It rained overnight and into the morning. I was glad to be in a cabin even though the rain wasn’t too heavy.
The trail kept its reputation about constantly changing scenery, even through the slow descent the forest was constantly changing.
I came across a couple Kias playing on the track, apparently Kias are rare, there’s even an app and they ask you to submit sightings. Kakas (New Zealand’s other parrot species) on the other hand are supposed to be much more common, however I’ve now seen five Kias and no Kakas!
As the day went on the skies cleared for the most part. This was the bigger day for me, somewhere around 37 km, but the trails are so smooth it flew by and I made it to the Heaphy campsite by 2:30. Plenty of time to feed all the thirsty sandflies… seriously I can’t imagine how horrible it would be if my body didn’t metabolize those bites so quickly, I’m very lucky.
The Heaphy campsite is right next to a big hut, so there are lots of people. It’s also right on the river close to where it meets the Tasman Sea and the beach is fantastic!
Beautiful pictures Pete, the birds are amazing! The Heaphy looks stunning, especially the beaches.