27 July 2009 3:50pm
New Zealand’s tracks less-travelled
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The Milford Track gets all the press - and consequently has the most expensive license - but there’s plenty of other wondrous ways through New Zealand’s wilderness.
View from the Hollyford Track
The Hollyford track takes you through beech forest into the true Deep South of New Zealand and onto the West Coast beaches, remote and wild . It was one of my first tramps I took with my Dad, so it’s special to me. I had new boots and didn’t load my pack correctly so I got blisters all over my feet. But the smell of the beech forests, the untamed West Coast beaches and the amazing clear air of the Deep South - it’s got to be the best in the world - made it all worthwhile.
Walking along the Hollyford Track
I also loved doing the Able Tasman at the tip of the South Island, which is easier then the Hollyford. There are plenty of good huts, the beaches are wonderful, and the walking isn’t hard. You can also kayak alongside the route of the track as the sea is generally calm all year long.
1500-year-old rimu tree on the Hollyford Track
In New Zealand we call it tramping rather than hiking, and most New Zealanders do it by themselves rather than going on guided tramps. However, on the Hollyford it pays to go guided as it’s a hard tramp and you need to organise getting to it and out again. Or you can do as I did and go with someone who knows about tramping. The Abel Tasman’s a very accessible hike: if you have a reasonable fitness level you’ll be fine.
On the Hollyford track
The best time of the year to go tramping is in late spring and summer - that way you’ll avoid the worst of the rain and mud (some parts of the Hollyford can get bogged down in winter) and you’ll be able to swim the beaches along the Abel Tasman (the West Coast beaches along the Hollyford, however, are pretty wild and woolly even in summer!).
Want some help getting out there? Check out these tours with our recommended partners.
- Diversity of landforms, vegetation and wildlife
- Option to include an overnight Milford cruise
- Explore the southern edge of Fiordland
- Unique combination of bush and sub-alpine scenery
- Walk over the highest wooden viaduct in the world
- Explore lush, jungle-like lowland forest
- Stroll down palm-fringed beaches with pounding surf
- Hike over a mountain saddle and take in the mountain vistas
- Beech forests give way to golden sand beaches
- Relax at beachfront lodges
- Option to kayak on crystal-clear waters
Comments
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21 August 2009 10:57AM
annebe
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If you want some more off-the-beaten track hikes then investigate the Tekapo Trek in the newly created Te Kahui Kaupeka Conservation Park, which takes in the Two Thumb Range, on the eastern side of Lake Tekapo. Gives great views of the Southern Alps, including Aoraki Mount Cook, and out over the Mackenzie Basin. You can still do it in winter too - on snowshoes - or nordic skis. This hike is diiferent from all the ones mentioned above, because it is alpine - with wide open views all the way - and there's no "footpath".
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21 August 2009 11:04AM
annebe
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Here's a suggestion for anybody who has done all or most of the tracks listed above and is looking for something really challenging. Do the Ball Pass Crossing in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. You hike from the Tasman Glacier, up the Ball Ridge - straight opposite the awesome Caroline Face of Mt Cook, over Ball Pass and back down the Hooker Valley. It's actually beginner mountaineering, and you need crampons and ice-axe, but fine if you go with a guide.
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3 September 2009 10:35PM
mtber53
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Mueller hut is a two day trek from Mt Cook village to Mueller hut and return. Brings you deep into the Southern Alps. Gives breath taking views of Mt Cook and the surrounding peaks at sunrise/sunset and is relatively unknown.
