Overview
Would you like to enjoy a walk on your own but would like to have someone else organise for everything you need? On this 4 Day Upgrade Portage Resort Independent Walk, we arrange your luggage transfers, drop off and pickups in Picton, daily lunch (you buy your own breakfast and dinner as you go along), and a comfortable accommodation to go home to at day’s end after walking the Queen Charlotte Track. We do this by setting you up in superior ensuite rooms with guaranteed sea views – Punga Cove, Furneaux Lodge and Portage Resort – all known for their excellent setting complete with restaurant and fine wines on the menu.
Tour Grading: C
- No hiking experience necessary.
- You need to be reasonably fit and enthusiastic.
- Terrain mostly tracks.
- Light day pack carried, with luggage transported by water taxi.
- Options for non-walkers available
To get to Picton, probably the best way is to take the Interislander Ferry* across from Wellington to Picton. Alternatively you can take the Coastal Pacific Train* up from Christchurch to Picton.
*Contact us to book your ferry and train journey
Details
Difficulty: 3
Start: Picton (8:30am)
Finish: Picton (about 5pm)
Includes:
- 3 nights accommodation
- luggage transfers
- daily picnic lunch
- Picton drop off/pickups
Pricing:
Cost per Person 2024-25
- Adult: NZ$1,150
- Single supplement: NZ$700
- First day guided walk: NZ$295
Pricing is based on twin-sharing studio. If you require triple share, you need upgrade to a 2-bedroom chalet.
Minimum two persons; packages can be arranged for singles.
NZ$250 per person deposit payable on booking, balance due 45 days before travel.
Currency ConverterOverview
Would you like to enjoy a walk on your own but would like to have someone else organise for everything you need? On this 4 Day Upgrade Portage Resort Independent Walk, we arrange your luggage transfers, drop off and pickups in Picton, daily lunch (you buy your own breakfast and dinner as you go along), and a comfortable accommodation to go home to at day’s end after walking the Queen Charlotte Track. We do this by setting you up in superior ensuite rooms with guaranteed sea views – Punga Cove, Furneaux Lodge and Portage Resort – all known for their excellent setting complete with restaurant and fine wines on the menu.
Tour Grading: C
- No hiking experience necessary.
- You need to be reasonably fit and enthusiastic.
- Terrain mostly tracks.
- Light day pack carried, with luggage transported by water taxi.
- Options for non-walkers available
To get to Picton, probably the best way is to take the Interislander Ferry* across from Wellington to Picton. Alternatively you can take the Coastal Pacific Train* up from Christchurch to Picton.
*Contact us to book your ferry and train journey
Itinerary
Open AllDay before departure - A pre-tour briefing is held the day prior to departure. Details will be forwarded with your booking confirmation.
We collect you from your accommodation in Picton to join the water taxi to Ship Cove where your walk begins. This scenic and historic reserve was a favourite anchorage for Captain Cook during his explorations in the 1770s as well as being a site of significance for local Maori. Bush is mainly a mixture of stunning podocarp and beech forest with punga ferns and other New Zealand native foliage. This day is regarded as the premier section of the Queen Charlotte Track. Your walk concludes at the historic Furneaux Lodge.
Today’s coastal walk takes you from Furneaux Lodge to Punga Cove through mostly regenerating native bush to the call of bellbirds, fantails and other New Zealand native birds. From Furneaux Lodge, the track continues through native bush and over a small swing bridge to the head of Endeavour Inlet. Pause there to learn more about antimony & the mining industry that thrived there in the 1880s. Follow the main track onwards and into Big Bay where pristine native beech forest awaits before working your way towards Camp Bay and, five minutes on from there, your accommodation for the evening at Punga Cove.
A challenging but rewarding day on the ridgeline between Punga Cove & Torea Saddle. Truly grand views abound round every corner – a wonderful reward indeed. Stare in awe at the sunken river valleys of the Marlborough Sounds from the iconic Eatwell’s Lookout. At different times you can see both the Queen Charlotte and Kenepuru Sounds as you walk. This is a truly spectacular section of the track. Those who feel like a day’s rest today can opt for a boat ride around the bays’ of the Queen Charlotte Sound. At the end of today's walk, continue down from Torea Saddle to the Portage Hotel. NB. Optional boat trip available to Portage Hotel today for non-walkers (additional cost).
Farewell Portage Hotel and ascend to the ridgeline once again, enjoying stunning views back towards Picton as well as into the turquoise waters of the Kenepuru Sound. Open farmland and a grand native bush section to finish is a fitting finale after four days of walking. Take time for a photo stop at the picturesque Davies Bay – you won’t want the journey to end. Today you return by boat from the Anakiwa Jetty to Picton, arriving back to Wilderness Guides HQ by late afternoon.
Cost per Person 2024-25
- Adult: NZ$1,150
- Single supplement: NZ$700
- First day guided walk: NZ$295
Pricing is based on twin-sharing studio. If you require triple share, you need upgrade to a 2-bedroom chalet.
Minimum two persons; packages can be arranged for singles.
NZ$250 per person deposit payable on booking, balance due 45 days before travel.
Itinerary
Open AllDay before departure - A pre-tour briefing is held the day prior to departure. Details will be forwarded with your booking confirmation.
We collect you from your accommodation in Picton to join the water taxi to Ship Cove where your walk begins. This scenic and historic reserve was a favourite anchorage for Captain Cook during his explorations in the 1770s as well as being a site of significance for local Maori. Bush is mainly a mixture of stunning podocarp and beech forest with punga ferns and other New Zealand native foliage. This day is regarded as the premier section of the Queen Charlotte Track. Your walk concludes at the historic Furneaux Lodge.
Today’s coastal walk takes you from Furneaux Lodge to Punga Cove through mostly regenerating native bush to the call of bellbirds, fantails and other New Zealand native birds. From Furneaux Lodge, the track continues through native bush and over a small swing bridge to the head of Endeavour Inlet. Pause there to learn more about antimony & the mining industry that thrived there in the 1880s. Follow the main track onwards and into Big Bay where pristine native beech forest awaits before working your way towards Camp Bay and, five minutes on from there, your accommodation for the evening at Punga Cove.
A challenging but rewarding day on the ridgeline between Punga Cove & Torea Saddle. Truly grand views abound round every corner – a wonderful reward indeed. Stare in awe at the sunken river valleys of the Marlborough Sounds from the iconic Eatwell’s Lookout. At different times you can see both the Queen Charlotte and Kenepuru Sounds as you walk. This is a truly spectacular section of the track. Those who feel like a day’s rest today can opt for a boat ride around the bays’ of the Queen Charlotte Sound. At the end of today's walk, continue down from Torea Saddle to the Portage Hotel. NB. Optional boat trip available to Portage Hotel today for non-walkers (additional cost).
Farewell Portage Hotel and ascend to the ridgeline once again, enjoying stunning views back towards Picton as well as into the turquoise waters of the Kenepuru Sound. Open farmland and a grand native bush section to finish is a fitting finale after four days of walking. Take time for a photo stop at the picturesque Davies Bay – you won’t want the journey to end. Today you return by boat from the Anakiwa Jetty to Picton, arriving back to Wilderness Guides HQ by late afternoon.
