Queen Charlotte Track

The Marlborough Sounds lie along the ragged northeastern edge of the South Island, where finger-like spits of green hills alternate with deep blue channels. Our 75 kilometer walk began at Ship's Cove (above), Captain James Cook's harbour of choice when navigating the strait that now bears his name. In an earlier post, I alluded to Cook's description of birdsong bursting from the shores; it is quite possible that this observation was made at this very point nearly 250 years ago. 

The journey from Cook's point to the (very) small town of Anakiwa takes four days on foot. While the journey is physically rigorous, it is by no means "roughing it", as each day's tramping is rewarded with comfortable accommodation and fine dining at a series of small lodges wedged between the bush and rocky beaches.

The views from 500 metres up are worth the effort, as if we needed another reminder of the exquisite beauty that can be wrought from a simple palette of green, blue and white. One feature we had not seen on the North Island were the beech forests, which grow tall and quiet on poor hillside soils, littering the forest floor with dappled light and a carpet of small oval leaves sporting autumnal hues. Mosses grow thickly in the shade, muffling sound and lending a faerie quality to the canopy. Here also are old Rimu, massive and hard as stone, and Rewarewa with whimsical brushes of red flowers.