We spend the night in Takaka, the gateway town to Golden Bay and Kahurangi National Park, before setting off on the track. Rooms are standard 3-star hotel accommodation with private ensuite bathrooms and either twin or double beds, depending on availability.

Perched in the Perry Saddle with high hills on either side, Perry Saddle Hut offers an alpine atmosphere with sweeping views toward the jagged Dragon's Teeth peaks and Mt. Olympus, as well as glimpses of the red tussock grasslands that the Heaphy Track crosses. The hut features shared bathrooms and separate bunks with mattresses provided, gas cooking, heating, and lighting. You can cool off in the deep pool of nearby Gorge Creek or listen for great spotted kiwi at night.

Saxon Hut sits on the western edge of the Gouland Downs among red tussock grasslands, offering an older-style, open-plan hut experience with an outlook toward the Gouland Range. The hut features heating, gas cooking (bring your own utensils), long-drop toilets, and cold running water. It's one of the best spots on the Heaphy Track to listen for great spotted kiwi at night, with a genuine chance of hearing their piercing calls echo across the downs.

Perched on an open terrace at the edge of the Mackay Downs, James Mackay Hut is the newest on the Heaphy Track, built in 2014, with double-glazed windows and a genuinely cosy, comfortable feel. On a clear day it offers sweeping views out to the Tasman Sea and the Heaphy River mouth, 15 km to the west and 750 metres below. Sleeping arrangements are in separate bunk rooms with bunk beds and mattresses provided (bring your own sleeping bag), with shared flush toilets, solar lighting, a wood-fired heater, and gas cooking (bring your own utensils). No showers.

Heaphy Hut overlooks the mouth of the Heaphy River, where it surges through a narrow gap into the sea. Nikau palms and limestone cliffs give it a tropical, island-like feel — listen for the nocturnal Powelliphanta snail on damp nights. You'll sleep in individual bunk rooms (8 bunks each, mattresses provided) with shared flush toilets, gas cooking, heating, and lighting. No showers.

We spend our final night in Karamea at the Last Resort, a relaxed hotel with a garden, restaurant and bar. Rooms are twin share, with private ensuite bathrooms; you can request a single surcharge for an extra fee.