Hollyford Track

On the morning of departure from Te Anau, you will be able to enjoy a cooked or continental breakfast at the hotel from 6.30 am. We meet at the hotel reception at 7:30am, ready to embark on your journey through the Hollyford Valley.

Once at the start of the track we put on our packs (see our FAQs for packing advice to keep your pack light) and start our journey to Ka Tuku Lodge. You will follow the swift, clear waters of the Hollyford River, beneath the gaze of the mighty Southern Alps, including Fiordland National Park’s two highest peaks of Mt Tūtoko (2746m) and Mt Madeline (2537m). 

We’ll retrace the footsteps of Māori and early pioneer explorers, as the track undulates gently through native beech forest and beside impressive tumbling waterfalls. 

At the end of the first day of our guided walk adventure, we’ll be welcomed at Ka Tuku by our friendly lodge hosts. Here, you'll enjoy hot showers, impressive 3-course cuisine and the opportunity to relax with a post-dinner drink and savour the majesty of Mt Madeline while reflecting on a great first day of your guided walk experience.

Experience the impressive dawn chorus at Martins Bay, bird-song made possible through extensive conservation initiatives in the area.

This morning, we walk throught the awe-inspiring podocarp forest. Marvel at the ancient forests with thousand-yar-old giants, suchas native Rimu and Kahikatea. Return to Waitai Lodge for lunch, our lodge hosts bid us farewell as we board the helicopter for a scenic flight along the rugged coastline and into the dramatic Milford Sound, where we marvel at the grandeur of vertical granite walls rising from the sea. 

Once in Milford we’re met by the return shuttle host and travel along the impressive Milford Road, up through the famous Homer Tunnel, cutting through a divide of sheer granite rock, and stopping at the source of the Hollyford Valley and River before embarking on our last leg back to Te Anau arriving approximately 4.00pm or carry on through to Queenstown, arriving approximately 6.30-7.00pm.