Queen Charlotte Track - Glamping Day ONE!

Queen Charlotte Track - glamping day one

Water taxi's. Yes, that is the key to making the Queen Charlotte track into a "glamp" verses a "tramp".

We arrive at the dock at 9:30 with three suitcases and a set of backpacks, and cheerily wave goodbye to our suitcases. They will be waiting for us at our accommodation tonight. All we need is our lunch, water and camera. Sweet as!

The Queen Charlotte Track is one of New Zealand's famous hikes, stretching approximately 70 kilometers on the ridge tops and through the native bush of Queen Charlotte and Kenepuru Sounds. Many people mountain bike the trail in two days or hike it in three, but given our mandate of showing the kids just how fun tramping can be, we opted to break it up into five days - four shorter days with one big long day in the middle (with the littlest members of our trip taking the water taxi on the big day if needed).

As we cruise out of Picton and into the sound I have to say I'm feeling just a little nervous as this whole thing could turn to absolute custard if the whining hits critical mass, but so far everyone is in good spirits and are looking forward to the adventure. I issued each kid a goody bag that they get to self manage for the hike. Beef jerky, chips and a whole candy bar for each day of walking... not to mention the giant packed lunch. I figured that our family isn't that different from Napoleon's army, and when he advised that an army marches on it's stomach I am taking his advice.

Day one we plan to hike from Ship Cove to Endeavor Inlet which is approximately 14 kilometers.

heading ashore at Ship Cove

Our water taxi takes us deep into the Marlborough Sounds and about an hour or so out of Picton we finally arrive into the stunningly beautiful Ship Cove.

When Captain James Cook sailed into Ship Cove for the first time on the 15th of January 1770 he must have smiled. The protected sandy cove was the perfect place for him to set up a small settlement, plant gardens and give his men a break from the sea while they overhauled their ship. The settlement didn't last, but it's name remained and now a monument commemorating the good Captain stands at the start of the Queen Charlotte Trek.

And so we are off.

The trail is still muddy from last weeks rain, but our day is sparkling and sunny. And we make good time up the muddy clay track. Juliet insists on walking through the mud instead of around it as she keeps wanting to test out if her boots are truly waterproof. The boys are off, waiting for us at the top of the ridge. The forest is amazing, virgin beech forest rise out of the canyons sheltering us from the heat of the day and giving the native birds a habitat to carry on with their lives. The overwhelming buzzing of cicada's give way to the tinkling song of the bell bird and then back to cicada's.

School House Bay - no filter's needed to take beautiful photos here!!!

After our first big ascent we wound our way down to School House Bay - the perfect picnic spot where the kids swam and skipped stones. We don't have to be anywhere at any time so why rush when the idyll is so lovely?

Looking down on Endeavor Inlet

The second half of the day was steep and my legs were tired, but the kids rocked on. It seems that giving them very specific goals about how many kilometers they were going kept them focused occupied. Every time we saw a kilometer marker we took a picture. As we started at the end of the track the sign posts were counting down our kilometers. It seems a bit daunting when you've just come up a huge hill and then you see a sign that says you have 61 kilometers to go! But then Liam sprints past and it's on to the next hill and view!

Juliet makes friends with a Weka

It was early evening when we made our way into Endeavor Inlet and started seeing some settlements. Little baches and accommodations. We found the gate that led down to ours - Furneaux Lodge, a homestead from the early 1900's converted into a Lodge.

Suddenly the pleasurable aspects of glamping hit me again. Awaiting us is a lovely little bunk house, a long hot shower and a restaurant with fine food and wine.

Going to dinner at Furneux Lodge

That night the kids pretty much fell straight into bed without even the usual bickering over who gets what bed! We sat on our porch looking over the grounds of the old homestead-turned-lodge and listened to the raging winds in the trees above us on the track. With the music of nature in our heads we all slept very, very well, dreaming of blue water, ancient beech trees and bell birds.