Queen Charlotte Track
Trip Start
Oct 14, 2005
1
51
71
Trip End
??? ??, 2006
Picton,
New Zealand
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
A sound is a long wide ocean inlet, and there are many of these that jut inland from the cook strait. These make up the Marlborough Sounds, at the top of the South Island of NZ. The sounds are not actually a national park, but instead are privately owned and looked after as if they were a national park. Keeping them untouched from development and destruction. The Queen Charlotte Track is a 3-5 day walk in total, but we only did the firs part of it, a gentle 13km walk through forests, occasionally opening out over the sounds to provide a magnificent view. Alas it was another grey day, and the true beauty of the sounds was kept shrouded closely in mist, but it was still a good 13km walk, followed by a torturous 2km climb to the hill top look out. Encouraged onwards by the fact that a couple of girls had walked up to the look out the day before, admittedly without the 13km warm up. Not only a sense of macho pride kept us going, but the fact that when the girls reached the summit they were jumping up and down and screaming it was that incredible a view.
When we eventually got to the top it was a superb view, but there was no jumping up and down and screaming, I don't think my legs could have taken it, even if the sun was shining. The other thing that kept us going was the date with a boat back, which if we missed would have meant a 13km walk back to the car. Getting the jetty at exactly the right time, we were disappointed to discover that a) the boat was late, and b) it would have waited for us. Oh well it was a good walk.
After encountering some escapees from the local asylum, well at least that's the only explanation for the fact that they were swimming in the freezing cold water of the sounds, we set off for Picton. Arriving with out getting lost, I said goodbye to Mario and Bob, and made plans to see them again for the Tongariro northern circuit, another 3-4 day hike.
With not to much to do in Picton, the main activity seeming to be to walk the Queen Charlotte Track, I settled for an early night in front of a movie or two.
The next day it was ferry time, and the interisland crossing, after 2 weeks in the picturesque south Island it was time to head to the north island and New Zealands capital city Wellington...
