Start of the Trip - CollingwoodKaramea - Heaphy TrackRolling River, WangapekaMurchison, New ZealandLewis passArthurs PassRakaia RiverLake Clearwater, New ZealandLake Ohau, New ZealandWanaka, New ZealandArrowtown, New ZealandTe Anau, New ZealandTuatapere, New ZealandTe Waewae Bay
 | walk4kiwis |  | A long walk to Save the Kiwis |  | Karamea - Heaphy Track |
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Jan 11 2010, 02:34 PM
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Karamea, New Zealand
On the drive to the start of the track the rain started and the bridge over the Brown River though only 50m wide seemed much longer ! And we are finally off, Tiri relegated to inside my pack due to the rain. I soon had a nice interlude with some riflemen en route to Perry Hut, as they played around my feet for a while.
Then a long steady climb to the highest point at 910m. At the Perry Hut I stayed with Ivan the hut warden in his quarters, the tramper’s hut and campsite were both full. The weather that night was so windy and wet that it wasn’t possible to get the mountain radio aerial up and my first check in with Wellington Mountain Radio was pretty scratchy as a result.
Next day I set out with Ivan locating Great Spotted Kiwis with his hand-held receiver. There are 3 pairs within an hour of the hut and Ivan wants to know if they are sitting on eggs. Information from the receiver is fed into a computer and this analyses each pair’s position. If they remain for a long time in one position it’s a good indication that they are sitting on eggs. The Perry Hut is an excellent place to hear the GSKs at night but unfortunately the weather eliminated any possibility of hearing them while I was there. On the way to Gouland Downs I passed the Boot Pole which is festooned with every kind of footwear imaginable from stilettos to rollerskates. Once this walk is over I think I will retire my boots here! As I crossed over Big River, which here is only 10m wide and ankle deep, I thought of the last time I crossed it near Kahurangi Point where it was 100m wide and waist deep. I spent the night at McKay Hut in the ranger’s quarters and had a good radio sked as I was able to get the aerial out. There are wonderful views from here out to the coast and the mouth of the Heaphy.
I left early the next day and soon the bush changed noticeably with plentiful pongas and nikaus. On the way down to Heaphy Hut I met Craig the hut warden for Heaphy and McKay coming the other way and had a long chat with him. Over lunch at the Lewis Hut I got talking to a group of Aussie women and told them all about my walk. One, Jenny who lives near Melbourne lost everything in last year’s bushfire but still put her hand in her pocket and gave $100 to the Kiwis. Thank you, Jenny. Other trampers at the Heaphy Hut gave another $55, so it’s still trickling in. I arrived at the Heaphy Hut after a wonderful walk through lovely nikau forest and huge flowering rata trees, really beautiful and the largest I think I’ve ever seen.
That night I set up my radio aerial and put the radio on a bench at the ranger’s quarters at the Heaphy Hut then went inside for something. There was a mighty crash outside and I rushed out to see a weka about to make off with my radio into the bush!
I left early the next morning as heavy rain was forecast. The walk to the road end was showery but warm and very sticky. Along the way I noticed a large patch of native nettles. As I reached the road end the Heavens opened. I have a couple of nights now in Karamea to wait for 2 companions who are joining me for the next leg. An opportunity to get some washing done and have a shower!
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank DOC in general and Craig and Ivan in particular for their kindness and hospitality in allowing me to use their facilities. In the past DOC have come in for a lot of flak but a look at this wonderful track shows the fantastic job they do.
Tiri is behaving well, when it’s not raining he hangs on the outside of my pack wearing his blue boots but if it’s wet he prefers to ride inside the pack and have a nap. He’s not too keen on the swing bridges he closed his eyes for the first 3 but by the 4th he was getting braver and opened one eye as we went over.
DONATIONS $6775.50
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