The Hollows Boys: A Story of Three Brothers & the Fiordland Deer Recovery Era

by Peta Carey

The story of the helicopter deer recovery era in Fiordland is told through the lives of three brothers, Gary, Mark and Kim Hollows. A story of adventure, luck, and colourful characters, The Hollows Boys is, above all, about the true cost of the industry, of unfathomable loss and the legacy of that loss – of a brother, a friend, a son or a father – all set within the magnificent Fiordland National Park.

Genres: Nonfiction

242 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2025

Reviews

[Cordelia Calder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read (and very sad read). Loved reading a book set in places that I know, and learning the history of how things were back then e.g. pre health & safety days. Common sense, “luck”, hard work, money, sustainability… very inspiring. Thanks for sharing the story ❤️

[Sam Monrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good look into the gloriously wild and dangerous times of the venison recovery era in NZ.
If you like choppers and hunting (or not) this is a great read.

[Kay Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly and sparsely told stories of Kim, Mark, and Gary Hollows, and their women and children, and their best love, Fiordland. Kim started shooting deer as a scrawny 12YO. Over the years he quickly trained as a helicopter pilot and joined crews of professional deer hunters. The money for meat or live deer for farming, and helping protect Fiordland from imported deer as a conservation effort, may have featured vaguely in the minds of Kim, Mark, and Gary, but the adventure and lifestyle would have ranked higher.

Peta has listened to their stories and with selected photos she brings this wild South to life. These men didn't have easy lives and only the lucky ones lived to tell the tales. Warning: some people mentioned in the book died from helicopter accidents or suffered lengthy recoveries from broken bones. A few wishes they'd been able to save their mates but few regrets overall.

I dove into this book as one of my cousins had been a helicopter deerhunter too but I kept going because I was engrossed. Enjoyable? More spellbound, sometimes in that nail biting sense of who or what will fall next. Recommended to any New Zealander interested in history or people.

[_Blanca_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chciałabym żeby autorka zagłębiła się bardziej w niektóre rzeczy, ponieważ wydawały mi się tylko muśnięte z wierzchu, a kryło się w nich znacznie więcej.

[Tom Mee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool book - what a time to be alive. Crazy lifestyle this generation lived in nz