is a little easier this way, or, at least, earlier on in the journey, when you’re fresher. (It’s also when your pack is heavier with all the food you haven’t yet eaten .. just something to consider.)

Twelve hikers pose around the Heaphy Track trailhead sign. — All set! This is the trailhead at Brown Hut.

Brown Hut is not actually really near the bay itself, it’s very much an inland spot, but there are lots of accommodation options in Golden Bay, which is the whole stretch of coastline in this map.

A screenshot of Google Maps shows the distance required to travel inland from Golden Bay to Brown Hut. — To get to Brown Hut you *will* need to travel in via Golden Bay. | Source: Google Maps

There’s not a great many roads in this part of the country, so to get into Brown Hut, you will be going inland from Collingwood (half an hour’s drive), and you will be crossing the Tākaka Hill to get there in the first place. You’ll be coming from Nelson on this highway, so Nelson is a really logical place to spend the night before the trip, and you can fly into Nelson Airport (NSN) if you are coming from elsewhere in New Zealand.

Nelson to Brown Hut is a two and a half hour drive. That’s 155 kilometres, or 96 miles.

Nelson is on the Intercity Bus Route, so you can go anywhere from here.

Getting In/Out of the Kōhaihai Shelter/Karamea End

If you’re like us, the Kōhaihai Shelter end of the Heaphy Track will be where you finish – but going in either direction is fine. This is the end of the track that is out on the West Coast. The nearest town is Karamea. Kōhaihai Shelter is still a 17 minute drive away from Karamea (17 kilometres, or 11 miles) and the road between them is the only way out.

Accommodation exists in Karamea, but the town is tiny, so you might just want to pass through. There’s one way out of Karamea, and it’s south, down the Karamea Highway. The next town of any significant size is Westport.

Kōhaihai Shelter to Westport is a nearly two hour drive. That’s 112 kilometres, or 70 miles.

There’s a few routes you can take from Westport (why not continue south and make a West Coast roadie of it?) but if you’re needing to return to Nelson, like we were, you’ll take the Lewis Pass Road back up to Nelson in the northeast.

Westport is on the Intercity Bus Route, so options abound as to where you can go from there.

Westport back to Nelson is a three hour drive (217 kilometres, or 135 miles). If you’re doing the whole stretch in one go, from Kōhaihai Shelter to Nelson, brace yourself for a four and a half hour drive (329 kilometres, or 204 miles). As you can see on the map, there just aren’t any other routes you can take back to Nelson, as Kahurangi National Park occupies all of the top left corner of the South Island.

A screenshot of Google Maps shows the distance required to travel just to get out of the southern end of the Heaphy Track. — As you can see on the map, it’s quite a drive in/out of the southern trailhead! | Source: Google Maps

Operators

Below are fourteen operators who can sort you out with your transport needs to and from the track.

👉🏻 TrekExpress can get you to and from either end of the track, with their price list here. They’ll take you between Nelson and Brown Hut for $90NZD 🇳🇿 ($55USD 🇺🇸), and will take you between Kōhaihai Shelter and Nelson for $160NZD 🇳🇿 ($99USD 🇺🇸), making a return trip by road total $250NZD 🇳🇿 ($154USD 🇺🇸).

👉🏻 The Heaphy Bus will do a return service between Nelson and each end of the track for $220NZD 🇳🇿 ($135USD 🇺🇸) all up (that’s Nelson, in to your start point, and your finish point, back out to Nelson).

👉🏻 ✈️ Golden Bay Air not only do flights, but shuttles, too, so don’t be put off by the name! They can do shuttles to either end of the track from Karamea, Nelson or Tākaka (or from Wellington!). If you’re biking, this is the equivalent information page.

You’ve probably realised there are quite a few different combinations and quite a few different prices! They have flying and driving legs that they’ve bundled together, which is so helpful, as you can take the whole package, or just take the flight leg, or the driving leg, whatever suits your plans.

You’ll be able to go in and out of either end of the track and start and finish in Tākaka, for $249NZD 🇳🇿 ($153USD 🇺🇸) (that’s flying back). It’s the same price for a flying and driving package to and from Karamea (flying back down to Karamea from up in Tākaka, when you finish the walk).

You can do the equivalent driving and flying package to and from Nelson (which is much further out), for $479NZD 🇳🇿 ($295USD 🇺🇸). Definitely nice to have flying options when the roads are so windy and long!

👉🏻 Heaphy Track Help offer vehicle relocates. (They’re actually owned and operated by Active Aotearoa, who feature on some of my other Great Walk planning posts, too.) They charge $495NZD 🇳🇿 ($305USD 🇺🇸) to relocate your vehicle between Brown Hut and Kōhaihai Shelter.

A suspension bridge disappears over the Heaphy River and into bright green native bush. — The Heaphy River, and its suspension bridge crossing.

👉🏻 ✈️ Air Charter Karamea do a hybrid of road and air transfers for the Heaphy Track. Running from one end of the track back to the other trailhead costs $220NZD 🇳🇿 ($135USD 🇺🇸). Getting yourself into the track from Tākaka and getting back to Tākaka will total $440NZD 🇳🇿 ($271USD 🇺🇸). Getting yourself into the track from Nelson and getting back to Nelson will total $555NZD 🇳🇿 ($342USD 🇺🇸).

👉🏻 Scrambled Legs (love the name!) will take you between Nelson and Brown Hut for $95NZD 🇳🇿 ($59USD 🇺🇸) and between Nelson and Kōhaihai Shelter for $155NZD 🇳🇿 ($96USD 🇺🇸), totalling $250NZD 🇳🇿 ($154USD 🇺🇸).

👉🏻 Scottish Express can take you into Brown Hut by road and out of the coastal end by way of flight, for $450NZD 🇳🇿 ($277USD 🇺🇸).

👉🏻 Maxi Adventures operate Heaphy Transport options out of Nelson. They don’t have much of an online presence but can be searched up or reached on 027 597 3040.

👉🏻 Nelson Lakes Shuttles will charge $80NZD 🇳🇿 ($49USD 🇺🇸) to shuttle you between Nelson and Brown Hut, and $160NZD 🇳🇿 ($98USD 🇺🇸) to shuttle you between Kōhaihai Shelter and Nelson, totalling $140NZD 🇳🇿 ($86USD 🇺🇸). They have some minimum charges so you would need others to be booking the same trip, whether they are in your party or not.

👉🏻 Trampers Transport by Somerset Hostel in Collingwood also do a range of shuttle options for Heaphy Track trampers and can be contacted for pricing on info@backpackerscollingwood.co.nz.

👉🏻 Trips and Transfers are actually based in St Arnaud, in the Nelson Lakes National Park, and will charge $510NZD 🇳🇿 ($314USD 🇺🇸) to run you between St Arnaud and Brown Hut, and $650NZD 🇳🇿 ($400USD 🇺🇸) to run you between Kōhaihai Shelter and St Arnaud. (Nelson Lakes Shuttles also operate to and from St Arnaud, so check these two out if that’s where you’re planning to be.)

👉🏻 Karamea Express run an on-demand minibus service for the Heaphy Track. These guys can get you from Motueka, Punakaiki, Greymouth or Westport, so if you’re not basing yourself in Nelson, have a look at their options. (They do Nelson, too.) They can be contacted for their pricing.

👉🏻 Nelson Lakes Shuttles also offer transport. It costs $80NZD 🇳🇿 ($47USD 🇺🇸) between Nelson and the Brown Hut trailhead (one way) and $160NZD 🇳🇿 ($94USD 🇺🇸) between Nelson and the Kōhaihai Shelter trailhead (one way).

👉🏻 ✈️ Helicopter Charter Karamea is a charter system so they are best contacted directly to advise what they can do for you in the way of Heaphy Track transport.

Air Transport

As if you weren’t paying enough for transport already, whether you’re going in and out of Nelson, Tākaka, St Arnaud, Karamea or Westport – or between any of those! If you are needing to fly into the area from another part of New Zealand, it’s likely you’ll be thinking about using Nelson Airport (NSN), so it’s just another cost to factor in. We flew from Auckland to Nelson and got coach transport in and out of the track.

Night falls over the new Nelson Domestic Airport Terminal, all lit up from the inside. — Nelson Airport | Photo Credit to Storyline Pictures Nelson | Source: Nelson Tasman Visual Library

Is There A Guided Walk Option?

Yes, you can walk with a guide, if you like! Here are five options for doing that:

👉🏻 Kahurangi Walks have their ‘Heaphy Express’ package which is the Heaphy Track, walked over four days and three nights. They take you from Nelson to the Kōhaihai Shelter trailhead, and collect you from Brown Hut at the other end and return you to Nelson. You’ll stay in the Department of Conservation huts with the general public, but all your food will be provided. They charge $1650NZD 🇳🇿 ($1016USD 🇺🇸) for your transport and track experience.

👉🏻 Southern Wilderness do a four day and a five day option. They include transport between Nelson and the track and the guide and all the food. Your accommodation is in the Department of Conservation huts. They charge$2295NZD 🇳🇿 ($1413USD 🇺🇸) for the four day option and an extra $100NZD 🇳🇿 ($62USD 🇺🇸) for the five day option.

👉🏻 Bush and Beyond offer the guided experience, too. They will sort out your hut bookings for you and sort out all your food and transport. They spend four nights in the Department of Conservation huts on the track and include a night in a motel for $2100NZD 🇳🇿 ($1293USD 🇺🇸).

👉🏻 Go New Zealand do a six day package on the Heaphy Track including your transport, airport transfers if required, a night’s accommodation in Karamea, most of your meals, your guide and your Department of Conservation hut bookings. They charge $2100NZD 🇳🇿 ($1293USD 🇺🇸).

👉🏻 Active Aotearoa don’t offer the guided experience, instead, they do your planning for you. If you pay them $495NZD 🇳🇿 ($305USD 🇺🇸) they will sort your itinerary, with your transport and Department of Conservation hut bookings all sorted.

Hiker recedes over a suspension bridge on the coastal end of the Heaphy Track. — Approaching the coast | Photo Credit to www.nelsontasman.nz | Source: Nelson Tasman Visual Library

What Will It Cost Me?

The cost for the Heaphy Track comes down to the transport, due to the road distance from one end to the other being so far, and the track being so remote, in general!

There are so many differently priced packages and transport options that I’ve outlined above, (I was surprised at how many operators there are!) but bearing in mind all of the different possibilities you have at your fingertips, I have done my best to give you a price range of where your transport costs might fall.

You’ll just find that your transport costs are disproportionately high, to what you’ll spend on the actual track, compared to other Great Walks.

Firstly, the track itself! (Bear in mind that someone cycling can do the track in half the time.)

An international visitor wanting to cycle the Heaphy track (and thereby take only one or two nights) will spend between $19NZD 🇳🇿 ($12USD 🇺🇸), for one night in a campsite off-season, and $38NZD 🇳🇿 ($23USD 🇺🇸) for two nights in campsites, off-season. They will have to go off-season, as you cannot cycle from November to March.

An international visitor wanting to walk the Heaphy Track will spend more, because they are staying more nights, and may spend between $57NZD 🇳🇿 ($35USD 🇺🇸), for three nights in campsites, off-season, and $330NZD 🇳🇿 ($203USD 🇺🇸), for five nights in huts, in-season.

A New Zealander wanting to cycle the Heaphy Track (and thereby take only one or two nights) will spend between $19NZD 🇳🇿 ($12USD 🇺🇸), for one night in a campsite off-season, and $38NZD 🇳🇿 ($23USD 🇺🇸) for two nights in campsites, off-season. They, too, will have to go off-season, as you cannot cycle from November to March.

A New Zealander wanting to walk the Heaphy Track will spend more, as they are staying more nights, and may spend between $57NZD 🇳🇿 ($35USD 🇺🇸), for three nights in campsites, off-season, and $220NZD 🇳🇿 ($135USD 🇺🇸), for five nights in huts, in-season.

Factor in bicycle hire, if you are not bringing your own.

A boardwalk recedes into the tussock grass and flat lands that make up the Gouland Downs on the Heaphy Track. — The Gouland Downs: boardwalks make this stretch of the journey easy.

Transport to and from Nelson can cost between $140NZD 🇳🇿 ($86USD 🇺🇸) and $555NZD 🇳🇿 ($342USD 🇺🇸) depending on who you go with.

It can be less if you are going in and out of Tākaka, which is closer, between $249NZD 🇳🇿 ($153USD 🇺🇸) and $440NZD 🇳🇿 ($271USD 🇺🇸).

If you want your vehicle relocated, you would spend $495NZD 🇳🇿 ($305USD 🇺🇸) and need to add in petrol costs.

You’ll also need to add in flights to Nelson Airport, if that is something you’re doing, and your food and equipment.

Going guided means you won’t have to sort these costs yourself, and you would spend between $1650NZD 🇳🇿 ($1016USD 🇺🇸) and $2395NZD 🇳🇿 ($1475USD 🇺🇸) for a package like that.

There are heaps of factors affecting cost on the Heaphy Track – perhaps the most factors out of all the Great Walks, so the range in estimating what it might cost you is very broad.

You can probably expect to spend at least a few hundred, but possibly upward of $1100NZD 🇳🇿 ($677USD 🇺🇸) all things considered, to experience the Heaphy Track, but believe me when I say, the majority of our group said it was their favourite walk, and many other visitors feel the same, due to the huge variety of landscapes, plant life and bird life that you are exposed to.

If you’re looking for a little off-the-beaten-track adventure and aren’t too keen on steep climbs, the Heaphy Track is a great one to consider. I look forward to returning – and doing it on a bike next time!!