New Zealand
Hollyford Valley
A valley so remote a bush airstrip is the only alternative to three days on foot.
The only alternative to walking three days back is a bush airstrip and a light aircraft. Hollyford Valley in Fiordland is one of New Zealand's most remote accessible valleys — the track leads to Martins Bay, the most isolated beach on the mainland.
The Hollyford Track follows the Hollyford River through lowland bush where tree ferns form a canopy overhead. Martins Bay, at the valley's end, is the most remote beach on the New Zealand mainland — no road has ever reached it. Lake McKerrow fills a drowned valley where fur seals haul out at the junction of lake and sea. The guided Hollyford Track walk includes a jet-boat ride on Lake McKerrow and a light-aircraft return flight from the grass strip at Martins Bay. Independent walkers face a three-day return journey on the same track.
Solo
The independent walk to Martins Bay is a three-day commitment to solitude. The remoteness here is not symbolic — there is genuinely no one else for the length of the valley.
- The only way out besides walking three days back is a bush airstrip and a light aircraft.
- Martins Bay at the valley's end is the most remote beach on the New Zealand mainland — no road reaches it.
- The track follows the Hollyford River through dense lowland bush where tree ferns form a canopy overhead.
- Lake McKerrow fills a drowned valley where fur seals haul out at the lake-sea junction.
Hut-cooked meals by kerosene lamp — dehydrated curry never tasted better than after forty kilometres.
Hollyford Track guided walks serve venison and South Island wine at Martins Bay lodge.
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