Adventure Run · Kahurangi NP, New Zealand

Heaphy Track — 2-Day Adventure Run

The longest Great Walk in two big days — golden tussock downs, takahē and giant snails, then a nikau palm coast beside the wild Tasman Sea.

~78.5 km
Distance
~2,900 m
Elevation Gain
2 Days
Running
Nikau Coast
Finish

Route Map

Northeast → southwest, Brown Hut to Kohaihai. Numbered markers = overnight stops · triangles = huts / landmarks.

Start (Brown Hut)
Overnight stop
Finish (Kohaihai)
▲ Hut / landmark
📥 Full route GPX

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Click any day to expand · Pick a start date above

Day0
Arrival — Nelson → Takaka / Golden Bay → Brown Hut trailhead
Travel Day 🇳🇿 Golden Bay
▾

✈️ Getting There

Fly into Nelson (NSN), then drive or shuttle over Takaka Hill to Takaka / Golden Bay and on to the Brown Hut trailhead at the Aorere valley road-end (~2.5 hr total).
💡 Notes: The Heaphy's famous logistics quirk: the two trailheads are ~460 km apart by road — plan your exit BEFORE your entry. The elegant solution is Golden Bay Air, which flies Karamea ↔ Takaka in ~40 minutes. Book the flight first, build the trip around it.
TypeArrival day
Transfer~2.5 hr
Overnight
Takaka or Brown Hut area
Booking.com →
Day1
Brown Hut → Perry Saddle → Gouland Downs → James Mackay Hut
Very Hard Gouland Downs ~42 km · 8–9 hr
▾

Highlights

Perry Saddle Gouland Downs tussock plateau Limestone arches & caves Takahē Powelliphanta giant snails Saxon shelter
⚠ Notes: The long climb from Brown Hut to Perry Saddle, then out onto the Gouland Downs — the magic of the whole route: golden tussock, moody weather, limestone arches and caves in the "enchanted forest" pockets, and endemic weirdness everywhere — reintroduced takahē (a flightless bird back from presumed extinction) and Powelliphanta, giant carnivorous land snails. Past Saxon Hut and on to James Mackay Hut. Carry all your food — huts have gas cookers but no meals.
Distance~42 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,300 m
Elev Loss↓ ~700 m
Moving Time8–9 hr
DifficultyVery Hard
Overnight
James Mackay Hut
DOC Bookings →
Day2
James Mackay → Heaphy Hut → Nikau Coast → Kohaihai — Finish!
Hard Nikau palm coast ~37 km · 7–8 hr
▾

Highlights

Heaphy River mouth Nikau palm forest Wild Tasman Sea coast Great spotted kiwi
🎉 Notes: Long descent off the plateau past Lewis Hut to Heaphy Hut at the river mouth — lunch spot of the trip, where the Heaphy River meets the Tasman Sea. Then the famous nikau palm coast: subtropical palms, thundering surf, wild beaches all the way to the Kohaihai shelter and the shuttle to Karamea. Listen for great spotted kiwi calls at dusk.

⚠ The coastal section has tide-influenced stretches — check tide tables before setting out. Sandflies are apocalyptic at Heaphy Hut; keep moving.
Distance~37 km
Elev Gain↑ ~500 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,400 m
Moving Time7–8 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Karamea (celebration!)
Booking.com →

Route Highlights

Tussock downs, living fossils, and a palm-lined ocean finish.

Day 1
Gouland Downs
Golden tussock plateau under moody skies — the strange, beautiful heart of the Heaphy.
Day 1
Takahē
Flightless blue-green giants, back from presumed extinction and reintroduced to the Downs.
Day 1
Powelliphanta giant snails
Carnivorous land snails the size of your fist — they hunt earthworms at night.
Day 1
Enchanted forest limestone arches
Mossy beech pockets on the Downs hiding limestone arches and caves.
Day 2
Heaphy River mouth
Where the river meets the Tasman Sea — lunch stop of the trip at Heaphy Hut.
Day 2
Nikau palm coast
Subtropical palms over wild surf beaches — running that feels nothing like the rest of NZ.
Day 2
Great spotted kiwi
Kahurangi is their stronghold — listen for the shrill calls at dusk.
Day 2
Karamea finish
Sleepy end-of-the-road West Coast town — beer, whitebait, and the flight back over the mountains.

Trip Planning

Everything needed to make it happen.

Total Distance

~78.5 km
~49 mi · longest Great Walk

Elevation Gain

~2,900 m
~9,500 ft over 2 days

Direction

NE → SW
Point-to-point, Brown Hut → Kohaihai

Best Season

All year
MTB track May–Nov — winter = bike season

Lodging

DOC huts
James Mackay night · bunks, no meals

Bookings

~June
Summer hut bookings open on the DOC system

Luggage

Travel light
No takkyubin — carry everything

Exit

Fly back
Golden Bay Air Karamea → Takaka, or long shuttle

Official track info at doc.govt.nz · hut bookings at bookings.doc.govt.nz. Pairs perfectly with the Paparoa run just down the West Coast.

✈️ Access

In: Fly Nelson (NSN) → drive/shuttle to Takaka and the Brown Hut trailhead (~2.5 hr). Nelson is the natural base for gear sorting and last supplies.

Out: Kohaihai shelter → shuttle to Karamea (~15 min) → Golden Bay Air flight back to Takaka — the trailheads are ~460 km apart by road, so book the flight before anything else.

⚠️ Route notes

🍽 Food: Carry all food for both days — DOC huts have gas cookers and water but no meals and no shops en route.

🌦 Weather: Conditions change fast on the exposed Gouland Downs — full rain shell and warm layer even on a blue-sky forecast.

🌊 Tides: The coastal section has tide-influenced stretches — check tide tables for the Kohaihai end before you commit to timings.

📵 Coverage: Phone coverage is near zero for the whole track — carry a PLB or satellite messenger and leave intentions with someone.

🦟 Sandflies: Legendary at Heaphy Hut and the coast — repellent, long sleeves, keep moving.

💶 Money

Prices in NZD. Great Walk hut bunks ~NZ$40–45/night (booked online — no cash needed on track). Town lodging NZ$120–200. Budget NZ$150–250/day including shuttles; the Karamea–Takaka flight is the big line item.
📅 Booking Timeline
DOC hut bookings for the summer season open ~June at bookings.doc.govt.nz. But book the Golden Bay Air flight first — it solves the 460 km shuttle problem and defines your dates.
Day0
Takaka
Golden Bay 🇳🇿
Booking.com →
Or stay near Brown Hut trailhead
Day1
James Mackay Hut
Kahurangi NP 🇳🇿
DOC Bookings →
Book ~June openingBunks · gas · no meals
Day2
Karamea
West Coast 🇳🇿
Booking.com →
Small town — book ahead
Also✈
Golden Bay Air — Karamea → Takaka
Return flight 🇳🇿
Maps →
Book first — solves the 460 km shuttle problem