Trampers are back on the Heaphy Track this summer after it closed for much of 2023 following severe storm damage in February, including the loss of the Heaphy River Bridge and two others.

The track was reopened on October 19, last year, making it again possible to walk between Heaphy and MacKay huts.

DOC Buller Operations manager Suvi van Smit said the new Heaphy Bridge is well above the 100-year climate change-adjusted flood levels. “The quickest, most straightforward solution for replacing the Heaphy Bridge may have been to use the same design at the original site, but we had to ensure that whatever was put in place would endure, and this took time.” 

There’s also a new bridge over the nearby Lewis River, and a new track to connect them.

Booking Services manager Cameron Hyland said Heaphy bookings had been strong this summer.

Western South Island Operations director Mark Davies said the reopening celebrations attracted many from the   Karamea community, the wider West Coast and Golden Bay: “The reopening   has been welcomed by tourism businesses at either end of the track as it is a key visitor asset.”