Jonty 0:00

Today. We're heading to the top of the south island to an epic coastal track in the Marlborough sounds. Let's talk about the Queen Charlotte track.

Peter 0:07

So

Jonty 0:15

Kira and welcome to the Tramping Life, a podcast about hiking in RO New Zealand, or as we call it here, tramping. I'm ch and in this episode I'll talk about a specific track or hut. I'll give an overview and share my experience along with the highlights and some practical advice. One of New Zealand's best known coastal walks. Queen Charlotte Track runs 71 kilometers between Queen Charlotte sound and Ken Sound at the of the south, typically from the historic ship Cove in the south. track follows ridge lines and shorelines offering very terrain that undulates between sea level and hills up to around 450 meters high over its length. The route passes through lush, coastal native forests, cross headlands, and around numerous bays and coves the Queen Charlotte track differs from most dock managed tracks in the portions of it cross private and council land. A Queen Charlotte Track Land Cooperative Pass is required to access some sections between salary and and AA and with fees contributing to landowner support and track maintenance. There are six dock campsites along the track and no dock hus. There are a range of private lodges, though that can offer luxury accommodation. It's also possible to get your main bag transferred by boat between lodges close to the dock. I walked the track in mid-November 2020 when despite the New Zealand border being closed due to COVID, the track was busier than normal according to the water taxi company. It was before peak season though, so other than the big group described later on, there were only about a dozen people hiking and cycling on the trap. The 50 minute water taxi ride from Pickton to Ship Cove was a scenic as any journey by boat in this area. Ship Cove is a beautiful spot and it's understandable why Captain Cook chose to spend 170 days over five stays here during his three epic voyages. There's a sizable monument to him erected in 1912, paid for by public subscription. From here it was uphill along a real gash for track, which looked relatively newly cut. I'm not a fan of dual use tracks. They're often dull to walk along and you have to watch out for bikes. But given the logistics of this track, you tend to only see them twice a day going in each direction. Apparently the track is roughly half walkers and half bikers. Outside of summer, e-bikes are becoming increasingly popular and it will be well suited to the hills, particularly after camp a after half an hour, I reached Ship Cove saddle views of the inner and outer Queen Charlotte sound. Heading down to Schoolhouse Bay Campsite gave me wonderful views of the stunning colored waters of the sounds. Across the bay was resolution Bay Lodge, which looked inviting, but I was staying at Dock Campsites rather than the flash lodges. Along the track, the more big views on the way to Tower Saddle near Blue Water Lodge was a particularly photogenic jetty and lots of batches or cribs as these were on the south island, which were scattered throughout. The sounds often only accessible by water. A short detour off the track took me to a 30 meter high remu tree, one of the oldest in New Zealand. Over a thousand years old. There was a lovely short section of track through towering gravity, defying tree ferns. After 26 kilometers and six hours of walking, I was glad to reach Camp Bay Campsite. By late afternoon, though I hadn't anticipated having to carry my main bag from the nearby Punga Cove resort to the campsite. For some reason, I thought it'd be waiting for me at the campsite, and therefore I'd gone a bit crazy with what I packed, assuming that I wouldn't need them to carry at any distance. I arrived just after a pair of bikers from Christchurch with whom I'd played tortoise in the hair all day. We were in the same water taxi out and passed each other about half a dozen times. I caught up with them when they stopped to filming their GoPros or struggled with some of the hills. I was a bit concerned after arriving at the camp to hear about a group of 40 people in their mid twenties on their way, There were a group of friends from Canterbury University originally to meet every year for an adventure. Thankfully, only 10 were staying at camp a campsite. The rest are a nearby lodge. They were pretty well behaved after an initially worrying start when they hit the beers. As soon as they arrived, I was surprised they'd cooked up with me on the track until I learned that they'd walked from Ship Cove to Ferno Lodge and then got a boat from there to pun Cove. The next day they had 40 mountain bikes shipped in for them to cycle onto to Rio Bay, and then a boat back to Pickton. One person in the group sorts out logistics for their trips. Pretty impressive work. The next morning I was working by Birdsong, which is a lovely way to start the day, but perhaps not at 5:00 AM. From Camp Bay Campsite. It was straight uphill to Kenna Saddle with 24 and a half kilomet of track today following the ridge lines of Peninsula between Cater Sound and Queen Charlotte sound. A lookout over the unimaginably descriptive bay of many coves was pretty spectacular and there was no shortage of good views along the track. Helped by perfect weather, mid 20 degrees, blue skies and strong winds, which helped keep things relatively cool. Day two was much hillier than day one, though. Felt easier to move for some reason, despite being basically the same distance and duration along the track are handy distance markers every five kilometers to rear saddle. There was an unexpected memorial to 29 local soldiers who died during World War I and World War ii. Just down the hill was my home for the night. A very pleasant cow shed campsite. Before I could set up though, I had a 600 meter return road walk to the Portage to collect my heavy main bag set up count, after which a dip in Portage Bay was the ideal refreshment. Birdsong was even louder the next morning, again starting from 5:00 AM and the steepest section of track was up to to saddle the views more than compensated for the effort required. There are lovely views of Kenna sound from the ridge on one side, and I've picked an in the distance on the other side. There's one spot with a couple of benches offering ful views of both the sounds along with an inquisitive wacker. One of many seen along the track, particularly at the campsites while day two had arguably the best views, day three had the most interesting and. Varied track day wonders. Felt long track headed down to the water. relatively uncommon on the Queen Charlotte track, particularly when compared with the able Tasman coast walk. Just, after noon I arrived and a keya at the finishing point for the track. I had nearly four hours to wait for the water taxi Back to Pickton. Are there worse places to spend an afternoon? the highlights include plenty of dramatic coastal scenery, sweeping views over the Marlborough sound, sunken valleys and peninsulas, framed by native Bush and rocky headlands. Ship Cove is a site of historical significance where Captain James Cook anchored and where interpretation panels recount early Murray and European interactions. There were fewer swimming spots than expected for any opportunity to go for a wade or a swim was welcome. And having my main bag carried was a treat And I could have bought meals at the lodges, but for some reason unclear to me. Now I ate dehydrated meals instead to finish with some practical advice. Most people complete the Queen Charlotte track on foot over three to five days. Those sections can be walk individually if time is limited, as there is plenty of places along the track accessible by water taxi. Track surface is for dual use, so you may want to wear lighter footwear than other tramps. Those subsections are muddy and steep. Most of the track is rated as grade three or four out of five for cyclists in advance. Book the water taxi to ship cove luggage transfer services, land access parcel, and any lodges.camp Sites also need to be booked all year round. While it can be war all year round, the most popular time to do so is between November and May. Cyclists are not allowed on the track, on the section ship Cove to Canto saddle between December and February. Finally, as a comparator, the Able Tasman Coast Track has much better beaches and swimming spots and is an easier walk while the Queen Charlotte Track has more dramatic scenery, has more stoic sights, and is more of a challenge.

Peter 8:06

So

Speaker 8:09

Thank you so much for listening to the Tramping life. If you've enjoyed today's episode, please follow the podcast in whatever app you use. Tell a friend about it and consider leaving a rating or a review. It really helps more people discover the show. you have any questions or feedback, I'd love to hear from you. Drop me an email at the tramping life, one word@gmail.com.