Hollyford Track Brochure
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March 2011 March Invercargill, New Zealand Zealand New Invercargill, Lake McKerrow Lake 743 Box PO Christine Officer Conservancy Southland Conservation of Department by Published Cover – Martins Bay Martins – Cover (Christine Officer) (Christine www.doc.govt.nz [email protected] Email: 0257 249 (03) Fax 7924, 249 (03) Tel Zealand. New Anau, Te 29, Box PO Fur seal Fur DOC Conservation of Department Centre Visitor Park National Fiordland contact: For more information about the Hollyford Track please please Track Hollyford the about information more For Further information Further e Anau. e T in Centre Visitor Park National Fiordland the Milford Sound/Piopiotahi are available for purchase from from purchase for available are Sound/Piopiotahi Milford 09 – Alabaster Pass and CA08 – – CA08 and Pass Alabaster – 09 A C Track, Hollyford – waterways. www.doc.govt.nz when moving between, between, moving when recommended for navigation. Topo50 Maps CB09 CB09 Maps Topo50 navigation. for recommended and can be obtained online at at online obtained be can and before entering, and and entering, before Topographical maps covering the Hollyford Track are are Track Hollyford the covering maps Topographical Clean, Dry all items items all Dry Clean, Hunting permits are required required are permits Hunting emember to Check, Check, to emember R Locator Beacon and/or Mountain Radio. Radio. Mountain and/or Beacon Locator river catchments. catchments. river freshwater pests. freshwater It is strongly recommended that you carry a Personal Personal a carry you that recommended strongly is It didymo and other other and didymo didymo and clean it between between it clean and didymo Stop the spread of of spread the Stop Fiordland National Park National Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre in Te Anau. Te in Centre Visitor Park National of free is gear fishing your that K, CLEAN, DRY CLEAN, K, C CHE current track and weather conditions at the Fiordland Fiordland the at conditions weather and track current ensure Please licence. fishing A guide to walking the Hollyford Track – – Track Hollyford the walking to guide A any time of the year. Before departing, please check out out check please departing, Before year. the of time any current a hold should Anglers rapidly and it can become wet and cold suddenly and at at and suddenly cold and wet become can it and rapidly surrounding the Hollyford Track. Track. Hollyford the surrounding capable, experienced leader. Fiordland’s weather changes changes weather Fiordland’s leader. experienced capable, and exploration of areas areas of exploration and Track Plan properly for your trip and ensure your group has a a has group your ensure and trip your for properly Plan fishing, deer hunting, climbing climbing hunting, deer fishing, Your safety is your responsibility. responsibility. your is safety Your There is good access for trout trout for access good is There Hollyford Hollyford Safety Fishing Introduction The first explorers to view the Hollyford Valley were David Natural history McKellar and George Gunn in 1861, after traversing the Greenstone Valley to Key Summit, where they looked down The Hollyford Track is the only major low altitude track in The U-shaped Hollyford Valley was carved by a huge on the long valley far below. Patrick Caples followed in Fiordland National Park that can be walked all year round – glacier about 20,000 years ago. It left behind the 1863 who, while prospecting for gold at the head of Lake it also connects to the Fiordland coastline. This 56-km, four- Donne Glacier on the eastern face of Mt Tutoko. Lake Wakatipu, continued up the Routeburn Valley, crossing day (one-way) tramping track starts at the Lower Hollyford McKerrow/Whakatipu Waitai was originally a fiord, over the Harris Saddle to the Hollyford Valley. He followed Road and leads to the old port of Martins Bay. Situated which was cut off from the sea by sedimentary deposits the valley all the way to the sea at Martins Bay, becoming among the sheer rock walls of the Darren Mountains, the at Martins Bay. the first European to do so. track follows the Hollyford River/Whakatipu Ka Tuka on its The lowland forests, rivers, lakes, estuary and coast of the journey to the sea. Dr James Hector, the first provincial geologist of Otago, valley provide habitats for birds and other animals. The visited that same year and travelled from Martins Bay up Features are the two lakes; Lake Alabaster/Wāwāhi Waka majority of the forest is silver beech, mixed with kamahi, the Hollyford Valley, crossing to the Greenstone Valley, and Lake McKerrow/Whakatipu Waitai. The site of the now kahikatea, matai and rimu. The forested areas have a Mavora Lakes and then on to Queenstown. He reported abandoned Jamestown, which was established in the 1870s, rich understorey of coprosma, wineberry, fuchsia and favourably on timber and indications of gold, iron, copper can be found on the shore of Lake McKerrow. pepperwood, with abundant ferns, mosses and lichens. and zinc in the area. He also suggested that a road could be built to provide better access. For financial reasons the road Small birds such as tomtit, robin, brown creeper, bellbird, Human history never came to fruition and it continues to be a controversial grey warbler, fantail, issue today. rifleman and silver eye Martins Bay, known to Ngāi Tahu as Kotuku, was an are still common in Te Wähipounamu – Jamestown was surveyed in 1870, with the hope of enticing important Māori settlement between 1650 and 1800, many areas, despite the South West New Zealand pioneers to the West Coast of Otago. Several families allowing easy access to food resources in the nearby lakes, presence of introduced World Heritage Area initially settled but, by and large the settlement was sea and forests—as well as pounamu (New Zealand jade), predators. Kākā – large doomed due to its isolation and only a few used to make tools, ornaments and weapons. Large trees forest parrots, frequent settlers stayed on in the area. Today, the on the river banks were felled to make canoes, and ancient the valley and often Jamestown site is marked by ancient rose Māori middens (ovens) have been found on the sea side of call at dusk. Fiordland- bushes and apple trees planted by the the estuary. crested penguins/ early pioneers. tawaki and seals can South West New Zealand is one One of the many three-wire swing bridges on the Hollyford Track. of the great wilderness areas of Among the early farmers of the region also be found around the Southern Hemisphere. Known were Hugh and Malcolm McKenzie, who the Martins Bay to Māori as Te Wāhipounamu raised cattle at Martins Bay and drove coastline. (the place of greenstone), the South West New Zealand World them to saleyards at Mossburn, over Each spring, the Heritage Area incorporates 250 km away. In 1926, the McKenzie Aoraki/Mt. Cook, Westland /Tai juveniles of the native brothers sold out to David Gunn. Poutini, Fiordland and Mount fish from the galaxid Aspiring National Parks, covering He continued running cattle and family begin their 2.6 million hectares. also started guiding tourists from annual migration up World Heritage is a global concept the Hollyford camp, further up that identifies natural and cultural the Hollyford River. the valley, (known today as Gunns sites of world significance, places Commonly known as so special that protecting them is Camp on the Lower Hollyford whitebait, they were an of concern for all people. Road). After David’s death in 1955, important traditional Some of the best examples of his son Murray continued to manage animals and plants, once found Māori food and today Gunns Camp until 2005. The camp on the ancient supercontinent are still a sought-after Gondwana, live in the World is now managed by the Hollyford recreation fishery. Heritage Area. Museum Charitable Trust. Fiordland-crested penguins/tawaki. DOC Christine Officer Hunting and March 2011 March Invercargill, New Zealand Zealand New Invercargill, Lake McKerrow Lake 743 Box PO Christine Officer Conservancy Southland Conservation of Department by Published Cover – Martins Bay Martins – Cover (Christine Officer) (Christine www.doc.govt.nz [email protected] Email: 0257 249 (03) Fax 7924, 249 (03) Tel Zealand. New Anau, Te 29, Box PO Fur seal Fur DOC Conservation of Department Centre Visitor Park National Fiordland contact: For more information about the Hollyford Track please please Track Hollyford the about information more For Further information Further the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre in te Anau. te in Centre Visitor Park National Fiordland the Milford Sound/Piopiotahi are available for purchase from from purchase for available are Sound/Piopiotahi Milford – Hollyford Track, CB09 – Alabaster Pass and CA08 – – CA08 and Pass Alabaster – CB09 Track, Hollyford – waterways. www.doc.govt.nz when moving between, between, moving when recommended for navigation. Topo50 Maps CB09 CB09 Maps Topo50 navigation. for recommended and can be obtained online at at online obtained be can and before entering, and and entering, before Topographical maps covering the Hollyford Track are are Track Hollyford the covering maps Topographical Clean, Dry all items items all Dry Clean, Hunting permits are required required are permits Hunting Remember to Check, Check, to Remember Locator Beacon and/or Mountain Radio. Radio. Mountain and/or Beacon Locator river catchments. catchments. river freshwater pests. freshwater It is strongly recommended that you carry a Personal Personal a carry you that recommended strongly is It didymo and other other and didymo didymo and clean it between between it clean and didymo Stop the spread of of spread the Stop Fiordland National Park National Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre in Te Anau. Te in Centre Visitor Park National of free is gear fishing your that K, CLEAN, DRY CLEAN, K, C CHE current track and weather conditions at the Fiordland Fiordland the at conditions weather and track current ensure Please licence.