The Heaphy Track is open for mountain biking from
beginning of May through to the end of November – we
were looking for a new overnighter so a trip was confirmed
and hut booked and accommodations made. I have ridden
the Heaphy on two previous occasions – 1995 and 2004
so knew how best to approach it. We formed two groups
with one starting at the North end and the other from the
South end at Karamea. We would ride to the James
MacKay Hut which is more or less the mid point, where we
would meet up and spend the night. Car keys would be
swapped and we would drive the other group’s vehicles
back to Murchison where we would all meet and stay the
night.
I was riding my new Specialized Levo SL 2, so, required
some extra battery capacity to get me through the 80km.
Darryn, owner of Chain Reaction Cycles New Zealand, had offered me
two ( 160WH )range extender batteries for the trip –
thanks Darryn , much appreciated. I calculated from
previous rides that a total capacity of 640WH would be
required. The direction of my ride meant that the final
20km was all downhill so provided me with a bit of safety
margin.

Thursday 16th May we headed North West to Karamea
while the North group had a longer trip up to
Collingwood. Our motel accommodation was spot on and
the owner extremely friendly. An evening meal at The Last
Resort was a chance to catch up with some locals as well
as some fellow mountain bikers. Great meal and very
friendly staff made for a pleasant evening.

The weather report was favorable for the next few days so
we were up early for breakfast and final packing for the trip
ahead. I had purchased a new Aeroe Spider rear rack plus
an Aeroe handle bar cradle to carry my gear. This system
impressed me with its simplicity and overall quality and it
worked faultlessly over the next two days. By transferring
the bulk of my gear to my bike I was able to minimize
weight in my small Camelback. Perfect!

We departed the Kohaihai campsite at 8.30am with the
sun now shining – we were lucky to have fine weather as
rain had fallen earlier in the week. The first 20km or so
comprised a mix of undulating terrain with a few steeper
pinch climbs as the trail meandered along the coast. The
track is a comfortable grade 3 level with a few rougher
sections here and there – all ridable but easy to walk/push
if you choose to.

A solid swell with large waves pounding the beaches
making for superb views from the higher sections of track.
The bush is outstanding, especially the proliferation of
Nikau Palms, Rata and podocarps. Plenty of native birds
along this section namely Piwakawaka( fantail ), Korimako
( Bell Bird ) , plus Weka in abundance. Note – keep
vigilant as the Weka are extremely curious and will quickly
attempt to get into any packs or gear left unattended.
We maintained a steady pace with frequent stops to look
at the views and to take photos. A refuel stop was made at
the Heaphy Hut that overlooks the pounding surf at the
mouth of the Heaphy River. Plenty of inquisitive Weka and
Piwakawaka at this location and sandfly's made their
appearance in good numbers.

We headed inland along the banks of the Heaphy River
until we came to the new Heaphy swingbridge – this is
cool bridge and a great feat of design and engineering.
Thanks to DOC for investing in such an essential piece of
long term infrastructure.
The next 17 km section took us further inland on the North
side of the Heaphy River to the Lewis Shelter through
stunning Podocarp and Rata forest. The track climbs
gradually for about 12 km with an altitude gain of around
800m. A good mix of birdsong accompanied us as we
climbed steadily on a nicely graded trail with a
well-maintained surface. Toutouwai ( NZ Robin ) were very
friendly and happy to investigate us whenever we stopped
for a break – they are a stunning wee bird.

Finally, the bush gave way to more open country of
Manuka and Tussock and the James MacKay hut come
into view – temperature at this altitude was much cooler.
Time was around 1.30pm and it would be a couple of
hours before the North Group arrived as they had started
out a bit later and had more distance and elevation to
cover. MacKay hut is the newest on the track and largest –
28 bunks – providing gas cooking, solar lighting in living
area and flush toilets. Very flash! Wood supply was
plentiful but unfortunately wet – getting the fire burning
required all our accumulated skill but eventually it was
roaring away.

Our North Group arrived around 3.30pm so we brewed a
fresh batch of coffee and chatted over the day’s
adventures. In the course of the afternoon and evening
more groups of riders trickled in plus a couple of trampers
– the hut was full for the night so there was plenty of
boisterous conversation and laughter. Allways nice to chat
with other track users and share our experiences. We
consumed our evening meals and made preparations for
tomorrow’s 40km ride – everyone hit the sack early around
9.00pm.

A small group of “whippets “ were up very early as they
planned to ride out to Kohaihai and then return to stay at
MacKay Hut again that evening – a journey of around 70
km !! They looked fit, lean and were travelling lite.
We were up early consuming our fruit and oats plus a
coffee to set us up for the day. Gear was re-packed and
loaded onto our bikes. We farewelled the North Group
making sure car keys had been exchanged and headed off
into the rising sun with a solid frost on the ground.

Ahead, we had around 20km of undulating country called
the Gouland Downs providing contrasting landscape from
open tussock to old beech forest – this is a massive area
with the track gradually climbing to Perry Saddle Hut. The
trail is more challenging across this section with a number
of rocky pinch climbs combined with more technical
sections – all rideable and nice to “clean “ these wee
stretches. There are more muddy sections through here
that you can dismount on should you so choose.

We arrived at Gouland Downs Hut, about midway to Perry
Saddle, to be greeted by a rider from Nelson who had
broken his rear derailleur off and was forced to spend the
night here. Fortunately, he was able to contact his son who
was riding in with a replacement to get him back under
way. We passed his son about 20 minutes later.
From Gouland Hut, the trail climbs steadily through open
tussock country before a change to dense Podocarp forest
with a few nice streams – plenty of water to top up the
bottles. This section is deceptive as you get close to the
saddle and requires a solid effort and good skills to
navigate the technical sections.

Finally, Perry Saddle Hut came into view, so we took the
opportunity to stop and refuel. Some great historic photos
on the hut wall – those early pioneers were certainly a
hardy bunch. We had covered about half the days riding
and were looking forward to the 20km descent to the end
of the trail. However, the first couple of kilometres were
very rocky and rooty and mainly flat so more effort
required than imagined – soon the track pointed downhill
and opened up to a smooth surface allowing for a nice
flowy descent. This is one of the longer downhills you will
ride and will bring a smile to your face – what a way to
finish the ride. Fist pumps all around as we loaded up the
bikes and gear before travelling through to Takaka for a
coffee and date scone at the Whole Meal Cafe just before
they closed for the day. Onward over the Takaka Hill on
our way to Murchison where we would spend the night
and catch up with the North Group who had driven through
from Karamea.

Once showered and cleaned up we wandered down to the
local hotel for a beer beside a roaring fire – the pub was
humming along as it was Saturday evening. The motel
owner had recommended The Cow Shed Restaurant so
we adjourned across the main road – fortunately, they had
just enough space to seat our group of nine. The place
was buzzing with plenty of chatter and was snuggly warm.
The owners agreed to bring out suitable dishes so we
could share and this worked out great. Excellent food,
atmosphere and very friendly staff – highly recommended.
Up early Sunday morning with a stop at The River Cafe for
a hearty breakfast and then it was time travel home to
Christchurch.

Useful Information
- Track distance 78 km that can be ridden from either end.
Elevation gain - 1450 vertical metres. Actual riding time -
7 hours.
- Group North - Mike Stopford, Daymond Yee, Nick
Spencer, Bruce Marshall.
- Group South - Perry Ingram ( author ), Wayne Boyd,
Andy Timmings, Tom Townend, Dan Overend.
- Bike Specialized Levo SL 2 ( two range extender
batteries – Thanks Chain Reaction Cycles)
- Track accommodation – visit DOC website for booking
and track information.