Hiking
Bush & Beyond Guided Walks. Walk with the locals: for guided walk and multiday hiking service throughout Kahurangi National Park, this company is a top choice. Trips are tailored to your level of fitness and interests, and their help on a multiday trail like the Heaphy Track can be invaluable. Trips can be self-catering (still guided) or fully guided, where your accommodation, food, and transfers are all taken care of. These guys operate year-round and know the Kahurangi area back to front, and beyond. They are also ardent conservationists, and founded the "Friends of Flora" conservation group, which aims to control predator pests and restore the wildlife of the beautiful Flora region of the park. 03/543–3742; 21/0270--8209; www.heaphytrackguidedwalks.co.nz.
Heaphy Track. The most famous walk in Kahurangi National Park is the 78-km (49-mile), five-day Heaphy Track. The track is one of the Great Walks, regarded as the premier multiday walking trails of New Zealand. It traverses a grand landscape mix of beech forests, tussock-covered table lands, temperate rain forests, nikau palm forests, and coastal beaches as it crosses the national park from Golden Bay to Karamea, on the West Coast. The track can be approached from Karamea or Collingwood. Kiwi are often heard along the way. There are seven huts and nine campsites along the Heaphy Track, and spaces in both must be booked year-round. Bookings can be made online or through DOC offices or the Nelson or Motueka i-SITE Visitor Centres. Each end of this track is several hours' drive apart; shuttle transport (by coach or air) can be arranged. Mountain bikers are permitted on the track in winter (from May 1 to September 30). For help and advice contact the Great Walks Help Desk. Kahurangi National Park, Tasman, 7073. 03/546–8210; www.doc.govt.nz.
Kahurangi Guided Walks. If you'd like some expert company on hikes around the national park, these specialists run half- and one-day treks on the best routes, as well as the full five-day Heaphy Track hike. More strenuous, multiday walks explore The Matiri Tops, Wangapeka Track, and remote, rarely visited spots such as Boulder Lake. Prices vary for each customized trip; these folk also run guided walks in Abel Tasman National Park and around Golden Bay. 03/391--4120; www.kahurangiwalks.co.nz.
