Heaphy Track

The longest of the walking tracks at 78.4 km, crossing Kahurangi National Park from expansive tussock downs and forest to nīkau palms and the West Coast's roaring seas. Walkers take two to six days; mountain bikes are allowed from 1 May to 30 November, so expect to share the track then. The trailheads are far apart: Brown Hut is 156 km from Nelson and Kohaihai 110 km from Westport, though air services let you walk one way and fly back near your start. It has reopened as a through route with a new bridge across the Heaphy River. Huts and campsites must be booked all year, and it often has space when the better-known walks do not.