Queen Charlotte Track

With the rain having subsided, we headed off from Picton for a 3 day tramp on the Queen Charlotte Track.  The hour-long boat trip was uneventful.  The weather was pretty socked in ... low clouds still clinging to the steep wooded hillsides that drop into the water.  Very reminiscent of some of the Puget Sound waterways.  The captain informed us that the weather and seas were so bad the day before that they couldn't even make the trip to our intended start point (Ship's Cove).  That, and the 4 inches of rain that fell, convinced us that we had made the right call to delay the trip.   All in all, we were pretty lucky.  The North Island got hammered and had epic flooding!

Tramping the Queen Charlotte Track is a different experience than most or all of the other 8 Great Tracks.  First of all, it's on privately-owned land, so you have to pay a fee just to use the track.  The up side is that there are nice lodges with restaurants you can choose to stay in (we did!).  Another benefit that we were quick to jump on, was that you can have your gear shuttled to your next destination by the boat ferries, so you only have to hike with what you need during the day.  Very nice!

Day 1 was spent traversing around Endeavor Inlet, from Furneaux Lodge to Punga Cove Resort ... about 12 km (7.2 mi) and relatively flat.  Very lush (and damp) forest.  The track was mucky in spots (no big surprise), but not too bad considering the rainfall.  And we were blessed with scattered sunshine and no rain!  And we were treated with a bunch of dolphins playing in the cove as we hung out in the late afternoon!

Cloud-enshrouded Queen Charlotte Sound

Misty hillside

Multi-scale fronds

Endeavor Inlet

Fern fronds

Decaying fronds surrounding the trunk of a Tree Fern

Tree fern grove

Evening view from our porch at Punga Cove

Day 2 was a big day.  Climbing up to and traversing a ridge dividing Kenapuru and Queen Charlotte Sounds, then dropping down on the Kenapura Sound side to Portage Bay Resort.  24.5 km (14.7 mi) and some measurable elevation gain and loss (probably 800 m / 2400 ft).  And finally some nice blue skies.  The flora was less lush, with various sections of pine, beach and tea-tree forests. Many gorgeous views of the Sounds and surrounding valleys.

Early light on Punga Cove

Coastline View

Pastured valley and Kenepuru Sound

Tree Fern

New Zealand Eyebright

Portage Bay sunset

Day 3 was a short day, since we had to catch our boat ferry by about noon in Mistletoe Bay.  It was a continuation of our ridge walk (after we climbed back up to it), and was about 8 km (4.8 mi) with some significant ups and down (probably 600 m / 1800 ft).  The weather was cloudy, but very comfortable.  Some nice views, but we were starting to get a bit numb to them, and, without the blue sky, they honestly weren't really quite as spectacular.

Tramping amenities

Still morning water

Unknown flora

Lochmara Bay

Mushroom

Overall, the tramp was enjoyable ... but not the wilderness-type experience with spectacular mountain views that we typically go after.  But, hey!  We didn't have to sleep on the ground, or eat freeze-dried food, either!

More Photos

Activities

• Walk the Queen Charlotte Track (Endeavor Inlet to Mistletoe Bay)

5-Star Moments

• Kayaking among dolphins in Punga Cove!!

Random Scenes

• Seeing a pod of 20 or so dolphins feeding out in the cove, I hopped into one of the resort's open kayaks to try to get among them.  I finally chased them down (they kept moving farther up the cove), but was keeping a bit of distance out of caution.  As I was waving goodbye to fellow gawkers in a small motor boat that was headed back, 2 giant blows went off within a couple of feet of me!  Two dolphins had crossed underneath my kayak in a surprise attack and blew some big air!  And these guys are damn big!  Scared the bejeezus out of me!  I figured they were chuckling all the way back to the pod!

Random Questions

• Why is the ground all dug up in these woods?  We later learned it was from wild pigs rooting around for food!
• Hey, are those magic mushrooms growing all over the place in this pine forest?  Actually, they were amanita muscaria, which does have some hallucinogenic properties, but also is poisonous.  So, chase a buzz at your own risk!

Tom's Daily Stress Points

• Will we make it to our ferry on time?  (stress level = low)

Sleeps

• Punga Cove Resort (very nice)
• Portage Bay Resort (very nice)

Noteable Eats

• Punga Cove Resort (very good dinner)
• Portage Bay Resort (very good fish and chips)