Towards the start of February, over the Waitangi Day long weekend, we drove up to the top of the South Island to walk the Queen Charlotte Track with my parents. Although Eric and I had already walked the track, we were looking forward to revisiting some of the places and enjoying an easy and relatively luxurious tramping experience.
We had lovely weather for our drive up the coast and stopped halfway to looked at The Cathedrals, some eroded siltstone pillars just back from the ocean. From the cliffs it was a short drive down to Gore Bay where we were able to have a nice picnic on the beach before continuing north to Picton where we would be starting the track from.
The first day of the Queen Charlotte Track involves about an hour on a water taxi to get out to the outer reaches of the Marlborough Sounds. The weather looked a bit ominous and there were some pretty good waves to bounce over as we made our way to Ship Cove to start the track.
We were lucky with the weather, and although it was a bit overcast we were able to stay dry on our walk around to the first lodge on the track in Endeavour Inlet. We had anchored in this bay with my parents when we were sailing in the Marlborough Sounds with them previously, so it was a nice chance to get a different perspective on a place they had already visited.
As we were getting ready for dinner we started to hear the sound of rain on the roof of the cabin we were staying in. The passing shower quickly turned into quite the deluge and we were all grateful that we weren’t still walking the track, although just making the quick dash across the lawn to the lodge for dinner we all got very wet!
Despite the very heavy rain the previous night, our second day on the track was really stunning. We had perfectly clear skies and just enough breeze to make for a really pleasant walk. It also helped that we only had a few kilometers to cover, and so after a leisurely breakfast at the lodge we made our way around the inlet to Punga Cove Lodge.
We were fortunate enough to have a lovely cabin perched at the top of the hill above the cove, with stunning views out over Endeavour Inlet. After a quick break we headed down to the water to borrow a couple of kayaks to explore the cove. We paddled into neighbouring Camp Bay and were delighted to see several large Rays drifting below us. After a while watching these incredible creatures we made our way back to the lodge for dinner.
The third day of the Queen Charlotte Track involves a bit of a steep climb to start the day, reaching almost 500 metres above Queen Charlotte Sound at the Eatwells Lookout. The early morning mist was still burning off when we reached the overlook, but we still got a good impression of the outer reaches of the Sounds.
After Eatwells Lookout the track makes a sharp turn back inland and the scenery changes immediately. By this time the cloud had lifted and we had great views back toward Picton and further inland towards the Richmond Ranges.
The track continues to follow along the undulating ridgeline, eventually crossing over towards Kenepuru Sound. After having had glimpses of this area throughout the day, it is nice to be able to measure your progress against some of the landmarks.
Eventually we left the ridgeline and dropped down to our final accommodation at Portage Bay. The lodge here is a bit more rustic than the other places on the track and so we decided on a picnic meal in our room, rather than braving the restaurant. With a balcony providing a great view of the sunset over Kenepuru Sound, it was still a nice final evening on the track.
Our final day on the Queen Charlotte Track also dawned bright and sunny, with just a little early morning mist, which quickly burnt off. We got an early start to the day as we were all keen to ensure we made the water taxi that would take us back to our cars. We needn’t have worried as we made great time on the final section of track and soon found ourselves walking along the Grove Arm, the final section of track.
With the end of the track in sight, we stopped for a picnic lunch at Davies Bay overlooking the water before covering the final couple of kilometers to Anakiwa the end of the track and the jetty where we would meet the water taxi.