48 | AG Outdoor
... the Hollyford Track is the lesser-known hidden
gemofthearea.It’salsochancetogetintoNew
Zealand’sFiordlandareawithoutthecrowds.
J
UST AROUND THE CORNER from the
famed Milford Sound, the Hollyford
Track is the lesser-known hidden gem of
New Zealand’s Fiordland. It’s also chance
to get into the area without the crowds.
Deemed the easiest of the other two
classic Fiordland walks (the Milford and the
Routeburn), the 56km Hollyford wends its
way along the Hollyford Valley from the Dar-
ran Ranges of the Southern Alps, following
the Hollyford River (Whakatipu Ka Tuka) to
Lake McKerrow and then to the Tasman Sea
at Martins Bay.
The start of the track is located about a two-
hour bus ride from Te Anau, not far Gunns
Camp, a last-chance pit stop. Along the way,
you pass the turnoffs for the Milford and Route-
burn walks, all the while enjoying the famous
Fiordland alpine scenery.
The Hollyford Valley is a classic U-shaped
glacial remnant, carved around 20,000 years
ago. Though the track follows a path through
the mountains, it keeps close to sea level, never
venturing above an altitude of 170m. I’m grateful
for this when Mother Nature decides to deliver
one of the earliest snow dumps in recent mem-
ory. The April snowstorm blanketed the region
in the white stuff down to 400m, which made
for some stunning mountain scenes. The snow
never reached the track, but the cold front deliv-
ered some chilly walking conditions. The puffy
jacket didn’t spend much time in the pack.
The track immediately heads into dense for-
est, the world’s only fi ve-canopy-layer temper-
ate forest in the world. The mostly singletrack
weaves its way through a carpet of mosses, over-
laid by ferns, which give way to the next layers
of smaller trees. Majestic silver beech trees top
out the canopy, gracefully providing shelter from
the weather above. It’s like walking straight intoa scene of Lord of the Rings, where Gandalf may
appear at any moment.
Swampier sections of the track are traversed
on boardwalks, making the trekking quite easy.
The many creeks that fl ow into the Hollyford
River from their mountain sources are crossed
by swing bridges, which can occasionally be a
hazard if fl ooding occurs – always a possibility
with Fiordland’s volatile weather. The many
creeks are also great natural taps and you’ll
never be short of a drink; the water is pristine
too, and regularly tested, so you don’t even need
to fi lter it.
The fi rst public hut is reached at about the
10km mark, at Hidden Falls, and well worth a
look and a pic or two. You can stay at Hid-DESTINATION | HOLLYFORD TRA CK, NEW ZEALAND
Clockwise from top left
The hike follows the Dar-
ran and Skipper ranges
and crosses the Southern
Alps fault line; there are
numerous swingbridges
along the lowland valley
track, including the longest
in Fiordland; the fi ltered
sunlight warms up a group
of hikers moving through
the dense rainforest.