Q is for Queen Charlotte Track: tramping day 2, Furneaux Lodge to Punga Cove

A gentle day, weather so good to us too, 12 km following the sweep of Endeavour Inlet.

We started the day slow, made sure our bags were ready for collection at 9am - the best way to walk the 4 days of the QCT is to organise a water taxi to fetch and then drop your bags each day at the next stop.

Marvelous! After enjoying a leisurely breakfast we ambled off, enjoying the ease of the walk and also mindful of the big days of tramping that come next. The green and yellow signboards mark your progress along the way and we would look out for the simple post, counting down the kilometres and today we passed the 51 kilometres to go...

Punga Cove, our second overnighter, was social, we had time for a swim and spa and then down to the Boatshed Bar right on the waters edge, yachties at the bar, a group of guys having their bachelor bash, and we chilled over a barbecue and a memorable huge serving of my first Kiwi Pavlova, which was absolutely delicious.

Day 2 of 4, 27km of 71km.

W is for Weka: cheeky birds along the QCT

Fred prepared sandwiches each day and at our lunch stops we would be entertained and/or harassed by the New Zealand South Island 'chicken', the Weka.
The birds are so used to people along the QCT that they live and breed around the rest stops. We saw some chicks too and the mother called them with a low hissing sound once she had foraged some food.

Q is for Queen Charlotte Track: tramping day 1, Ship Cove to Furneaux Lodge

The Queen Charlotte Track map - Ship Cove to Anakiwa.

The day started with a boat ride from Picton, South Island, along the Sound to Ship Cove, where Captain Cook had landed centuries ago. He made note of the bird calls and I immediately was struck by the loud cicadas and the clarity of the bell notes of the endemic Bellbird.

A beautiful place to start day 1 of our tramping along the Queen Charlotte Track. Months of anticipation and at last we had our feet on the path- a fierce uphill, the walk had started! It is a well formed track but you still need to pay attention to each step as the path winds up and over hills, along steep switchbacks and along stretches of contour, sometimes rocky other times leaf litter, through endemic forests and fern trees, along the water level and all the the time sweeping, majestic views of the Queen Charlotte Sound.

The first 15km was a joy to tramp and we checked into historic Furneaux Lodge, a remote, water only access resort. Drinks and wonderful burgers on the veranda with a special view and day 1 was under the belt.

We start - day 1 of 4, 15km of 71km.