Meet a couple who retraced their steps on the Heaphy Track as a family, 20 years after doing it the first time.
Lisa and Peter Dudfield from Cambridge completed the Heaphy Track with their teenage daughters in 2020. It was their second time around after first doing the walk 20 years ago, combining a kayaking trip around Abel Tasman and a friend’s wedding in Nelson.
“That was before smartphones and Google,” says Peter. “There was no checking the weather beforehand, and we have far fewer photos from the first trip. Back then we had to take the film to the chemist to get it developed.”
Shuttle services and car transfers didn’t really exist in 2000 either. “The services and infrastructure around the track were pretty limited,” says Peter. “There were a lot of logistics to arrange for the one-way route.”
“At the end of the track was a bus that left at a certain time,” says Lisa. “It added quite a bit of pressure to get out from the last hut. We only just made it.”
The bus just dropped off trampers at the local pub. “We’d pre-arranged to fly out, but it was inclement weather with low cloud and the Cessna couldn’t get to us from Tākaka,” says Peter. “The publican gave us a room where we could freshen up and have a shower. We were halfway through a whitebait fritter when the pilot rang the pub to say they were giving it a crack.” The couple washed down the fritter with a beer and the publican took them to the aerodrome.
In 2020 the family opted for a rental car from Nelson airport and a car transfer. “It meant we could easily get to and from the track at our own leisure,” says Peter. “It was a good job we did, too. On the last night another tramper burnt his leg badly. He managed to get to the road end and we took him to Buller Hospital, then through to Nelson.”
The family are keen trampers and try to book one Great Walk a year in between their other trips. “It’s so awesome that we can share this beautiful part of New Zealand with our children,” says Lisa. “It was interesting to see how things have grown and developed and point out the differences to them.”
The couple agree that the second time around was more comfortable. “We camped the first time, and were younger in those days,” says Peter. “It’s still challenging, but it’s made easier because of all the changes over the last 20 years. There have been huge advances in equipment, and we have such a wide choice of better quality, more robust, lighter kit.”
They noticed significant investment in the huts. “The new high-quality DOC huts were a real surprise,” says Peter. “Double glazing, solar, insect screens; the flushing toilets were a nice change from the old long drops. The Heaphy Hut was still the same, with the same charm, though.”
The couple also noticed a difference in the hut wardens. “The wardens are great,” says Peter. “They’re very proud of their huts, and they’ve become a lot more engaged. The first time it seemed the wardens were just there to maintain the track; now it’s all part of connecting to the land and the experience. It’s different, and it should be different because it’s a Great Walk.”
The track had changed too. “Everything’s grown,” says Lisa. “Also, we remember walking along the beach for a big part of the final day, but you can’t do that so much now because it’s been eroded away.”
Adds Peter: “DOC has done a great job of keeping the track in the condition it’s in, especially after the extreme weather events in recent years.”
When the Dudfields did the Heaphy the first time they mainly met experienced trampers. ”This time we noticed a lot more families with young children, and overseas visitors,” says Lisa.
Something that doesn’t change is the weather. “We have raincoats and pack covers on in most photos from both trips,” she says.
Peter thinks the essence of tramping hasn’t changed. “Technology has improved and there are a lot of people sitting around looking at photos they’ve taken during the day. But there are still card games, board games and book swaps. Trampers still gather around the table to talk and share stories.”
