not travel across it or mark out a route to the West Coast at that time. The first recorded crossing approximately along today's route was by a European gold miner named Aldrige in 1859. Another crossing by James Mackay took place in 1860. At the time, Mackay was returning from leading the Crown purchase from Māori of all the land on the West Coast within the Nelson province. His party turned inland at the Heaphy River, and then travelled up the Lewis River to the saddle. From there they crossed the Gouland Downs and descended via the Aorere River back to Collingwood. The discovery of gold at Karamea in 1861 led to increased interest in the route between Nelson and the West Coast. In December 1861, Mackay, along with John and Arthur Knyvett, created a rough track between the upper Aorere River and the Heaphy River mouth. The Nelson Provincial Council allocated funding for work on the track in 1866 and 1867, but there is no record of further work on the track until 1885, when the Public Works Department asked the Collingwood County Council to initiate a survey. The Council engaged James Saxon a surveyor from Nelson, and he laid out a route suitable for horse carts from the Brown river to the Gouland Downs, with a grade of 1 in 16. His plans were approved by the Public Works Department in 1886. During and after the West Coast Gold Rush of the 1860s the area was extensively visited for gold and the track was definitely laid out by various prospectors and surveyors, among them John Saxon in 1888. No gold was found in the area and, after thirty years, prospecting came to an end. By 1900, the track was virtually forgotten and had become overgrown and seldom used except by an occasional hunter. The creation of the North-west Nelson Forest Park in 1965, which became Kahurangi National Park in 1996, led to the rediscovery and improvement of the track. The track is now tramped by thousands of people every year. Partial track closure in 2022 In early February 2022, heavy rain in the Buller District caused severe flooding and damage to the track. The suspension bridge over the Gunner River was damaged and the Pitt Creek bridge was swept away, and the suspension bridge over the Heaphy River was destroyed. The flood either washed away or seriously damaged