Day 4 Heaphy Hut to Kohaihai - back to civilization!

It was hard to believe that the the final day of our walk on the Heaphy Track had arrived. As we had a deadline to meet our bus at 1:00 pm sharp and had 16km to go (10 miles) we had no time to dawdle. After a quick brush of the teeth we packed it all up for the last time. We managed our earliest start to the day - on the track at 7:45 am.



We found it hard to leave the beautiful setting of the Heaphy Hut and the sight of the surging river emptying into the Tasman Sea. We later discovered that some tenderfoot-types actually dayhike in the 16 km from the west and spend a night or two at The Heaphy Hut - walking out the way they came in. The purists (as we felt we were) felt slighted that anyone would take the easy way to see this magnificent part of the world! (I should mention the maximum number of nights you can spend at one of the huts is two so you can't have your entire summer holidays here - although some people took a longer time doing the exact walk we did)



With fond memories of the night before still in mind, we set out, greatly anticipating the remaining track as it wound along the west coast.




The weather was cool to begin which suited us as we were all hoping to keep the sand flies at bay by wearing long sleeves and trousers. However, as it warmed up some of us chose to challenge the sand flies, removing bulky excess clothing and applying insect repellent generously!



The track weaved along the remaining 16 km in close proximity to the coast. We were warned about the dangers of rubbing against stinging nettle - another reason to keep those long trousers on! In some places you could choose whether to walk on the beach or in amongst the nikau-lined track.




The upcoming Katipo Creek which was the day's half-way mark at 8 km - had us a bit worried. The katipo spider is the only poisonous animal in New Zealand and is found in and around logs on the coast. Fortunately we negotiated this area uneventfully with not a spider in sight. The only bug (besides the ubiquous sand fly) we had a close encounter with over the duration of the track was the weta - the world's largest insect but totally harmless. If any of you saw Peter Jackson's King Kong you'll remember a scene where the characters are fighting their way through hoards of giant wetas. Luke kindly provided a good indication off their true size.




As we had reached the half-way point at Katipo Creek Shelter in less than the suggested 2 1/2 hours we took a much-deserved "packs off stop" and some nourishment. Once again our younger members were very cooperative - realizing we needed to plod on to reach the bus on time but enjoying the stop nonetheless. (when they were not swatting the sand flies)



Christopher decided he needed some space away from the crowd and he decided to walk on the beach for a while. After being so closely joined together the past number of days we were of mixed emotion seeing him from a distance and all alone! He himself was a bit hesistant about leaving the group but only because he didn't want to be the intrusive human leaving footprints in the pristine sand!



We were happy to have Chris back with us on the track after his solo interlude and made sure he knew it.





Many times through this part of the walk we stopped and admired the sheer beauty of New Zealand's West Coast.



Eventually we were diverted to the beach as we arrived at Koura Point. (see rocky outcrop in photo below) This is the one risky area of the walk no matter what season. There is no alternative high tide track here so you have to plan your day's walk to coincide with the tide being low enough to get past. There is a chilling memorial here to four trampers who died trying to negotiate this spot at high tide. This year there will be an alternative track built to bypass this treacherous area when need be.



We knew our walk was rapidly coming to an end but still we gave in to another "packs off stop" . The troops were getting keen for lunch but we made them hold off until we reached Kohaihai where our bus would be.



The last bit of the track included a brief but very steep climb to the Kohaihai Saddle which is rewarded by a famous view of the West Coast looking north.





Soon we were at the carpark with 30 minutes to spare and were able to feed the hungry children.




Food was eaten, garbage was packed and our bus arrived. Our driver David kindly took a group photo for us in front of the bus. (He only would open the bus door when we were all ready to board quickly to prevent an invasion of the now-famous sand flies!) We quickly hopped on the bus and were off!






The hike may be over but the memories live on. We were really appreciative of John, Patrick, Maretta and Adele joining us and their perseverance was totally admirable. We had no major injuries or issues and both families got on famously. Our family have already decided to do another Great Walk next January 2010- the Kepler (anyone want to join us?) - but with some improvements from this experience. Hopefully we are moving in the direction of the boys becoming older and stronger and carrying more each year.

It was a great experience for our family and one I would encourage anyone to try - you don't know what you can do until you do it. Right?