We took a couple of days off in early February to walk the Nydia Track in the Marlborough Sounds. Despite our travels around the South Island we hadn’t spent any time in the Marlborough Sounds and didn’t really know what to expect from this two-day track. The track starts near the town of Havelock in one arm of Pelorus Sound, then crosses a saddle into Nydia Bay where we would be spending the night. The second day takes you over a second saddle before you drop down into Tennyson Inlet.
Although the start and end aren’t too far apart on the map, they required a little coordination to ensure that we were easily able to hike the track. We got an early start and dropped a car off in Duncan Bay where we would end our hike before heading back to the town of Havelock to pick up a water taxi.
After a quick trip along Pelorus Sound, the taxi pulled up next to a small jetty at the start of the track. We had a late breakfast by the side of the water before we started our hike.
The track took us through a mix of areas, from native bush to planted pine forests. We climbed steadily and although the dense forest meant we weren’t able to easily gauge our progress, we were grateful for the shade as it was yet another warm summers day.
After a couple of climbs, we made it to the top of Kaiuma Saddle from where we got our first glimpse of Nydia Bay through the trees. We found a nice grassy bank and settled in to have lunch knowing that we had already completed the worst part of the hike.
After lunch we started the gentle descent into Nydia Bay, as we dropped down through the bush we came out into lush pastures closer to the water. After a couple of river crossings which involved some wet feet due to the recent rains, we reached the water. Well, we almost reached the water, the low tide meant that the head of the bay was more of a mud flat.
We followed the track just a short distance around the bay before we came to the lodge where we were staying. Unlike the Department of Conservation huts where we usually stay, this track had some private accommodation available. We took advantage of the upgrade and booked ourselves into these beautiful, historical railway carriages for a couple of nights.
As soon as we arrived we were greeted with cool drinks, tea and even carrot cake, a brilliant way to end our first day of hiking! Once we had got settled into our railway carriages we spent some time relaxing and enjoying the tranquil setting.