On to the South Island! After mailing a month's worth of food ahead to ourselves, we said goodbye to the Angela, Nik, and the North Island, and hopped on the ferry to Picton.
In one whirlwind day, we rode across the Cook Strait, took a water taxi to Ship Cove, which is the official start of the trail on the South Island, and walked 16 kms to a camping spot on the Queen Charlotte Track. Trivia time: Ship Cove is actually north of the southernmost point of the TA on the north island, so we'll be repeating some of the latitude we've already finished.
 |
| Goodbye Wellington! |
 |
| Hellooo South Island! |
 |
| New island... new shoes. I call mine "swamp things" |
The Queen Charlotte Track is a very popular route, and is fairly commercialized. It travels down a ridge between two sounds, with great views to both sides for much of the walk. You can have your pack delivered to your destination every day for a fee (we didn't do this), and you can stay at some pretty fancy lodges along the way if you care to spend the money (we didn't do this either). Despite all the frills, it was a beautiful stretch of trail, and a great way to start the South Island.
 |
| Occasional sunlight on the first day made for pretty views |
 |
| Don't worry, Liz's foot is fine. She was faking it to try to get an on-trail massage |
|
|
Along the way, we ran into several "normal" people on the trail, and it was a bit strange. They didn't smell awful, and were out of breath climbing even small hills. Not our usual company, but we did feel a little bit like celebrities at some points ("you walked from
where!?"). We also ran into a family of 6, with the kids ranging between probably 6 and 13 years old, at one of the campsites. The parents were brave souls, but what an awesome trip it must have been for the kids!
 |
| Day 2 was much sunnier - great views over the sound |
 |
| Wekas are very inquisitive birds that want to eat your lunch. I had to (gently) fend it off with a hiking pole |
 |
| Crazy mushrooms |
 |
| First views of Kenepuru Sound, the one to the right of the trail. It was pretty crazy to see the difference in water color between this and the Queen Charlotte Sound. |
 |
| We had views like this most of the way - not bad |
 |
| Very orderly ferns growing on a rock |
It took us 2.5 days to finish, and they were pretty leisurely days. The trail was nice and wide, and well graded. Overall, the effort to beauty ratio was really high, and if you are ever in New Zealand and looking for a beautiful, not too demanding hike, I'd recommend it.
 |
| Ok, maybe these are getting a little repetitive, but it didn't get old in real life |
 |
| Panorama with both sounds visible |
 |
| Nice day, lots of boats out |
 |
| Beachside campsite. Liz bundled up to fend off vicious sandflies |
On day 94, we walked from our nice beach campsite at Davies Bay over to Havelock. It was mostly a road walk, but it had one quintessential Te Araroa twist - instead of walking an extra 5 kms on the road, it took us straight up and over a steep 400m hill, following the clearing for some power lines. Of course we hit it at noon on a hot, sunny day. It was over quickly though, and we made it to Blue Moon Backpackers in Havelock. We had a few minutes of panic and dismay when we thought our food parcel hadn't arrived yet, but it turned out it had been put in the shed. Good thing - it was Saturday afternoon, so we would have been stuck waiting until Monday afternoon if it hadn't arrived already.
 |
| Dock at Anakiwa, at the end of the QCT |
 |
| A crazy long irrigation thingie on the road walk to Havelock |
 |
| In the background, you can see the "trail" going straight up the hill |
We had a nice stay at Blue Moon, ordered way too much food for dinner at the hotel down the road, and found a ride for the next morning that would take us past 20 km of road walking down a narrow, windy state highway.
The QCT was a nice way to ease into the South Island before heading into, apparently, the hardest section of the whole trail - the Richmond Alpine Track. It will take us 8-10 days to complete, depending on the weather, and our packs are stuffed to the brim with almost 30 pounds of food between the two of us. I'm not sure we'll be able to walk, let alone climb mountains, with that sort of weight on our backs, but I guess we'll find out!
Super cool bird! Love the unusual wildlife shots! And those views are amazing!!
ReplyDeleteI love that panorama. Just amazing.
ReplyDeleteBut, as a nerd, I have to point out that I think you meant the "effort to beauty ratio" was low and that the beauty to effort ratio was high. Just double checking your hiking math. You're welcome. I can be repaid by fun story time when y'inz get back :)