Queen Charlotte Sound

 

The dismal weather cleared for two gloriously sunny days walking (or tramping as the kiwis say) around the beautiful Marlborough Sounds. A sound is an area of coastline that has very intricate bays, headlands and hills and is formed when the sea floods into deep valleys after an ice age.

On the first day we followed a short track near the small town of Picton out to Snout Head. The views across the water were incredible. The ferry from the North Island arrives here and it must be a wonderful first glimpse of the South Island.



Having enjoyed a taste of the sounds, we decided to do a much more earnest trek around the Queen Charlotte Sound. The Queen Charlotte Track is a full 71km long but we weren't feeling quite energetic enough for that just yet, so we got a water taxi part of the way.



We arrived at the breathtaking Ship Cove, where Captain James Cook spent the majority of his time in New Zealand in the mid 18th Century. It's easy to see why he chose this spot, with its lovely beach, fresh water trickling down the hillside and plenty of shady tree ferns. This is a monument to his discoveries in New Zealand. Sadly, one of his "achievements" was to introduce sheep, which very quickly led to wide-spread deforestation for farming in the area.



These wekas are very friendly and always on the lookout for picnic crumbs! New Zealand had a wide variety of flightless birds, like this one, but most are now extinct or endangered due to the import of foreign predators. Fortunately, the weka still thrives - apparently because of its rather sharp beak!

Although the trek was quite long and steep at times, the views were amazing and made walking really enjoyable... even when having to jump the odd stream!




Here I am enjoying the evening sunshine on the water taxi back to Picton after a very rewarding day out.

Rachel x