Post title: "We have sore feet" or "the Heaphy ate my lunch" or "we smell really Heaphy after that hike"

Wow-just got back from a real adventure. Five days ago we pulled into the Karamea Aerodrome and met Jim Larson and his 4 seater Cessna. As we pulled up next to the little old plane, all I could think of was Hunter's eloquent description of our rental car-"what a shitbox." Well, we piled in and took off. The two gas gauges had been floating between 3/4 full and empty until we were up a few hundred feet, then they just settled on "E." Our pilot( see above photo with me next to him) had a quick double take across the gas needles, but never looked back, so I figured we'd have enough to land. Twenty or so minutes later, we bounced across a tiny grass field about 4 KM form the start of our tramp down the Heaphy Track. Our whole start was quite on the fly. We had planned to stay in the closest town that night (Collingwood) but the thought of paying for another bus ticket the next morning didn't make any sense. So we were off.
I was finally informed at the first hut that our hike was going to be 82 KM long. Actually, Nina told me it would be that long before we left, I just didn't believe her. Ooooh, the truth stings. Stings in the feet actually. The first day we hiked 16 K up a steady never ending incline. Melissa in Christchurch had told us that you have to walk to see the best parts of New Zealand, and from our first steps we knew she was right. We spent our first night at the Perry Saddle Hut. Thanks to a quick example from Johnny in Greymouth, we realized that there were kiwis (the birds) shrilling away outside (they're nocturnal, so we didn't really try to spot any in the wild). We woke up the next morning and tramped 24 KM through the Gouland and Mackay Downs. Splitting the two plateaus was a short stretch of moss covered forest filled with caves and sinkholes. The Let's Go! book described it as "Tolkenish," and I really can't come up with anything more fitting than that. That night we stayed at the Mackay Hut with some very noisy folks, so we cleared out in the morning and hiked all the way to Heaphy Hut.
Heaphy Hut was our big reward. The most amazing section of our four day walk was the second half of this day. We walked past huge limestone cliffs and the flora continued to amaze us. Heaphy Hut itslef is set on the most energetic estuary we have ever seen. The Tasman waves roll right up the Heaphy River. As you can imagine, the hut had some of the most incredible sunsets we have had on the trip yet. We took a well deserved break there and this morning hiked oursleves down the beach and back to civilisation (specifically showers). Now I have to bandage my feet again and have some beer. We'll check in again soon, til then