The Heaphy track has been closed to mountain bikes for 16 years. A sustained effort by interested groups and individuals has resulted in the Department of Conservation (DOC) running a three year trial whereby bikes are allowed to ride the track between the 1st of May and the 30th of September during daylight hours. The latter restriction is designed to protect the Kiwis from 26 or 29 inch wheels.
After a refreshment stop Graham takes the opportunity to shoot off on his own. This turns out to be a reasonable strategy as on a long climb it is often nice to settle into your own pace. The first half of the climb is comfortably rideable but after that I kept finding places where I had to hop off, increasingly so until about 2kms from the hut. Riding the other way with gravity on your side I think it would all be rideable. I hasten to add that I am not a 'technical' rider and tend to err on the safe side when carrying a pack six hours walk from a road end. 
Arrival at the hut yields an amazing view back out to the morning's start point. The beach at the Heaphy river mouth is clearly visible. The bonus is that Graham has made use of the 90 seconds he arrived ahead of me to get the brews on. Our car key swap team from Nelson are also present so the logistics are slotting into place. News from the other parties is that the next section is muddy and tricky in places so after a few photos and some more tiffin we head off. 
The information proved to be correct and the next few kms involved some boggy and rocky sections but in a really nice environment. Energy levels were flagging a bit on this section and some magic jelly beans were brought into play. The track rapidly improved where more work has been done and the descent through the bush to the open area before the Saxon Hut was really nice. The Saxon Hut looked full and Joy managed to meet someone she knew, with only 30 minutes until dark we had to press on but the section from here to the Gouland Downs hut was mostly downhill with one river crossing.
I had this trip on my list of 'must be done' adventures but didn't plan to do it until next winter. That is until I received an invitation by text from Iain Lawson late on a Wednesday night. Iain, Joy Skilton and Graham Slow had been trying to do the ride for the previous two weekend but seriously adverse weather had caused them to postpone. The fourth member of their party could no longer make it on this particular weekend so I was offered a place. A bit of shuffling of some work stuff was necessary but I was in the game. The plan was to enjoy the ride over three days leaving from Karamea and finishing on the Eastern side. An overnight stop at the 'Old Nurses Home' backpackers in Reefton saw us on our way to a fine late breakfast at the Last Resort in Karamea.
The weather forecast was perfect for the next three days, we sorted out our gear and food and were on the bikes by midday. About 3 minutes into the expedition Iain spotted a sign that said that hut booking documentation must be carried and promptly returned to the car! We only had 16kms to cover to the Heaphy hut so we took the opportunity to take many photographs. The way that the west coast bush meets the sea is always spectacular.
Any possibility of a cruisy start is blown out of the window as the track rears up over Kohaihai Bluff then down to Scotts Beach, the scenes are idyllic with Nikau palms and golden granite contrasting the lush green of the bush. The Nikau palm is the only palm species native to mainland New Zealand. The cameras are doing overtime, thank goodness for digital photography. A couple of detours onto the beach are necessary which could provide more than a bit of excitement at high tide. This really is a beautiful piece of mountain biking. Two hours after leaving the car the track emerges onto the front lawn of the Heaphy hut (28 bunk) where a friendly DOC warden greets us. This is quite some place to spend your winter!
After reserving bunks and making a couple of brews Graham launches into hunter gatherer mode and is seen heading for the lagoon brandishing a telescopic rod and reel. The rest of us follow him down a bit later but don't find the evening meal lying on the beach. Apparently there is cellphone coverage out on the beach in case there is a need to contact anyone or a desperate urge to get onto social networking.
A pleasant night in a cosy half full hut leads us into the biggest day of our trip. The tramping sign indicates that it is a six hour walk to the James Mackay hut (26 bunk), given that most of this is uphill it is hard to estimate the implication for mountain bikes. I doubt if DOC would ever dare to give estimated times for mountain biking as I suspect there is a much bigger wider spectrum of riding speed than walking speed.
The first hour of riding winds through the bush alongside the Heaphy river. There were a few muddy bits which just provided extra interest. I have however heard of parties completing this section with much of it spent up to the knees in water! The wire suspension bridges are quite a challenge with a bike and it is worth fording the river if it is safe to do so. At the end of this section lies the Lewis Hut (20 bunk) and the start of a 900m climb.
After a refreshment stop Graham takes the opportunity to shoot off on his own. This turns out to be a reasonable strategy as on a long climb it is often nice to settle into your own pace. The first half of the climb is comfortably rideable but after that I kept finding places where I had to hop off, increasingly so until about 2kms from the hut. Riding the other way with gravity on your side I think it would all be rideable. I hasten to add that I am not a 'technical' rider and tend to err on the safe side when carrying a pack six hours walk from a road end. 
Arrival at the hut yields an amazing view back out to the morning's start point. The beach at the Heaphy river mouth is clearly visible. The bonus is that Graham has made use of the 90 seconds he arrived ahead of me to get the brews on. Our car key swap team from Nelson are also present so the logistics are slotting into place. News from the other parties is that the next section is muddy and tricky in places so after a few photos and some more tiffin we head off. 
The Gouland Downs hut has only 8 bunks so it is a really cosy tramping hut, apparently it's a great place to spot Kiwi after dark but our searches met with no success.
Graham bounced out of bed at about 6am and got the fire and the brews going so we were only waiting for it to get light before starting the days riding. The next section to Perry saddle was a very pleasant but in places rocky, uphill ride. I decided to go ahead and get the tea ready at the hut, it's really nice doing a ride like this with no time pressure whatsoever.
Just after the others arrived at Perry Saddle Hut a group of three turned up who were just starting their trip. It's a long climb up from Brown Hut (18kms) so they looked a bit warm! Their apparent leader strutted into the hut 'balls first' and announced that they had to be in Karamea for a helicopter at 3pm. The presumption seemed to be that we were interested in his schedule. He followed this by asking if we were taking four days for the ride. On a good day you couldn't give him three out of ten for social skills.
This scenario is described here because I feel that if biking access to the track is ever questioned it is likely to be due to bad manners from the riders who are on the one day quest and not giving way to others.
Following this encounter there was nothing left to do but cruise down the 18Km descent to Brown Hut and the other car. Lunch in Takaka, car swap in Murchison and the drive home. Well done to Graham for doing all the driving. No mean feat.
