Queen Charlotte Track

Well, here we are at the main reason for this particular trip to New Zealand – the Queen Charlotte Track. Grab a cuppa … we’ll be here for a while.

Day 1 – Ship Cove to Furneaux Lodge 17km

After an overnight stay in Picton, we head down to Marlborough Sounds Adventure Co to pick up our guidebook, track passes, and the day’s packed lunch. A little nervously we eye the mountains in the distance. ‘I have an awful feeling we’re going to be walking either over or along the ridge of those,’ I say.

By 11am we’re at Ship Cove and ready to hit the track, but first have a look around. Named “Meretoto” by Maori, Captain James Cook renamed it Ship Cove and spent 170 days sheltering here during his three voyages between 1770 and 1777. It’s here that the earliest sustained contact between Maori and European people occurred.

It’s cool and cloudy as we begin to climb through virgin forest.

By the time we reach Resolution Bay the sun is out and the scenery comes alive.

Towards the top of Tawa Saddle we stop for lunch and resist the temptation to feed the wekas.

The climb up Tawa Saddle seems harder than the first climb and it’s around 5.30pm by the time I finally hobble into Furneaux. I’m glad I’ve made it, but have decided that I’m not fit enough to do the 24km on day 3.

Day 2 – Furneaux Lodge to Punga Cove 12 km

Another glorious day, today was (on paper) an easy day – and most people found it so. My back and hip were playing up to the extent that each step was painful so for me it was another slow plodding day. On the upside, the views were gorgeous and a great reason to stop heaps and take pics.

Day 3 – Punga Cove to The Portage 24 km

I chose to catch the water transport around to Toorea Bay (access point for The Portage) where I spent the afternoon using the guest laundry, swimming, and generally trying to ease the aches and pains. Strangely for me I didn’t beat myself up at all about my decision – in fact, I was glad of it.

Grant, however, tackled the walk on his own and blitzed it. The pics below are his.

Day 4 – The Portage to Lochmara 8 km

We’d originally chosen to split day 4 into 2 days: 8km to Lochmara Lodge, and then another 17 km to walk out to Anakiwa. Despite the shuttle from The Portage depositing us partway up the saddle, the climb is brutal.

We’re both now over it, Grant has a blister the size of the South Island on the sole of his foot and has decided the view is the same as it has been each day.

We’re done.

Where we stayed …

Furneaux Lodge

This was my favourite of the lodges – and the one I had most FOMO about when it came to pulling on the boots and walking out the next morning. Because I was so slow we had only about an hour between getting to Furneaux and our dinner booking so no time for the swim in the sounds I’d been craving.

The room was the most luxurious we had and the bed was just divine when everything ached.

It’s this lodge I want to come back to sometime – just for a night, maybe two. It’s also this lodge that has inspired an upcoming Philly story … maybe the one after next … When I told my friend Heather about my idea she mentioned a real-life mystery that happened there which sent me down a whole different google rabbit hole. That, however, is not for this blog.

As for dinner? It was tandoori charred butter chicken for me and venison with polenta for Grant.

Punga Cove

The approach to the lodge was possibly the steepest walk of the day – except perhaps for the walk up to our room. When they checked us in and told us our room (and the restaurant) were at the top of the steep hill the resort is set on, and then that the bar was all the way down the bottom near the jetty I could have cried.

The room, however, was super comfortable and came with a fabulous view.

For dinner tonight we both went for rich and creamy with extra carbs. Both dishes look the same but mine was a seafood lasagne with a cheese sauce that I ate less than half of (and suffered for after), and Grant went for the seafood chowder.

The Portage Resort

The rooms here were the “oldest” we had, but were still very comfortable. It’s here that many walkers choose to take a “rest day” and spend it kayaking in the sounds.

Dinner tonight was lamb ravioli for Grant and mushroom fettuccine for me. We even splurged and had breakfast the next morning.

Lochmara Lodge

Another one where our room was at the top of a steep hill, I adored this place. I was also exceedingly glad when we decided not to do the final almost 20 km on foot back to Picton the next day as it meant we had time for a gentle wake-up and leisurely brekky before catching our water transport back.

Thankfully we arrived in time for me to explore a little – and even feed the red-crested Kākāriki.

Dinner tonight was really lovely. Grant had steak with peppercorn sauce and I had pork belly on a bed of apple and parsnip served with a charred wedge of cabbage. On the side were roasted potatoes with whipped feta.

The details …

We booked our track experience through Marlborough Sounds Adventure Co. There are, however, other companies that can also help with this track transport and accommodation packages – or you can do it yourself.

We opted for a self-guided trip as the track is well-marked. The lodges we stayed at had a range of rooms to suit all budgets – from hiker’s bunks to premium rooms with king-sized beds – and we opted for the upgraded rooms where available.

While the package cost included accommodation at the lodges, our transport on and off track, transfer of our luggage between lodges, and our (excellent) daily packed lunches, we were responsible for the purchase of breakfast, dinner, and drinks at the lodge, and any additional transfers by water. At the time of writing single transfers with Cougar Line were $60NZD.

It’s worth remembering that the lodges are holiday destinations in their own right and aren’t there just for hikers so if you feel you want to spend additional time at one or another of these you can build that into your holiday.

Am I fit enough?

They say if you walk regularly you should be able to do this. This walk has some steep hills and some very long days so to really enjoy it for the six weeks leading up to the track you should be trying to build up to walking for a few hours at a time a few times a week. And find some hills. Or stairs. the hardest part really is staying on track for so many hours.

Despite my daily walking regime, I didn’t do nearly enough preparation for this one – I blame the feral summer we’ve had (and my own laziness over winter and the two doses of COVID I had in the 6 months leading up to the walk) – and really struggled on the hills and with the distance. Really struggled.

It’s important to note that if you’ve arranged for the transfer of your luggage, all you’re walking with is a day pack.

Why should I do it?

My husband would say for the physical and mental challenge.

That aside, this is a great track to do if you’re new to long-distance tramping for the following reasons:

• The track is in good condition, well-graded and wide (it’s also a mountain bike track), and in much better condition than I found Milford Track or The Routeburn Track to be. We encountered no fallen trees and there were few places where you had to pick your way down rocks; plus all the streams have bridges on them.
• Queen Charlotte Track is considered a long rather than a technical tramp.
• It’s well served with places to stay – from campgrounds to self-catering cabins to luxurious lodges
• If you’re staying in the lodges you can arrange for your packs to be transported by water meaning you only need to carry a day pack with your lunch, wet weather gear, bug spray, and plenty of water.
• It’s one of the few Great Walks that can be tramped all year round
• It’s beautiful – especially on a sunny day
• Non-walking companions can choose to take the water transport option each day (extra charges apply)

Mostly though, I think its appeal lies in its flexibility.

Because each of the lodges is accessible only by water you can choose (as we did) to walk as much or as little of the track as you like yet still get the full experience of the track.

I encountered two women who began at Resolution Bay – thereby missing the first steep climb out of Ship Cove and reducing their day one mileage from 17 km to a more manageable 11km. Like me they skipped day 3 entirely and spent the day at Portage and on day 4 they caught a water taxi around to Mistletoe Bay and avoided the two big climbs on that day and reduced the mileage from 20 km to about 12 km. They were doing what they were comfortable with.

Of the four friends who hiked it the week after us, two did the whole thing (more correctly, they nailed it!), another walked the first two days, while the fourth had injured her back and opted for daily water transport but was still able to enjoy the evenings with the rest of the group.

Would I do another one?

You know what? Probably … one day … This one also proved to me I can no longer rely on my resilience to get me across the line – I also have to do the preparation beforehand.

What about you? Do you enjoy long-distance hiking?