Walking the Queen Charlotte Track, New Zealand.

Ah memories.

It’s been well over a decade since friend, Ora and I, walked the 70 kms of the beautiful Queen Charlotte Track on the northern tip of the southern island of New Zealand – from Ship Cove to Anakira. Here’s something I wrote back then:

Sounds Wonderful

The Blistered Foot Café sits on the edge of Anakiwa Bay.  I’m in the Marlborough Sounds at the tip of New Zealand’s south island where, over the past 4 days, I’ve walked the 71 km Queen Charlotte Track.  I feel exhilarated, the sun is warming my back, the water in the bay is sparkling, the coffee is hot and I’m thinking, life doesn’t get much better than this.

It’s my first time in New Zealand.  I’d stubbornly resisted all attempts to get me here and now, I feel exceptionally foolish.  The advertisers’ descriptions were accurate, I’ve been missing out. 

It was walking the Queen Charlotte Track that eventually enticed me to New Zealand.  Loving the idea of walking, my walking companion and I preferred to do it in style and so the walk was chosen because it could be done without carrying luggage (Cougar Lines Ferries would transport it to our lodgings each day) and our overnight stays would be in four-star comfort with meals taken care of, even down to lunches which would be cut and packed and, along with water, was all that was needed to be carried. 

Furthermore, from Sydney, it took only three hours to get to Christchurch where we would board the Trans-Coastal train for what promised to be a very picturesque journey to Picton.  With the ocean on the right and snow-capped mountains on the left, the six-hour journey just flew by.  Promise fulfilled.

In the beautiful village of Picton, at the bustling marina where the large passenger ferries from Wellington dock, we met our fellow walkers; a family from Sweden, a couple from Christchurch and our guide, the ingenuous and obliging Marty.  We were ferried to Ship’s Cove, famous for its connections with Captain Cook, this was to be our starting point.  It was unseasonably warm for November – perfect walking weather.

It’s almost redundant to say that the scenery was breathtaking; it was, more so on the last two days, when the track emerges from the trees and rises to the ridges.  Dolphins and seals frolic in the waters below. Wild foxgloves line the slopes. At the end of the day, there’s a hot meal, a glass of award-winning, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and a comfortable bed.  And oh, what meals!  At Furneaux Lodge I feasted on roasted blue cod with tomato risotto that was only possibly eclipsed by the fillet of beef on a potato galette the next night at Punga Cove – and these were just the main courses!

At track’s end, what a sense of achievement we felt; we had conquered the Track and, on the way, been mesmerised by the scenery, surprised by the quality of the food and accommodation and found a delightful sense of camaraderie, fostered by the shared experience. 

On a negative note, everyone expected to emerge slimmer – wrong – we were far too well fed.  We also knew all too well why the café was called the Blistered Foot!  

Some useful (up to date) information

The track meanders around the water of the Marlborough Sound and took us four days and three nights. On the longest day, we walked 23kms.

We chose to use a company called Tuatara Tours who took care everything – meals, accomodation, luggage and walking guide.

The walk is graded three out of a possible four for difficulty and some sections were decidedly challenging. (On these occasions our obliging guide, Marty, would end up carrying a few of his walkers backpacks. He never complained.)

The boutique lodges we stayed at along the way were lovely, each one in a breathtaking position overlooking the Sound. They were a welcome sanctuary in which to put up our feet, have a glass of wine overlooking the view and/or take a long bath and attend to those blisters before dinner.

Perhaps it’s time to get out the walking boots and do it again.