Queen Charlotte Track - Day 2

We woke up to weka rustling around in the bushes around our tent. They're real trouble makers. We packed up our tents and walked a small way to a hill-top lookout for breakfast. The view from up there was awesome. And of course, there were more weka to keep us company. A lot of people hike this track, so they are very tame.

The main trail stuck to the ridge of peninsula. But it was hot and we wanted to cool off in the water. So we found a trail that went down to a resort. It had a lot of homemade statues, among which lama were grazing and chicken roamed free. Hammocks were strung in a few key spots. What a great place. We went for a swim even though the water was chilly and even spotted some jellyfish and a giant seastar! We took a shower on the boat dock and refilled our water before hiking back up to the ridge.

Signs along the way shared some of the history of the waterways. Besides being important for ferries connecting the North and South islands, the sound was also an important part of Maori transportation. During times of conflict, European ships needed a long time to navigate the sounds. Maori would portage with their canoes through the saddle (a dip in the ridge) to quickly surprise their enemies.

That evening we stayed in a campsite. The campsites are managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and just consist of flat areas for tents, a long drop toilet and a rainwater tank. We didn't bring a stove (we were eating vegetables raw, soaking oatmeal/rice flakes, and eating canned fish) but we could drink the water after treating it with tablets.

We met two French girls and shared some food and stories.Read more