Hollyford Track Walk

Following the Hollyford River, you’ll visit stunning lakes like Lake Alabaster and Lake McKerrow, tramp through thick forest, ancient and young, and spot fur seals and penguins on the coast. The landscapes are incredibly beautiful and stunningly diverse for a 3-day trek.

Nights on the walk are spent at comfortable lodges which are exclusively for the use of those on the walk, both of which sleep up to 16 guests in twin share rooms. Pyke Lodge, where you’ll spend the first night, sits at the confluence of the Hollyford and Pyke rivers and affords magnificent views of the sunrise and sunset over nearby Mt Madeline. The next night is spent at Martin’s Bay Lodge, a new property near the mouth of the Hollyford River, in a peaceful area where kea parrots flit between the trees.

All your meals are included during your time on the walk, from a hearty cooked or Continental breakfast to start the day to wilderness lunches and snacks to keep you going on the way. In the evening, you can look forward to extensive 3-course affairs featuring antipasto platters to start, classic local dishes like venison and salmon, and delicious desserts. Most special dietary requirements can be catered for in advance, but please be advised that, given the lodges’ remote locations, some very specific requirements may not be able to be.

The comfortable lodges feature drying rooms, open fires, and lounge areas where you can chat with your fellow walkers or simply relax with a good book. The treks comprise 4-5 hours’ physical activity per day, but are not particularly difficult in themselves; participants range from age 10-84. As long as you are reasonably fit and active you should be able to complete the trek.

The trip begins with a trek along Lake Wakatipu and along the Hollyford River, through thick beech forest and past tumbling waterfalls. You’ll visit beautiful Lake Alabaster, cross Fiordland’s longest swing bridge, and take a jet boat across Lake McKerrow to the historic Jamestown, which was once earmarked as the intended capital of the South Island in the early colonial era. You’ll walk past huge vine-covered pines in ancient podocarp forest and visit a fur seal colony at Long Reef, and may even spot the rare Fiordland crested penguin.