Queen Charlotte Track
I mistakenly thought it would be lovely and warm along the hike but even with the sun we had cold days and nights. With the wind chill the 'feels like' was below 5 degrees most mornings and rarely got above 15 degrees by midday.
We used the water taxi each day to transfer our big luggage bags between lodges so we only needed to carry our day packs on the hike. That was nice.
In retrospect the night at Lochmara Lodge was a detour that we didn't need. It was a 4km side trip each way and 200m elevation change. I would recommend staying at Mistletoe Bay on night 4 or just pushing through to the finish. It would make for a long and difficult 4th day.
Day 1 Ships Cove to Furneaux Lodge
We started in Picton and took a ferry to Ships Cove first thing in the morning. Lots of history about Captain Cook at Ships Cove which was interesting. He came back to this spot many times during his world sailing expeditions.
This day was the pick of the weather and we had lovely clear blue skies throughout the day.
Total distance 20km and 550m elevation gain over 2 saddles and into Endeavour Inlet.
Furneaux Lodge was a great place to stay. Not least because they upgraded us to a private villa. Awesome, although the hot tub was too warm for us to stay in for too long.
Day 2 Furneaux Lodge to Punga Cove
A relatively flat day along the shoreline but not as flat as the profile would have us believe.
The wind and clouds built during the day and by afternoon it was raining heavily.
Total distance 16km and 290m elevation gain.
Our luck held and we were safely checked into our room by the time the rain arrived. Very happy with our accommodation as we had the bunk house to ourselves. Our own private residence.
The hot tub had a lovely view but was again too warm for us to stay in too long.
Day 3 Punga Cove to Portage
The rain didn't let up all night and was still miserable in the morning. We decided to catch a ferry to Portage and skip the long hike in the rain and wind. We walked around Portage and stretched our legs to the Cowshed campground and beach.
Total distance 6km.
A bit of a relaxing day at The Portage Resort. And they upgraded our room to a bay view suite.
Day 4 Portage to Lochmara Lodge
The sun returned and we hiked out of Portage through the fog. We hiked / climbed to one of the highest points along the track called Shamrock Ridge at 416m. We had amazing views of Queen Charlotte sound and could see snow on the southern Alps in the distance. From there it was a decent back to sea level for our final night on the track.
Total distance 12km and 450m elevation gain.
Lochmara Lodge is located in Lochmara Bay and is quite close to Picton. We didn't get upgraded but it was a lovely room overlooking the bay and close to the bar and cafe. It felt special to us.
Day 5 Lochmara Lodge to Anakiwa
Our last day and the weather held. A few last hills to climb and then a flat finish at Anakiwa. The water taxi returned us to Picton where it all started 5 days ago. We followed the 150m contour line for a lot of the hike today and had a steep drop-off to our left and a mountain to our right. There are a number of places where landslides have smashed the track down the mountain and you sneak past on a narrower track but it felt safe.
We enjoyed a relaxing lunch at Davies Bay campsite just before the finish. A lovely spot by the water to sit and relax.
Total distance 19km and 520m elevation gain
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