The Hollyford Track - A journey of discovery from the mountains to the sea

For those clients who may have encountered some slight difficulty in locating Mike Newdick during April, this could in part be explained by Mike and his wife Brenda being outside of cell phone coverage as a result of pursuing their goal to walk each of New Zealand’s great walks – this time the Hollyford Track.

One begins this journey with a 2 hour coach trip from Te Anau to the walk’s commencement point. Due to Mike’s advancing years (or at least his knees) a soft option of a catered walk was chosen which sees one staying in a private hut overnight that rewards the intrepid hiker with hot showers, great food and a cold beverage.

The Hollyford Track is not the longest New Zealand walk with Day 1, 21 kilometres, Day 2, 16 kilometres, Day 3, 8 kilometres. This walk traverses some of the West Coasts unique back country and includes wilderness jetboating down various rivers and lakes. The walk finishes with a helicopter flight from Martins Bay through to Milford Sound and a coach ride back to Te Anau.

The guides possess a wonderful knowledge of the area encompassing both pre-European and Māori history and also an in-depth knowledge of rongoa otaota (the use of the local flora for herbal medicine).

The life story of local identity Davy Martin, whom Martin’s Bay is named after, is one worth researching as is the life of the early pioneers who oversold the desirability of settling on the South Island’s West Coast!