Lush regenerating native bush fringes the bay. Whai (stingrays) glide effortlessly beneath the shimmering surface, and koromiko and tūī fill the air with song. This is Nydia Bay, a sheltered haven in the Marlborough Sounds. 

The area was well known to Māori as a place of abundant food, and many kāinga once dotted the shoreline. However, it was mostly abandoned following raids by famed Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha and later incursions by the Crown. By the late 19th century, Pākehā had moved into the bay and were milling huge stands of rimu and kahikatea. Thankfully, the saws are long gone, and the bush has a chance to heal slowly. The barren milled ground has been overtaken by kānuka and mānuka, which provide a nursery for young podocarp and beech that will one day overtake them. 

The best way to experience Nydia Bay is by walking the Nydia Track, which runs from Kaiuma Bay in the south to Tennyson Inlet in the north along old bridle paths. Coming from the south, the benched track slowly rises through luxurious podocarp forest to reach a small saddle before sidling under pine trees. Babbling brooks punctuate the trail beneath a dense canopy of punga. Bridges cross the creeks at the head of the valley before the steady ascent begins to Kaiuma Saddle (387m), from where there is the first glimpse of the bay below.

From here the track weaves around the hillside through patches of beech forest down to the open valley floor. Take care, the clay bed can be slippery when wet. 

The trail then leads through farmland, crossing two streams to reach the shore before following the coast to Nydia Lodge. 

If an out-and-back is not desired, there are other options. A water taxi operates from the lodge to either Kaiuma Bay or Tennyson Inlet, providing an easy return to civilisation. For those continuing on foot, the Nydia Track leads north from the turn-off to the lodge, passing an old bush tramway that once delivered logs to a 300m jetty in the bay. A few kilometres on is DOC’s Nydia Campsite. 

The track then rises 350m to Nydia Saddle before winding through mixed beech and podocarp forest on its way to Ngāwhakawhiti Bay. 

Once at the bay the trail follows the coast for several kilometres to reach the road at Tennyson Inlet. Local track transport can be pre-arranged to get you back to Kaiuma Bay and your vehicle.