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Hollyford Valley is a valley in
Hollyford Valley
at the Department of Conservation {{coord, 44.727223, S, 168.129272, E, display=title, region:NZ_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Valleys of New Zealand Landforms of Fiordland Landforms of Otago
Fiordland
Fiordland is a geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the westernmost third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes, ...
, New Zealand, in the southwest of the South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
. It is named for the Hollyford River
The Hollyford River / Whakatipu Kā Tuka is in the southwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It runs for through Fiordland, its sources being close to the Homer Tunnel and in Gertrude Valley in the southern Darran Mountains.
At first, t ...
, which runs north-north-west along its length from the Southern Alps
The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...
to the Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...
. Beech
Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...
forest dominates both the slopes and the bottom of the valley.
Historically very remote, there is still only one road into the valley, Milford Road
State Highway 94 is a New Zealand state highway network, New Zealand state highway connecting the large Southland, New Zealand, Southland town of Gore, New Zealand, Gore with one of New Zealand's most popular destinations, Milford Sound. It als ...
, which approaches the valley from the south from Te Anau
Te Anau is a town in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand. In Maori, Te-Anau means the Place of the Swirling Waters. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau in Fiordland. Te Anau is 155 kilometres north of Invercargill ...
, but turns towards Homer's Saddle into Milford Sound
Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world's top t ...
long before reaching the coast. The turnoff site, a former roadworkers camp, sports a small museum and is a starting point for a number of tramping (hiking) routes, with about 2,000 people per year exploring the Hollyford Valley backcountry.
Hollyford River
The Hollyford River drains the valley to Martins Bay on the Tasman SeaHollyford Track
The Hollyford Track gives tourist access to the valleyDavey Gunn
From 1936 the attractions of the Hollyford Valley were promoted by local farmer and resident, David Gunn.Haast-Hollyford road
In 2010, plans resurfaced to construct a road from this turnoff towards Haast, following first the river and then travelling along the rugged coastline. Such a road had previously been mooted as far back as the 1870s, but had always been considered too costly, and the benefits too remote. However, a privately funded report estimates that atoll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...
could be built for between $225–315 million. The proponents claim that the road should have "Road of National Significance" status, as it would be useful for tourism in the area, and could reduce the time it takes to travel to Milford Sound, a major constraint on local tourism growth. However, the road plan is being criticised by conservation groups, some who consider it a "smokescreen" for more commercial exploitation of the National Park areas, linking it to plans by the National Party to allow mining on conservation land again.
In early March 2010, the government announced that at the current proposed cost, and with the level of tourism benefits likely, the road was a low priority project, and the proposal would not be taken further at this stage.
Milford Dart Tunnel
A proposal for a Milford Dart Tunnel private coach road was approved in principle by the Minister for Conservation in 2012, against the advice of the relevant regional conservation boards. There is concern that the project could impact the river and the valley's previously isolated botany and fauna, in particular that run-off from the tunnel construction site might foul the pristine Hollyford River. The proposal has been slightly amended since its introduction in 2011 but concern remains that making the unspoilt natural area, which attracts more adventurous sightseers and hikers, more road accessible may compromise both conservation and, in the longer term, the attractiveness of the remote area.
References
External links
Hollyford Valley
at the Department of Conservation {{coord, 44.727223, S, 168.129272, E, display=title, region:NZ_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Valleys of New Zealand Landforms of Fiordland Landforms of Otago