Marlborough Sounds

Queen  Charlotte Track

The 67km Queen Charlotte Track is a spectacular walking track, stretching from historic Ship Cove to Anakiwa. The walkway passes through lush coastal forest, around coves and inlets, and along skyline ridges offering breathtaking views of the Queen Charlotte and Kenepuru Sounds.

You can walk the entire track over four days or enjoy a short walk depending on your timetable. Better still, there are guided and freedom walking options available. Both freedom and guided walkers can have their packs carried for them from any of the access points along the track by arrangement with transport operators.

Accommodation, Food & Provisions

Useful Links: Accommodation Picton, Accommodation Marlborough Sounds, Accommodation Marlborough, Accommodation Blenheim

Most accommodation operators have dining facilities, and there are shops at Resolution Bay, Furneaux Lodge, Endeavour Resort, Punga Cove, Gem Resort, The Portage and Te Mahia.

Getting There

You can choose from a water taxi, launch or yacht, float plane, or road transport to get to the Queen Charlotte Track.

Sea access is possible at Ship Cove, Resolution Bay, Endeavour Inlet, Camp Bay/Punga Cove, Bay of Many Coves, Torea Bay/The Portage, Mistletoe Bay/Te Mahia and Anakiwa. A number of companies offer water transport to and from these points.

Road access is possible at Camp Bay/Punga Cove, Torea Bay/The Portage, Mistletoe Bay/Te Mahia and Anakiwa. Transport to and from Tirimoana can be arranged.

The track is best started at Ship Cove but can be walked either way.

Useful Links: Picton Transport, Marlborough Sounds Transport, Marlborough Transport

More Than A Walk . . .

For those with a little more time, or seeking something a little different, there are many other activities that can be enjoyed along the way. These include swimming, fishing, sailing, sea kayaking, mountain biking, bird watching, diving and historic side trips. Glow worm grottos add to the walkway's nightlife.

Useful Links: Activities Picton, Activities Marlborough Sounds, Activities Marlborough

Foliage

The lush greenery of Ship Cove, including ferns and tree ferns, nikau palms, climbing kiekie and perching plants, makes up a spectacular coastal forest. The track itself passes through a fascinating variety of natural landscapes including undisturbed stands of beech and rimu, some 800 years old and 42m (140ft) high.

The seasons ensure an everchanging visual tapestry as trees flower and fruit. The native clematis (puamananga) wears a gown of creamy white flowers in spring, while bunches of red supplejack berries catch the eye, as do the orange skins of kohia (the New Zealand native passionfruit) discarded by birds in autumn. Bright rows of tiny fungi adorn fallen logs and shiny leaved karaka stand in groves along the shore, their large berries ripening to a rich yellow in autumn.

If you look carefully, you will discover a variety of native orchids, including green hooded, onion leaf and grassland orchids. The open vegetation of the Kenepuru saddle allows magnificent views of the Sounds below. As with Torea saddle, gorse and manuka are prolific here as native bush regenerates.

The final section of the walkway descends into regenerating forest. Through Davies Bay it widens and flattens, going through mature forest with large beech trees.

Birdlife

Birds abound in these tranquil surrounds. Listen and you may hear the melodic call of the bellbird or tui. In summer, listen for the tantalising cry of the long tailed and shining cuckoos and, in twilight, for the rasping call of the weka or the haunting cry of the morepork. See too the inquisitive fantails darting about you as you walk. If you look up you may catch sight of the native wood pigeon watching you or feasting himself on the forest berries.

Along the shoreline you can often see shag searching for food or sitting statue-like on rocks. In times of plentiful fish, gannets may be joined by swooping terns and shearwaters to dive for food.

Tidal Intrigue

Where land meets sea, many hours can be spent fossicking, especially at low tide. Enriched by twice daily tides, the sand and silt of Endeavour Inlet and Big Bay estuaries (next to Camp Bay/Punga Cove) are rich feeding grounds for white faced herons, oyster catchers and kingfishers. Quiet moments near the shore can easily become a rewarding wildlife experience.

Visit the official Queen Charlotte Track website at www.qctrack.co.nz

Related Links: Abel Tasman Coastal Track, Mt Apsiring National Park, Heaphy Track