Meet the friendly staff from the 2007/2008 season.
Bard Crawford - Senior Guide
Bard prides himself on being somewhat of a Celtic amateur story teller, intrepid explorer and of course a guide on Hollyford Track. It is fair to say that Bard is of no fixed abode; however he does feel completely at home in Fiordland and has frequented the Hollyford Valley for over 5 years now.
Bard’s greatest love is his wife Angela and their children Holly, Reif and Max. His other loves include the ecology and conservation of Aotearoa, New Zealand and last but by no means least, is his passion for copious amounts of good food, especially meat and potatoes!
Bard always looks forward to his adventures on the Hollyford Track and takes great joy in relaying to you the stories of his hero Davey Gunn, a Hollyford Valley pioneer, character and legend.
Phil Keene - Senior Guide
After too many years in an office projecting, restructuring, regulating, complying, delivering and contracting, Phil has swapped these and every other type of office work for hiking,
bird-watching, animal watching, jet boating, flying and not to forget exquisite eating.
Phil says that “it was time to explore John Muir's statement that ‘the clearest way into the universe is through the forest wilderness ... this may take a long time...’”
Phil enjoys not only sharing the Hollyford Track and its diversity with our guests, but to continue to learn and be motivated by the Fiordland environment, especially Hollyford Valley's changing moods, scenery and seasons.
When not on the track you'll most likely find Phil trout fishing somewhere in the myriad of Southland/Fiordland lakes and rivers, or maybe hiking in the walkers’ playground around the Te Anau and Fiordland region.
Brendan Barry - Guide
Brendan has a long association with the Hollyford, and has spent quite a lot of time in the area, tramping, fishing, kayaking and exploring. Both his grandfather and now his parents are involved in Martins Bay, in fact his grandad once guided tourists on the track too!
Getting to “the bach” involves a mere 6 hour jog from the Hollyford road end to Lake McKerrow, then a 3 hour kayak trip down the lake.... ...Officially living in Queenstown, he can be more often found travelling the South Island as a tour guide, or out biking, skiing, kayaking and exploring.
The last few years have seen him travelling overseas, working as a kayak guide, ski guide, bus and truck driving, drilling holes in Australia, and even a brief university career!
Brendan's family hail from Invercargill, but now live in Nelson. He spent 15 years there but prefers the deep South these days. “Everything is more dramatic down here – the weather, the mountains, the sea, the raging rivers - it has a much more elemental feel about it”.
He rates the Hollyford Valley as one of the coolest places on earth he's been so far, and loves to share it with others.
Blair Daniel - Guide
Having fished and explored the Fiordland region since he moved to Queenstown in 2001, last year Blair made the step up to guiding and enjoying the Hollyford track.
This is Blair's second season on the Hollyford for what he believes are obvious reasons - "The place and the crew are fantastic". Previously Blair had guided in the Fiordland region for a couple of years and is somewhere in between the start and end of a botany and geology degree if he can tear himself away from the mountains. In between his adventures in the Southern Alps we sometimes get him to turn up for work.
Jarrod Boyes (Fly) & Michelle Slater - Lodge Hosts
Michelle and Fly are your friendly hosts at either Pyke or Martins Bay Lodge. The couple have worked in the New Zealand Tourism Industry for almost 20 years between them. Michelle has previously been a lodge host on the Hollyford, as well as a guide for organized hiking trips around the South Island.
Fly has had a number of roles guiding and driving around New Zealand and particularly into the Fiordlands. The couple spent last summer hosting a Chalet in the French Alps where they cemented their expertise in hosting and catering for guests. They both enjoy the company of like minded people and love the New Zealand bush and will no doubt ensure you have a wonderful stay with them.
Bob Turner & Tracey Davis - Martins Bay Lodge Hosts
We met in Te Anau, Fiordland, four years ago while working as tour guides in New Zealand. Since then we have spent every summer in Fiordland and we spend every winter overseas working and traveling - following the sun.
Bob hails from Karitane, a small beach community on Otagos coast. He has e keen passion for the outdoors, fishing, diving and multi day walks. He also has a keen interest in viticulture.
Tracey grew up in Auckland, she is a keen foodie with a great passion for working and entertaining.
We both enjoy exploring New Zealand in our time off, we'll continue to travel overseas for as long as we can and eventually hope to own our self sufficient small farm somewhere in New Zealand.
Helen Potter & Jenny Lacey - Pyke Lodge Hosts
Helen and Jenny both hail all the way from England, but made their journeys to New Zealand, and the Hollyford Valley, separately. They met working at the exclusive Blanket Bay Lodge in Glenorchy and struck up an instant friendship, based on a shared love of cooking and entertaining, tramping and the odd game of scrabble!
Helen arrived in New Zealand in '98 as part of her year long round the world trip, however once she reached Glenorchy she just never left! After working as a horse trekking guide and a summer season for DoC she then moved back to hospitality and has worked at Blanket Bay Lodge for the last seven years. Having visited Martin's Bay on a 'girls hunting trip' a few years ago she knew it was one of those places you just have to return to, and with a chance to combine her chefing skills and love for the New Zealand bush, working with the Hollyford Track team was too good a chance to miss!
New Zealand was also intended to be a short two month stage in a round-the-world trip of a lifetime for Jenny, following a design degree back in the UK . However she quickly realised it was by far the most beautiful and welcoming country she'd visited and jumped at the chance to spend a summer among the mountains and rivers of fiordland. Aside from a rather unhealthy obsession with typography and other graphics-related geekiness, she enjoys craft-making, adrenalin filled sports, mustering in the high country and photography.
Teaming up their wide ranging cooking experiences (though desserts and sweet things are their speciality!), love for entertaining and meeting new people, Jenny and Helen look forward to welcoming you to the Pyke Lodge and sharing their discovery and enthusiasm for the Hollyford Valley.
Suz Little - Coach Driver
After many years teaching English in Asia, Suz found the abundant and diverse scenery of New Zealand calling her home. Suz hails from Arrowtown but has family ties with the Northern Southland region that she will be driving you through on the way to the Hollyford Track.
Suz believes that a good Holiday involves an element of learning mixed with a good does of rejuvenation and a trip through the Hollyford Hits both nails on the head.
When Suz isn't cruising on the roads she enjoys cooking, the great outdoors and laughing with friends and family. Suz also has diverse musical tastes - make sure you check out her cd collection on the bus
Natalie Maxted (Max) - Sales & Operations Coordinator
Hails from Hampshire, South England Max arrived on New Zealand's shores as the first stop on an around the world trip….and never left. Having previously traveled in both Australia and Canada she never felt more at home than here in New Zealand.
Queenstown was an inevitable stopover and once here became immersed in the beauty, serenity and the people that call Queenstown home, and four years later she's still thriving on the abundance of activities in and around the area.
The Hollyford Track is the perfect blend of nature and beauty that New Zealand and Queenstown offers. Down time for Max is spent snowboarding through the winter and enjoys the summer evenings relaxing by the lakes and walking her much loved dog, Disco.
