Blogs from Queen Charlotte Sound, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania

Tramping the Queen Charlotte Track, and sea kayaking with Jamie Monday morning bright and early saw us on the bus to Picton. The bus driver did a running commentary en route to stop him getting bored. Tales of gold rushes and frost protection windmills in the vineyards as we passed through Blenheim. Great afternoon in Picton visiting the oldest surviving boat that took convicts to Australia. Fascinating construction, amazing what you can do with string and caulk! We were off early on the 0800 boat on Tuesday to start 4 days tramping on the Queen Charlotte track. We felt very intrepid but one of us was a bit nervous! Our backpacks were shuttled daily between campsites by the coastal boat, what luxury (we thought).... Beautiful countryside, all shades of blue and green in the Sounds. Quite ... read more

Monday 23rd December, 2013. Walking the Queen Charlotte Track, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough Sounds. We had come to the Anakiwa Lodge in Anakiwa for one reason and one reason only. it is the end of the Queen Charlotte Track (QCT) which was another item on M's bucket list. The Queen Charlotte Track, located at the top of New Zealand's South Island in the Marlborough Sounds, is a spectacular walk from the historic Ship Cove through to Anakiwa in the Grove Arm of the Queen Charlotte and Sound. The track runs along a thin, serrated peninsula dividing Queen Charlotte Sound from Kenepuru Sound. It is 71 km long so we did not have the time (or the inclination) to do it all. We had heard that the last stretch down in to Anakiwa was one of the ... read more

This is a hard entry to write; to encapsulate the sheer beauty of this stunning island as we travel around in our camper van, awe inspired to the scenery backdrop we are enticed with. To call what we have seen so far as beautiful is such an understatement. We heard on the tourism radio, that people will scour the dictionary for dramatic superlatives to describe the views and it's no wonder. However, dictionary aside please allow us to do our best. The main viewpoint we would like to get across is; despite the obvious landscape being very easy on the eye, it's the geology and geography behind this. The view one easily becomes accustomed to reminds us of what was present hundreds of thousands to millions of years ago. Up until recent history this land, roughly ... read more

2/17/12 We picked up a rental car in the early morning. Today’s destination is Nelson. Our first stop was the Omaka Aviation Heiritage Centre in Blenheim. It’s dedicated to the preservation of early aviation history from the early 1900’s through World War I. The museum consisted of a display of vintage aircraft and the stories of the men who flew them. One of the displays was on the life of The Red Baron, Baron Manfred Richthoden. He had 80 victories before being shot down by the Australian Army on 4/21/18. We had lunch at Pelourus Bridge Café, an outdoor cafe, then made our way to Nelson.... read more

2/14/12 Energized with scrambled eggs and bacon our group, the now ‘Famous Five’ trekers hit the ‘road’ heading south west toward Punga Lodge, Endeavour Inlet. To-day is Valentine’s Day and romance may bloom along the trail. Rain has been predicted but luckily the forecasters turned out to be ‘misinformed’. Bravo !!!! Attention readers …. Please now google ‘punga’ for a full explanation. Along this next sector of trail … 12km … the dominant feature is the New Zealand PUNGA …. This ubiquitious fern thrives in this sub-tropical climate and is seductively picturesque (see Big John’s pics). Topography is undulating and... read more