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Hiking the Heaphy Track
We pressed on for the final climb up to a lovely viewing spot and down to the end of the track. We fixed some lunch while waiting for the bus into Karamea. We saw a bus back to Nelson in the parking lot. We had not heard about this company before, and took a card for DriveMeWild. It's a new company specializing in trips to the Heaphy from Nelson.
Fortunately we were able to fly, but the clouds meant the views weren't great. We got back to fine weather in Nelson. Maureen arrived shortly before we did, and had already headed into town to do some shopping. We joined her, and helped stimulate the local economy, by picking up supplies for the next hike, as well as a few clothing purchases.
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The
next morning, we broke camp quickly. We ate our porridge while walking
around to keep from being hauled away by sandflies! It started to rain
just as we left, but then changed its mind! It was humid, but otherwise
we did not get wet. After a couple of hours we reached the next shelter.
The setting was very nice, but the sandlflies were just as bad. 
We'd
already booked a night at the last resort in Karamea and a plane ride
from there back to Nelson. We got into Karamea and showered at enjoyed
some Kumara fries at the cafe, and then walked up to the shops before
the rain started. Susan called our pilot to see if we'd be able to fly
the next day. The forecast wasn't great, but he'd let us know in the
morning. If we couldn't fly, we were faced with a long bus ride back.
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