Karamea is the very last town as you head north on the west coast of the South Island. The campsite we had found was on the beach at the very end of the road even further north, where the Heaphy walking tracked starts. After a stormy night listening to the waves crash just a short distance from the campervan, the clouds cleared early the next morning.
We took advantage of the break in the weather to explore the area around the campsite. We started by heading along the Kohaihai River estuary towards the start of the Heaphy Track.
The Heaphy is another of the Great Walks, like the Kepler Track we did at Easter. After crossing the river on a long swing bridge we quickly found ourselves in the dense forest.
The track climbed gradually up to a small saddle where we got our first views out over the coast towards Scotts Beach and the hills beyond.
The track gradually descended into the bay, crossing several more small streams. The forests here are so different from anything I am used to, with the lush green foliage making it feel almost tropical even in winter.
Eventually we came out on the beach and spent some time watching the waves. The beaches on this section of coastline have some very steep drop-offs, creating mesmerising wave patterns.
On the way back to the campground we took a side track through the Nikau Palm grove. Despite the rather muddy track we felt as through we were walking through a tropical forest.
After weaving our way through the tropical palms, we returned to the campervan and got everything packed up ready for our drive back across Lewis Pass to Christchurch.