Our final day on the Queen Charlotte Track was another lovely warm and sunny day. We were due to meet our water taxi at the end of the track in Anakiwa mid-afternoon, but when Eric learnt that he could hop on the boat at the lodge, he decided to skip the final section and meet me at the end of the track instead.
The day started with yet another steep climb up from Portage Bay back to the ridgeline. Despite it being a bit of a tough way to get back on the track, I was soon rewarded with views back down to Portage Bay and across Kenepuru Sound.
As I made my way along the ridge, it was once again possible to see Queen Charlotte Sound. Glancing across, I could pick out one of the huge inter-islander ferries making their way through the sound, which provided a great sense of perspective, having seen them up close at the start of the track.
The track continued along the ridgeline and with much of the bush in this area still regenerating, it was possible to pick out the route. Continuing on towards the inner sounds, the area became more populated and it was fun to look down into each of the bays, picking out holiday homes and boats and getting a feel for each of the different bays.
There were a few final glimpses back towards the head of Kenepuru Sound and the ridge we had walked along on the previous day. The unique geography of the sounds, made it possible to pick out landmarks to help track our progress on the track.
Eventually the track started a nice gradual decent back down towards Queen Charlotte Sound, coming out on a small beach just opposite Picton. After several days walking in the relative peace of the bush, it was odd to come back to civilisation. The beach was busy with people picnicking, kayaking and even a few brave people swimming.
From the beach at Umungata Bay, the final section of track was a nice easy path alongside the water which finished right next to the jetty in the small town of Anakiwa. Luckily by this time Eric’s water taxi had dropped him off in Picton and he was able to hop in the car and pick me up on our way through to Nelson where we were planning on spending the night.