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Published: December 9th 2009
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To say that the beginning of my road trip went off without a hitch would be a lie, but even with the problems we had, it is testament to the Queen Charlotte Track’s sheer beauty that even when the fog rolls in and the skies open you are still astounded by the incredible landscapes surrounding you.
We arrived at Picton in glorious sunshine with high spirits and eager anticipation of our first hike. The plan was to catch a ferry out to the end of the trail (Ship Cove) and hike the 71km track back over 4 days/3nights. We started late in the afternoon, landing in Ship Cove at about 2.30pm, and headed straight into the thick jungle that covered the hillside. The first day we only hiked 4.5km but this took 2 hours due to the fact we had full backpacks with all out gear in, and also the track was ridiculously steep. It certainly felt like we hit the ground running, huffing and puffing as we struggled up the first 30 minute climb. The trail itself was only a small dirt track and took us directly through extremely thick jungle. On reaching the highest point of the first
day we came across a lookout point which was jaw-droppingly stunning. You could see over both sides of the ridge to look out over giant tree tops and across the still ocean running throughout the Marlborough Sounds. It was beautiful.
We managed to eventually pry ourselves away from the view to continue our trek to the first campsite. On arrival we found it to be located just up from a pleasant little pebble beach, and completely deserted. We set up camp and had a quick feed of powdered mash potato and baked beans and a couple of games of cards, before climbing into our sleeping bags and resting up ready for the 22km of hiking scheduled for the next day. We awoke in the morning to wet ground and a threatening sky, so packed down the tents as quickly as possible before throwing on the waterproofs over ourselves and our bags. It was at approximately 7.30am on the second day that the rain started, it continued right through the whole day virtually non-stop. Our spirits were not completely in tatters as the hike throughout the day had been incredibly enjoyable, despite the wet, and in our experience the rain
always seemed to come and go very quickly in New Zealand so we just kept thinking it will stop soon. On arrival at the second campsite we were all soaked through, with a mixture of rainwater and sweat. We passed a couple of other hikers, of which there were very few, who informed us of a bar/café located in Punga Cova which was only a 5 minute walk away from the campsite. With the rain taking an uncharacteristically long break for the day we set up our tents and changed into dry clothes, before heading off to the café to grab a nice warm drink. We were in greater spirits as the rain had been stopped for about 20 minutes and were happy we hade made it through the day. However, the optimism did not last long as the skies opened again before we even reached the café, and the rain didn’t stop all evening. The saving grace was that we could sit inside a warm bar at a table playing cards and sipping hot chocolate as we looked out at the rain (torrential at this point). It was after 3 hours of more rain that the idea was first
put out there to abandon ship the following morning and catch a ferry from this cove off the trail. We stayed as long as possible at the bar to try and avoid the rain, but it never stopped. On getting back to the campsite I found that water was covering the inside walls of my tent and had been dripping on to the floor. Consequently a couple of little puddles had formed, it was not a pleasant night. The rain continued all the way through the night, drumming down on the tent walls, bouncing drips of condensation onto me randomly throughout the night. When morning came round the rain had still not stopped so the decision was made to head straight to Punga Cove and get the ferry out. After an awful nights sleep we treated ourselves to a big portion of chips for breakfast as we waited for the ferry.
Apparently the Sounds are renowned for having unpredictable weather, but I think we were particularly unlucky. The easy lesson to be learned here was make sure you check weather reports from numerous sources before leaving for a hike. Although it was very wet and the camping was not
too pleasant the trail itself really was incredible and we all thoroughly enjoyed the hiking. It is a huge shame not to have been able to complete the trail but with so many other great ones planned I am not too worried.
Following the Queen Charlotte track we headed to Nelson for two nights at a hostel so we could dry out our tents/boots and other gear. We managed to find an absolutely great hostel with a swimming pool, hot tub and sauna. The only beds left were ones in wooden tepees outside with basic mattresses on small wooden frames. There were only two beds per tepee but no one else was in mine so I had it all to myself which was great. Not being able to hike the whole trail did lead to one bonus, which was that I spent my birthday in this awesome hostel drinking beer and sitting in a hot tub or hanging beside a pool. There were a lot of good people around and the evening culminated in about 20 people sat in a converted bus (now a lounge area) playing drinking games. It was a fantastic night and a great birthday.
I am now in Marahau which is a very small town at the start of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track. We are heading off on a water taxi tomorrow to the other end of the track so we can spend 3 days hiking back along the 52km trail. Although this is only a short track it is full of steep climbs and descents which will make it a lot more challenging. When this track is done we are going to be doing some kayaking around the area too, stay tuned for some incredible photos and an overly enthusiastic blog because this place is stunning.
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