Tramping Mt. Stormy
Photo Credit: Miles J Carter

 

On the Top of Mt. Stormy with Karamea in the Background
Photo Credit: Paul Murray

Heaphy River Mouth, Heaphy Track
Photo Credit: Miles J Carter

Near Perry Saddle, Heaphy Track.
Photo Credit: Miles J Carter

Tramping the Karamea Gorge
Photo Credit: Paul Murray

View from Mt. Stormy
Photo Credit: Miles J Carter

Tramping (Hiking) in Karamea

Karamea is undoubtedly one of the premier tramping destinations in New Zealand, with a wealth of options to get out into nature, from hardcore multi-day tramps in the wilderness to pleasant short walks.

One reason for this is the region's mild (near to the coast, subtropical) climate, which unlike most of the South Island sees trails snow free and in good condition year round. But surely the greatest factor is that Karamea is completely surrounded by the spectacular, unspoilt scenery of Kahurangi National Park.

The most diverse of New Zealand’s nine great walks, the Heaphy Track, finishes (or starts, depending on which way you're heading) at Kohaihai, just north of Karamea.

The 82-kilometre, four-day tramp attracts visitors from all over the world every year. Many visitors to Karamea choose to walk only to the first or second huts on the track instead of walking its entire length. These huts, Heaphy and Lewis, are Department of Conservation maintained bush cabins with gas cooking facilities, open fires, bunks with mattresses, large camping grounds, toilets and running-water facilities. Live like a millionaire for as little as $20 a night, awake to a choice of view: Pristine mountain scenery or the roaring Tasman Sea.

Day walks along this first section of the track along the coast are also a highly popular option, passing golden beaches, expansive coastal views and spectacular nikau palm and rata forest. There are a number of attractive destinations to aim for before beginning the return trip, most notably Scotts Beach, one hour's leisurely walk from Kohaihai, a peaceful grassy clearing seperated from the golden sand by a string of nikau palms, encompassing a picnic area, barbecue and an extended family of wekas.

There are many other popular day tramps and walks in the area. One of the most interesting is Mt. Stormy, which represents one of only a handful of places on the West Coast where it is possible to get into the alpine zone on a marked tramping trail. The mountain deserves it's name, but when the weather is clear the views can be staggeringly beautiful, with the Karamea plain, the river, and the sea on the West, and steep, forested mountains, undisturbed by man in all other directions as far as the eye can see.

Other popular day tracks include the Fenian track (soon to be linked with the Oparara Basin), an old trail through lush, sheltered rainforest, dating back to the days of the gold rush, with a sidetrack to fascinating caves and a grassy clearing with an old prospectors hut at the end, the tracks at the Oparara Basin, and many others. Most of these are shown on the interactive map section, along with the locations of several huts and notable other places of interest.

The Wangapeka and Leslie Karamea tracks which cross Kahurangi N. P. to the south of the Heaphy offer a chance, albeit rather more rugged, wild and demanding, to cross to Tasman/Golden Bay via the spectacular hinterland of deep, earthquake shattered valleys and high, potholed marble peaks which make up the Southern and Eastern areas of the park. This is an increasingly popular and contrasting option for those wishing to walk a loop in conjunction with the Heaphy Track and Abel Tasman Track.

There are many other tracks, sidetracks, huts and camping areas in Kahurangi N.P. - for further information, visit the Department of Conservation (DOC)'s excellent site on the park.