[This post has ended up being much longer than anticipated, you may want to jump straight to the tips & tricks if that is what you are looking for]
If you think that a multi-day, 80km ride with more than 800 vertical meters of climb in it sounds like something best left to the namby-pamby lycra wearing cross country set you should think again. I am much more at home doing shuttles or lift-assisted runs than gutsing out 3 hour climbs, but I have to say that after completing it a few days ago the Heaphy track is definitely worth the effort.
My brother cleverly suggested that the Heaphy opening for mountain biking for the first time in 15 years loosely coinciding with my birthday and imminent indefinite departure from our fair shores was an excellent excuse to meet up for an expedition. Plans were made, and before I knew it we were headed in to Brown Hut at the end of the gravel access road near Collingwood at the northern tip of the South Island.
The biggest question mark had been around the weather. We had stumbled across some videos from the opening weekend of the season that suggested that the Heaphy in the wet would be better considered as an open water swim than any kind of endurance mountain bike ride. Thankfully we struck gold with two beautifully clear days, and just a dash of misty cloud thrown in for a couple of hours to make things interesting. I would suggest that if you possibly can you allow some flexibility in your schedule to do it over some dry (or at least less wet) days, as some sections of the track would be pretty unenjoyable in wet conditions.
If you start from the Collingwood end of the track as we did, you spend your first morning (about 3 hours) climbing to the highest point on the track. The climb is long, but it is not particularly steep or difficult. A couple of breaks to admire the view, a stop for a snack at the shelter on the way, and you are there before you know it. It is well worth taking the little 2 minute walking detour to the lookout at the highest point so that you can appreciate your achievement from the best possible vantage point.
From the highest point it is your first taste of downhill, with a nice fast little section down to Perry Saddle Hut, which is a great place to stop for a hot drink and something a little more substantial to eat.
A quick short climb after the hut and you are back into the downhill, some of the best on the ride. Fast and rocky, you will definitely appreciate a few inches of rear wheel travel, although my brother and his girlfriend managed just fine, albeit a little slower, on hard tails.
A quick photo stop at the boot pole in the middle of the Gouland Downs and it is reasonably flat through to the Gouland Downs Hut. From there the surface changes a bit again, and you end up on some kind of sandy, pumice-y type stuff for a while. It was somewhere along here we passed some people coming the other way who I thought said that it was 5 minutes to the next hut. I got pretty excited and starting hammering ahead, which I did for about half an hour, before I realised that she was either a liar, or that wasn’t what she had said. Jase and Brittany filled me in that she had actually said 5 more riders coming when they caught up, silly me.
The second half of this section through to James Mackay hut, our destination for the night, was pretty muddy. Bear in mind it had been dry for a couple of days before we went through, so I imagine this is awful in the wet. There was a bit of walking through this bit, and it was probably the least enjoyable section of track for this reason.
We found James Mackay hut chock full of mountain bikers. It is a 26 bed hut, but unfortunately there is only seating for about 16. Being some of the last to arrive we found ourselves a little corner and set about re animating some freeze-dried sustenance (I went with Back Country Cuisine – edible, nice and light to carry). A spot of whiskey (recommended) and we were off to bed for what turned out to be a pretty sleepless night. The hut was super warm, to the point that I spent most of the night in my sleeping bag liner alone, and full of snorers. Earplugs are a necessity, even with them I struggled to get more than a few minutes sleep at a time.
The next day dawned sunny and clear, which pumped us up for what is the best section of track. This descent from James Mackay hut is around 600 vertical meters of fantastic single track downhill that makes the whole trip worthwhile. A little muddy in spots, but otherwise fast and fun. There are a few slightly technical sections, but nothing that a confident rider would have any trouble with, and they make it interesting for those of us who are interested in pinning it. If you don’t have a smile on your face when you reach Lewis hut at the bottom of the hill there is something wrong with you.
From Lewis hut you negotiate a few swing bridges and some nice undulating terrain alongside the rivers. The swing bridges are slow and exhausting with a bike, and if you can avoid any of them by safely doing the ford instead I highly recommend you do. Chances are your shoes will be soaked at this point anyway.
Eventually you reach the coast and the track conditions and scenery change once again. There is a bit of pushing along this section as some of the track is quite sandy, but it is fun seeing how far you can ride through it. The track is relatively flat, with a few ups and downs thrown in. The dramatic West Coast beaches make for some great scenery.
We had one last nutrition stop before tackling the final hurdle, Scott’s Hill. This is a reasonably tough climb up over a bluff followed by a lovely flowing descent to the Kohaihai river bridge and the end of the track. This last section is super fast, and a great way to end the ride. Just watch out for the slippery wooden water bars set at diagonal to the track.
- Definitely ride it from the Collingwood end to the Karamea end. You get more (and better) downhill because you start at a couple of hundred meters above sea level and finish on the coast.
- The James Mackay hut is the best option if you can get it. It means a slightly longer ride day 1, but on day 2 you start with an awesome long section of single track downhill that can’t be beat.
- You could (and a few people seem to be) guts the whole thing out in a day. It would be a long day, but by no means impossible if you are in good shape and you have decent weather.
- Another creative option is to ride it both ways over 3 days, leaving your gear at a hut in the middle somewhere where you stay for 2 nights, riding out and back in to that same hut. That way you get a good ride with no extra weight.
- Pack as light as you possibly can (while using common sense – you are 60km for civilisation in the middle of the ride). New Zealand designed Freeload racks on the back work well, as well as a rack possibly can. If you get hold of a dry bag and chuck the heaviest stuff in there that is your best bet. Makes getting the bike off the ground a little more difficult, but you soon get used to it. Some guys were also rocking the front ones, but carrying extra bulk on the front of my bike was not something I was keen on.
- The swing bridges really, really suck. They are difficult, exhausting, and they take ages with only one of you allowed on at a time. If you can (weather dependent obviously) take the ford option. You will get wet shoes sooner or later anyway. The good news is that DOC is apparently replacing them with the nice rideable wooden ones at some stage.
- The sandflies in this area are some kind of super breed. Take the most poisonous insect repellant you can legally purchase, and apply it before you get down to the river at Lewis Hut. I would also strongly advise against eating lunch anywhere near the river, no matter how picturesque the spot.
- Anyone who is confident on their bike and reasonably fit will be fine riding the Heaphy track. There is nothing too steep or scary to negotiate. Having said that there is plenty to keep those of us who fancy a bit of adrenaline-inducing technical riding happy if you take the downhill sections at pace.
- Food wise I opted for the lightest, easiest to pack solutions. For me this was Back Country Cuisine freeze dried dinners, One Square Meal lunches, large Up&Go’s for breakfast, and assorted muesli bars for snacks along the way. Not exactly delicious, but nice and light and tasty enough.
- Riding clothes are important. I picked up some Nzo Peanut Tights and Cruiseliner Supreme’s before I headed off and they proved invaluable. Props to them for some great service rushing me out a new pair when I ordered the wrong size to make sure that I got them in time.
- The pub in Karamea makes amazing burgers. I strongly suggest stopping in there for a couple of celebratory pints and a great feed before you head off where ever you are going.
The whole trip only saw two mechanicals for our group, two broken chains within half an hour of each other. The mud (and sand and salt when you get to the coast) is really hard on your drive train and brakes. You should probably carry a set of spare brake pads to be safe. Lube is essential.
I was riding one of Avanti’s new all mountain trail bikes, the Torrent 1, which was perfect for the trail conditions. I rented it at a very reasonable rate from the good folk at Escape Adventures (who also took care of our rental Freeload racks and car relocation service). I can see why Avanti’s new frame is getting so much praise all over the place. Being the base model some of the componentry wasn’t super flash, but it all did the job ok. The only real complaint I had about it was the grips – if I had paid $3k+ for this bike (which is what it retails for) I would be pretty upset that it had crappy twisty grips. Lock-on grips only please.
The track is holding up remarkably well given the weather they have had and the rush of riders eager to be some of the first through. The few trampers we did meet seemed to be quite happy with the situation, and were mostly interested in our bikes and how we were carrying all our gear. It has obviously been great news for the local small towns too. I know that we spent significant sums in Nelson, Motueka, and Takaka on the way in, and Karamea, Westport, and Greymouth on the way out. I hope that at the end of the 3 year trial they decide to continue allowing mountain bikers through. It seems like a no-brainer.
If you are planning on tackling it I also suggest that you check out this excellent post ‘Stuff Learnt From Riding the Heaphy‘ from ex-Vorb guy Tama Easton.
You can also check out my full set of photos from the adventure over on flickr.
Other useful resources
- Department of Conservation information about the Heaphy Track
- Department of Conservation information on huts/campsites & online booking system – you need ot book a hut in advance
- Haeaphytrack.com information for mountain bikers – includes a pretty good description of what to expect from each track section along with a guide to ride times & distances.
