Tramping New Zealand
Queen Charlotte Walkway is a coastal gem

The author hikes through fern and conifer forest, en route from Portage to Anakiwa on the South Island.

By Kari J. Bodnarchuk
Special to The Denver Post

HIP COVE, New Zealand—From my perch on a chair made of tree stumps, I can hear the sweet sounds of the tui bird, a bubbling brook, the light rustle of fern trees, and the distant swoosh of ocean water caressing a nearby shore. The sun’s rays, strong but not scorching, dance around the garden whenever a cloud passes overhead. Best of all, about an hour ago, a boat pulled up and dropped off my backpack, just after I’d finished a hot shower and cup of tea.

This isn’t a typical hiking adventure for me, but typically I’m not on a four-day trek along a coastal route where a local boat driver is willing to deliver my gear from one lodge to the next each day. I am taking advantage of this luxury. It’s giving me the opportunity to really explore the Queen Charlotte Walkway on the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, in a region called the Marlborough Sounds. Now I can do side trips, scramble up steep inclines to lookout points, and really observe my surroundings, under the weight of just a daypack. And at the end of the day, my back can handle this solid oak chair behind my guesthouse, in a yard appropriately called the Garden of Eden.

The Marlborough Sounds region was formed during the ice ages, when rising oceans flooded its steep valleys and created many of the bays and islands you see here today. Running down its spine is the Queen Charlotte Walkway, a well cared for and well groomed trail that’s overseen by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Unlike many popular hiking trails in New Zealand, this one is free to trampers, as they’re called here. It’s steep in some places and muddy when it rains, but it’s doable for anyone in reasonable shape, with decent hiking boots and, during wet weather, good rain gear.

From north to south, the path climbs 400 meters above the water’s edge and then winds along the ridgeline for miles, with stunning views across open farmland and gorse-covered hills, and down into places like the Bay of Many Coves with its brilliant blue waters and dozens of inlets. Then it meanders from one side of the ridge to the other, offering alternating views of the Kenepuru and Queen Charlotte sounds. Finally, the trail leads down into a forest of beech trees and giant Disney-like ferns. Along the way, you can listen to cicadas compete with bellbirds for the airwaves, and spot wild turkeys or wekas—both ground birds—dashing through the bush.

So how long is this stunning and varied trail? That depends on how you look at it. When hiking, biking or driving in New Zealand, keep this curious fact in mind: distance here is typically measured in hours and minutes, not miles or kilometers. Thus, it’s a 40-minute drive between the nearby towns of Picton and Blenheim, not 17 miles or 26 km, and the Queen Charlotte Walkway is roughly 26 hours long, instead of 43 miles or 71 km (even guidebooks and local hiking pamphlets quote distance in increments of time).

It takes about three to five days to hike the walkway end to end, from Ship Cove to Anikawa, or vice versa. Water transport companies, like the Endeavour Express, take hikers to and from Ship Cove, 45 minutes by boat from Picton, daily for about US$12 per person (NZ$30), plus US$2 per mountain bike.

Those who prefer to explore a smaller section of the trail can get dropped off at a handful of easy access points along the way – Furneaux Lodge, Punga Cove and Endeavour Resort, among others. If you decide not to carry your gear while hiking, these companies will also hand-deliver your luggage to your lodge each day for about US$4 per person. That way, your gear—rather than a sore, stiff back—will be waiting for you when you step off the trail each afternoon.

The walkway begins at Ship Cove (called Meretoto in Maori), where Captain James Cook and his crew made five visits between 1770 and 1777, including a 23-day stop to repair one of his ships, the Endeavor. About 40 minutes after climbing up out of the cove—a moderately tough trudge—take the short side trip to Motuara Lookout (watch for a sign on the left), which offers sweeping views of Queen Charlotte Sound and Motuara Island. It was on this island in 1770 that Cook raised the Union Jack and claimed New Zealand’s South Island for Britain (the island is now a bird sanctuary and home to the South Island robin). It’s just a 20-minute detour (and a fairly steep climb) from the main path to Motuara Lookout and worth it for those with strong knees.

Heading south from there, the trail winds through dense forests of black beech trees, nikau palms and native shrubs, as well as creeper vines and trees covered in thick moss—a true rainforest feel. During the summertime—January and February—watch out for the thousands of bees hovering around those beech trees. Wasps are also found here in late summer and early autumn. Endeavour Inlet, about 9 miles or four to five hours along the trail, is a good spot to spend the night.

Between Endeavour Inlet and Camp Bay (day two), the track follows the coastline as it cuts through regenerating forest. It’s just a 7-mile walk, but you’ll want to conserve your energy for the following day’s 12-mile, seven- or eight-hour push up to Portage, along roller-coaster terrain. This section of trail winds along the skyline ridge, offering clear views of the Kenepura and Queen Charlotte sounds, where the islands and headlands resemble starfish. En route, you’ll cross numerous saddles and knolls, and pass alongside farmland, gorse-covered hillsides and private homes before making a final ascent to 430 meters and then dropping down into Portage.

The final 12-mile section of the walkway meanders from Portage to

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Anakiwa along (and mostly down) an easy, graded track—old bridle paths once used by miners and early settlers to this region—and through regenerating native bush and mature beech forest.

For accommodations en route, you have your choice of cozy guesthouses, camping areas, cabins and lodges, along with several small hotels and resorts (the latter two also offer cheap bunks for hikers—around $8 to $20 for a bed). Seven campsites are found along the trail (with "honesty boxes," where you leave your $2 camping fee)—including ones at Mistletoe Bay, Resolution Bay, Umungata Bay, Camp Bay, Tawa Bay and just above the Bay of Many Coves.

One of the lodging highlights along the walkway is The Homestead, a cozy and simple farmhouse, turned- trampers’-guesthouse, offering dormitory-style beds, a living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry room for guest’s use. There’s also a little, three-bed trailer next to the house, which is nice and basic—no electricity, but there’s a candle and flashlight for light.

The lodge, run by Pat and her husband Barry, is located on 120 private acres (mostly dense forest), just a 10-minute walk south of Camp Bay in Endeavour Inlet. It sits right on the water, with its own long, sprawling rocky beach. You can sit here, under the giant oak or eucalyptus trees, and watch the dolphins swim into the bay (they frequently visit), or visit with Ceila, Pat’s tiny mutt who, oddly, makes pig noises.

Alternatively, you can walk up to the Garden of Eden, that idyllic back lawn with furniture made from tree trunks and painted stones. A rocky path leads through the Garden and into the woods. Wander down there after dark or ask Pat to show you the way. At the end of the trail, just across a stream on a wall of rock blanketed in rich soil, you can spot thousands of New Zealand’s famous glowworms. These tiny, wingless insects emit a green, phosphorescent light and when viewed by the thousands, it’s like getting a close-up shot of the Milky Way. You can pay nearly US$8 (NZ$20) at the Waitomo Glowworm Cave (on the North Island) to see them or, as Pat points out, you can see them here in the wild.

Fortunately, for snake- and spider-fearing people like me, these are about the only "wild" creatures in the country. New Zealand doesn’t have any poisonous reptiles, harmful critters or deadly animals that hikers need to contend with along the trails.

Perhaps the only—and definitely the biggest—annoyance here is the sand flea, a tiny gnat-like bug that might make you wish a grizzly would appear and put you out of your skin-scratching misery. To fend off this small insect, which is found mainly during the summer months, make sure you bring plenty of repellent (something with DEET works best).

But remember, if they get to be too much, you can always escape by boat. Those who stick with it until the end—to Anakiwa, where the asphalt begins—can catch a bus back to Picton for US$6 (NZ$15).