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4 Day 5 Star Queen Charlotte Track Independent Walk

Days
4

Pricing From
$2999

Difficulty

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Overview

Walk the Queen Charlotte Track in New Zealand independently on a 4 Day 5 Star Queen Charlotte Track Independent Walk and enjoy Kiwi luxury at the same time! There’s no need to rough it as you walk alongside coves dense with native bush and across wide open landscapes with only a day pack to carry. At day’s end, come to rest at five-star lodgings. We take care of everything else.

With the Bay of Many Coves Resort as your base, explore a different section of the track each day, going back to your base at day’s end to a well-appointed one-bedroom apartment with stunning views overlooking the bay of the same name.

Accommodation - Bay of Many Coves

Laze around at a guest lounge, enjoy beverage at a casual waterfront café or sit down for fine dining at the Foredeck restaurant serving local delicacies made from fresh seafood and produce paired with carefully selected wines from top vintners and international labels of the Marlborough region. Soothe sore muscles in the Cedar Hot Tub or get pampered at the Day Spa while soaking in the beauty and stillness of your surroundings. Very few places in the world offer a luxurious and luscious combination that teases all the senses, and we invite you to immerse in this experience.

NB:  The day prior to departure, a pre-tour briefing is conducted at the Picton Waterfront office at 5pm.  Kindly let us know if, for whatever reason, you are unable to attend.  The night prior to departure, you will also need to stay in Picton.  

NB:  The day prior to departure, a pre-tour briefing is conducted at the Picton Waterfront office at 5pm.  Kindly let us know if, for whatever reason, you are unable to attend.  The night prior to departure, you will also need to stay in Picton

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.

*The train will have daily departures over summer, 7 days a week, from 1 December 2018 to 28 April 2019 only. For more information and updates about travel around Canterbury and Marlborough regions, please visit this website.

4 Day 5 Star Queen Charlotte Track Independent Walk

4 Day 5 Star Queen Charlotte Track Independent Walk

4 Day 5 Star Queen Charlotte Track Independent Walk

4 Day 5 Star Queen Charlotte Track Independent Walk

4 Day 5 Star Queen Charlotte Track Independent Walk

4 Day 5 Star Queen Charlotte Track Independent Walk

Itinerary

Open All
Day 1Ship Cove to Endeavour InletAbout 14 kms/5 hrs walking

Ship Cove to Endeavour Inlet/water taxi to Bay of Many Coves Resort

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.

At days’ end, transfer by scheduled water taxi to the Bay of Many Coves Resort, your accommodation for the next three nights. Your luggage will be waiting.

Day 2Furneaux Lodge to Punga CoveAbout 11.7 kms/4 hrs walking

Endeavour Inlet/water taxi to Bay of Many Coves Resort

We will collect you by scheduled water taxi this morning and transfer you to Furneaux Lodge where the walk begins. Today’s coastal walk takes you through mostly regenerating native bush to the call of bellbirds, fantails and other New Zealand native birds.

The track begins through native bush and traverses a small swing bridge to the head of Endeavour Inlet. Pause there to learn more about antimony and 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 Punga Cove.

Enjoy a coffee or cold drink at the Punga Cove waterfront bar before collection by water taxi and return to Bay of Many Coves Resort.

Day 3Torea Bay to Camp BayAbout 23.6 kms/8 hrs walking

Torea Bay to Camp Bay/water taxi to Bay of Many Coves Resort

Transfer by private water taxi this morning to Torea Bay and return to the ridgeline to continue your hike along the Queen Charlotte Track. 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 day of relaxation at Bay of Many Coves or enjoy a private guided sea kayak tour from the resort (additional cost). If walking, you conclude your journey at Camp Bay and return by scheduled water taxi to Bay of Many Coves Resort for your final evening there.

Day 4Torea Bay to AnakiwaAbout 20.5 kms/7 hrs walking

Torea Bay to Anakiwa

Farewell Bay of Many Coves Resort for the final time and transfer by private water taxi to Torea Bay. 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 our HQ by late afternoon.

Itinerary

Open All
Day 1Ship Cove to Endeavour InletAbout 14 kms/5 hrs walking

Ship Cove to Endeavour Inlet/water taxi to Bay of Many Coves Resort

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.

At days’ end, transfer by scheduled water taxi to the Bay of Many Coves Resort, your accommodation for the next three nights. Your luggage will be waiting.

Day 2Furneaux Lodge to Punga CoveAbout 11.7 kms/4 hrs walking

Endeavour Inlet/water taxi to Bay of Many Coves Resort

We will collect you by scheduled water taxi this morning and transfer you to Furneaux Lodge where the walk begins. Today’s coastal walk takes you through mostly regenerating native bush to the call of bellbirds, fantails and other New Zealand native birds.

The track begins through native bush and traverses a small swing bridge to the head of Endeavour Inlet. Pause there to learn more about antimony and 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 Punga Cove.

Enjoy a coffee or cold drink at the Punga Cove waterfront bar before collection by water taxi and return to Bay of Many Coves Resort.

Day 3Torea Bay to Camp BayAbout 23.6 kms/8 hrs walking

Torea Bay to Camp Bay/water taxi to Bay of Many Coves Resort

Transfer by private water taxi this morning to Torea Bay and return to the ridgeline to continue your hike along the Queen Charlotte Track. 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 day of relaxation at Bay of Many Coves or enjoy a private guided sea kayak tour from the resort (additional cost). If walking, you conclude your journey at Camp Bay and return by scheduled water taxi to Bay of Many Coves Resort for your final evening there.

Day 4Torea Bay to AnakiwaAbout 20.5 kms/7 hrs walking

Torea Bay to Anakiwa

Farewell Bay of Many Coves Resort for the final time and transfer by private water taxi to Torea Bay. 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 our HQ by late afternoon.

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