100KM With No Track to New Zealand’s Most Isolated Family
Bushbaby NZ
2,997 views
After completing the Hollyford Track, most people turn around. We didn't.
Three women continued beyond Martins Bay and into the wild, trackless West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, heading for Gorge River — home to Robert and Catherine Long and their family, who built an extraordinary life in one of the most remote places in New Zealand.
There were no marked tracks from here. We navigated our own way along the coast through long 12-hour days, rock hopping, river crossings, beaches, tides, seal colonies and relentless sandflies. Some days we covered only 12–15km despite walking all day.
After more than 100km on foot, we finally reached Gorge River.
And what waited for us there made the entire journey worthwhile.
We spent three unforgettable days at Gorge River — fishing from the rocks, swimming and playing in the river, sharing cups of tea and getting to know a family who chose to make a life in a place accessible only by foot, sea or air.
This is Part 2 of our Fiordland / West Coast expedition, but you can watch this adventure on its own.
More from this expedition:
• Hollyford Track is HELL: Hollyford Track is HELL: Do NOT Hike This!
• I'm DONE after Demon Trail: Night fell and I was still hiking #hiking ...
If you love remote New Zealand, backcountry adventures and seeing the places most people never reach, you're in the right place.
🔔 Subscribe for remote NZ wilderness with Bushbaby NZ:
@bushbabynz
If you're searching for hiking in New Zealand, a South Island multi-day tramp beyond the Great Walks, Fiordland National Park adventures, or a real off-grid New Zealand story — this is the expedition film.
🌊 WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS VIDEO
Day after Hollyford: Martins Bay → Long Reef Point → Big Bay Hut → Crayfish Rock → Hacket River camp → Gorge River airstrip → the Long family. 14-hour rock days. A seal nursery blocking the track. Hours lost in scrub. Blisters so bad I cried. Then fish for tea with people who chose the edge of the world.
⚠️ REALITY CHECK
This is NOT a Great Walk and NOT a marked track the whole way. You need fitness, tide planning, navigation, trekking poles, and a PLB/InReach. Harder than Hollyford. Harder than my Everest Base Camp walk. Remote West Coast New Zealand at its rawest.
📍 ROUTE (PART 2)
Martins Bay → Long Reef Point (seal colony detour)
Big Bay Hut + meeting Mitch
Crayfish Rock navigation tip (people get lost here)
Hacket River camp — soul-breaking rock day
Gorge River airstrip — broken, blisters, rest day
Meeting Robert & Catherine Long
Fishing for tea — expedition complete
🎒 GEAR THAT MATTERED
SURVIVAL equipment.
Full multi-day pack · double trekking poles (essential for rock hopping) · tent · cooking system · sandfly net · DEET · blister kit · tide awareness · PLB/InReach · navigation options
⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Hardest trip of my life
2:18 Setting out — the plan
4:03 Seal nursery disaster
5:11 Arriving at Big Bay
8:30 Meeting Mitch — living the dream
10:57 Crayfish Rock tip (don't get lost)
12:33 Why double poles save you
17:12 Hacket River — soul-breaking day
22:08 Gorge River day — brighter morning
29:22 Lost in the scrub
32:12 Gorge River airstrip — completely broken
41:14 Meeting Robert and Catherine Long
44:26 Catching fish for tea
45:56 Final reflections — hardest and best thing I've done
▶️ WATCH PART 1 FIRST (Hollyford Track)
Fiordland's brutal opener — Demon Trail, windfall, Martins Bay:
The Hollyford Track Turned Into Hell | We ...
💬 Heard of the Long family of Gorge River? Planning Hollyford, Fiordland, or a wild West Coast tramp this Great Walk season? Drop your questions below — gear, tides, sandflies, whether to boat the rocks. I read every comment.
#newzealandhiking #hikingnewzealand #fiordland #gorgeriver #westcoastnz #offthegrid #newzealandtravel #backpackingnewzealand #hikingdocumentary #southisland #nzhiking #adventuretravel #thelongfamily #hollyfordtrack #100k #multi #advanced
DISCLAIMER: This is remote, unmarked coastal travel. Conditions, tides, and access change. Carry a PLB/InReach, check weather and tides, and do not underestimate rock hopping or isolation. Our experience on the dates we walked — not a substitute for your own planning and judgment.
11 Comments
Well done and keep the adventures rolling
Great laughs, beautiful scenery, successful fishing how fun, challenging, exciting, pushing limits, loved watching!!! ❤
100KM With No Track to New Zealand’s Most Isolated Family
Bushbaby NZ
2,997 views
After completing the Hollyford Track, most people turn around. We didn't.
Three women continued beyond Martins Bay and into the wild, trackless West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, heading for Gorge River — home to Robert and Catherine Long and their family, who built an extraordinary life in one of the most remote places in New Zealand.
There were no marked tracks from here. We navigated our own way along the coast through long 12-hour days, rock hopping, river crossings, beaches, tides, seal colonies and relentless sandflies. Some days we covered only 12–15km despite walking all day.
After more than 100km on foot, we finally reached Gorge River.
And what waited for us there made the entire journey worthwhile.
We spent three unforgettable days at Gorge River — fishing from the rocks, swimming and playing in the river, sharing cups of tea and getting to know a family who chose to make a life in a place accessible only by foot, sea or air.
This is Part 2 of our Fiordland / West Coast expedition, but you can watch this adventure on its own.
More from this expedition:
• Hollyford Track is HELL: Hollyford Track is HELL: Do NOT Hike This!
• I'm DONE after Demon Trail: Night fell and I was still hiking #hiking ...
If you love remote New Zealand, backcountry adventures and seeing the places most people never reach, you're in the right place.
🔔 Subscribe for remote NZ wilderness with Bushbaby NZ:
@bushbabynz
If you're searching for hiking in New Zealand, a South Island multi-day tramp beyond the Great Walks, Fiordland National Park adventures, or a real off-grid New Zealand story — this is the expedition film.
🌊 WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS VIDEO
Day after Hollyford: Martins Bay → Long Reef Point → Big Bay Hut → Crayfish Rock → Hacket River camp → Gorge River airstrip → the Long family. 14-hour rock days. A seal nursery blocking the track. Hours lost in scrub. Blisters so bad I cried. Then fish for tea with people who chose the edge of the world.
⚠️ REALITY CHECK
This is NOT a Great Walk and NOT a marked track the whole way. You need fitness, tide planning, navigation, trekking poles, and a PLB/InReach. Harder than Hollyford. Harder than my Everest Base Camp walk. Remote West Coast New Zealand at its rawest.
📍 ROUTE (PART 2)
Martins Bay → Long Reef Point (seal colony detour)
Big Bay Hut + meeting Mitch
Crayfish Rock navigation tip (people get lost here)
Hacket River camp — soul-breaking rock day
Gorge River airstrip — broken, blisters, rest day
Meeting Robert & Catherine Long
Fishing for tea — expedition complete
🎒 GEAR THAT MATTERED
SURVIVAL equipment.
Full multi-day pack · double trekking poles (essential for rock hopping) · tent · cooking system · sandfly net · DEET · blister kit · tide awareness · PLB/InReach · navigation options
⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Hardest trip of my life
2:18 Setting out — the plan
4:03 Seal nursery disaster
5:11 Arriving at Big Bay
8:30 Meeting Mitch — living the dream
10:57 Crayfish Rock tip (don't get lost)
12:33 Why double poles save you
17:12 Hacket River — soul-breaking day
22:08 Gorge River day — brighter morning
29:22 Lost in the scrub
32:12 Gorge River airstrip — completely broken
41:14 Meeting Robert and Catherine Long
44:26 Catching fish for tea
45:56 Final reflections — hardest and best thing I've done
▶️ WATCH PART 1 FIRST (Hollyford Track)
Fiordland's brutal opener — Demon Trail, windfall, Martins Bay:
The Hollyford Track Turned Into Hell | We ...
💬 Heard of the Long family of Gorge River? Planning Hollyford, Fiordland, or a wild West Coast tramp this Great Walk season? Drop your questions below — gear, tides, sandflies, whether to boat the rocks. I read every comment.
#newzealandhiking #hikingnewzealand #fiordland #gorgeriver #westcoastnz #offthegrid #newzealandtravel #backpackingnewzealand #hikingdocumentary #southisland #nzhiking #adventuretravel #thelongfamily #hollyfordtrack #100k #multi #advanced
DISCLAIMER: This is remote, unmarked coastal travel. Conditions, tides, and access change. Carry a PLB/InReach, check weather and tides, and do not underestimate rock hopping or isolation. Our experience on the dates we walked — not a substitute for your own planning and judgment.
START WITH PART 1 (Hollyford Track / Demon Trail) 👉 https://youtu.be/qHe8p76InYg
Heard of the Long family? Planning Hollyford, Fiordland, or a wild West Coast tramp this Great Walk season? Ask me anything — tides, poles, sandflies, blisters, whether to boat the rocks 👇