Reaching Wellington, our just-over-half-way mark was a great feeling, but nothing compared to actually arriving on the South Island and actually starting the trail again. We had heard so much about the South Island, about the incredible scenery and the super friendly locals and about the ever present and overly large sandflies! Either way, we were more than excited to find out and experience it for ourselves.
Our first port of call on South Island was the main ferry port and small seaside town of Picton where we only spent a brief amount of time buying food and arranging transport and passes for the first trail and first taste of the South Island, The Queen Charlotte Track, starting at Ship Cove (a historic and favourite spot of Captain Cook's, being visisted 4 times by him in the 1700's) and finishing at Anikiwa. The QCT being a great walk requires great walk passes that cost about $12 each then we had to arrange transport to the beginning of the trail by watertaxi, that whilst being a lot of fun and a great experience travelling through the Marlborough Sounds, it was also quite dear. So be prepared to fork out some cash when arriving!
Altogether the trip from Ship Cove to Havelock took 4 days and included walking the Queen Charlotte Track and the Linkwater Track (a road section from Anikiwa to Havelock), there's no shop in Anikiwa so we carried food for 4 days, the only shop between Anikiwa and Havelock is a small gas station that significantly uped it's prices. Havelock has a 4 Square supermarket and met all of out resupply needs although hitching back to Picton or Nelson wouldn't be hard if needed.
One of the very best aspects of this section of the trail is the abundance of really really really good seafood. Daily on the QCT we picked mussels (4-5inches long!) and cockles to supplement our dinners. You can find them stuck to rocky outcrops or just walk down the beach along the shoreline and you should see them dotted around stuck to rocks on the ground. On the track we boiled them in fresh water but not until we reached Havelock (the Green Lipped Mussel capital of the world) did we find the secret. Steamed mussels take about a 5th of the time and fuel to prepare. Add mussels and only a little water to the pot and leave the lid on, they should take baout 10 mins and are just divine! Another thing to watch out for are the cheeky Wekas (kind of like a bush chicken) they are very inquisitive and love to steal shiny things! Oh and another thing that was striking about the track is the number of people, there are loads of them!
We had read ahead on the Te Araroa information that the section after this, through North Canterbury and the Richmond Range is the most challenging section of the trail. We found that the easy grade walking tracks of the QCT were a perfect way to ease into the hardships that were about to follow.
Day 84 - Wellington (7:00) to School House Bay (18:30)
6:30am. Oh too early. Luckily though we had enough forethought to pack our bags the previous night. Even so it took us 30 minutes to pack up our stuff and get it up to Dan's van. Dan had offered us a lift to the ferry since he worked in the vicinity so we jumped at the opportunity! Groggy eyed we queued for check in and got on the Interislander ferry. Interislander, one of our sponsors, had even managed to arrange us to cross in first class! so we had breakfast on board!!! Needless to say it was an awesome crossing. We did however check out the ship and look at the views of Wellington. Imagine our excitment though when we saw the South Island for the first time. The 3 hour crossing passed in no time and the Interislander staff were more than helpful. After just a short time on the boat there was even an announcement for the first of two films showing in their on board cinemas!!! We didn't watch them but man these ferries are cool, so happy that Interislander could help us out.
With full stomachs we disembarked and b-lined it to the information center. Standing in line we planned what to do. Anders stood waiting to buy ferry tickets and trail passes and Landey and Dm went to find the supermarket. Once there Dm ran back to show Anders the way and Landey did all the shopping in around 5 minutes. Anders and Dm arrived just in time to carry the stuff down to the wharf to catch the beachcomber ferry up to Ship Cove. In fact we even managed it in enough time to chillout and repack the food waiting to board.
The ferry ride itself was actually super awesome although the cost ($58 each) weighed on our minds a little. The ferry doubled as a mail boat taking and recieving mail for the 500 some permanent Marlborough Sound residents, obviously though we didnt stop at 500 jettys. We stopped a couple of times and for the majority of the cruise the driver gave an entertaining commentary. We saw fur seals, muscle and fish farms and just amazing views of the sound from the water. About an hour later we were in Ship Cove walking down the jetty to the Cook monument and the start of the Second Island!
Needless to say we were in high spirits and blazed through to Schoolhouse Bay (only a 2hr walk or so) and instantly went in search of muscles... and FOUND SOME! and ate well. Its good to be on the South Island.
Day 85 - School House Bay (10:15) to Camp Bay (15:30)
TastyTrek were lucky enough to obtain sponsorshp from InterIslander, one of the main ferry companies, who supported us with free ferry tickets, usually costing $70ish. TastyTrek were even more blessed because those free tickets were for 1st class! Travelling anywhere 1st class is always more fun, but after our experience there really is NO other way to cross the Cook Strait. Usually only an additional $45 ontop of the $70 ticket, we travelled in UTTER LUXURY. We were treated to comfy sofas, free internet (when available) and lots and lots of food. First course is a buffet selection of eggs, bacon, beans and hash browns with unlimited toast, cereal, juice and tea and coffee. Next, they bring out platter upon platter of sandwiches, cakes, tarts and sushi! All in the meantime there is a bar that freely gives out a range of wines and beers should you feel you want that early morning buzz. As you can imagine, we spent the whole 3 hours ride just eating and eating and eating (i think Landey actually ate 14 hash browns just to himself!). We could hardly walk when getting off, however, in hindsight we still wished we had taken the opportunity to eat more. For $45 extra we most happily recommend taking the 1st class option.
Our first port of call on South Island was the main ferry port and small seaside town of Picton where we only spent a brief amount of time buying food and arranging transport and passes for the first trail and first taste of the South Island, The Queen Charlotte Track, starting at Ship Cove (a historic and favourite spot of Captain Cook's, being visisted 4 times by him in the 1700's) and finishing at Anikiwa. The QCT being a great walk requires great walk passes that cost about $12 each then we had to arrange transport to the beginning of the trail by watertaxi, that whilst being a lot of fun and a great experience travelling through the Marlborough Sounds, it was also quite dear. So be prepared to fork out some cash when arriving!
Altogether the trip from Ship Cove to Havelock took 4 days and included walking the Queen Charlotte Track and the Linkwater Track (a road section from Anikiwa to Havelock), there's no shop in Anikiwa so we carried food for 4 days, the only shop between Anikiwa and Havelock is a small gas station that significantly uped it's prices. Havelock has a 4 Square supermarket and met all of out resupply needs although hitching back to Picton or Nelson wouldn't be hard if needed.
One of the very best aspects of this section of the trail is the abundance of really really really good seafood. Daily on the QCT we picked mussels (4-5inches long!) and cockles to supplement our dinners. You can find them stuck to rocky outcrops or just walk down the beach along the shoreline and you should see them dotted around stuck to rocks on the ground. On the track we boiled them in fresh water but not until we reached Havelock (the Green Lipped Mussel capital of the world) did we find the secret. Steamed mussels take about a 5th of the time and fuel to prepare. Add mussels and only a little water to the pot and leave the lid on, they should take baout 10 mins and are just divine! Another thing to watch out for are the cheeky Wekas (kind of like a bush chicken) they are very inquisitive and love to steal shiny things! Oh and another thing that was striking about the track is the number of people, there are loads of them!
We had read ahead on the Te Araroa information that the section after this, through North Canterbury and the Richmond Range is the most challenging section of the trail. We found that the easy grade walking tracks of the QCT were a perfect way to ease into the hardships that were about to follow.
Day 84 - Wellington (7:00) to School House Bay (18:30)
6:30am. Oh too early. Luckily though we had enough forethought to pack our bags the previous night. Even so it took us 30 minutes to pack up our stuff and get it up to Dan's van. Dan had offered us a lift to the ferry since he worked in the vicinity so we jumped at the opportunity! Groggy eyed we queued for check in and got on the Interislander ferry. Interislander, one of our sponsors, had even managed to arrange us to cross in first class! so we had breakfast on board!!! Needless to say it was an awesome crossing. We did however check out the ship and look at the views of Wellington. Imagine our excitment though when we saw the South Island for the first time. The 3 hour crossing passed in no time and the Interislander staff were more than helpful. After just a short time on the boat there was even an announcement for the first of two films showing in their on board cinemas!!! We didn't watch them but man these ferries are cool, so happy that Interislander could help us out.
With full stomachs we disembarked and b-lined it to the information center. Standing in line we planned what to do. Anders stood waiting to buy ferry tickets and trail passes and Landey and Dm went to find the supermarket. Once there Dm ran back to show Anders the way and Landey did all the shopping in around 5 minutes. Anders and Dm arrived just in time to carry the stuff down to the wharf to catch the beachcomber ferry up to Ship Cove. In fact we even managed it in enough time to chillout and repack the food waiting to board.
The ferry ride itself was actually super awesome although the cost ($58 each) weighed on our minds a little. The ferry doubled as a mail boat taking and recieving mail for the 500 some permanent Marlborough Sound residents, obviously though we didnt stop at 500 jettys. We stopped a couple of times and for the majority of the cruise the driver gave an entertaining commentary. We saw fur seals, muscle and fish farms and just amazing views of the sound from the water. About an hour later we were in Ship Cove walking down the jetty to the Cook monument and the start of the Second Island!
Needless to say we were in high spirits and blazed through to Schoolhouse Bay (only a 2hr walk or so) and instantly went in search of muscles... and FOUND SOME! and ate well. Its good to be on the South Island.
We have decided that officially this is our first day of walking in the South Island. A beautiful morning, with the sun creeping in over the bush behind us on to the ocean view at our tent step. It's definitely alot chillier in the South than the North, as we had to layer up in our minus 33 clothing. We will just have to re-adjust. By the time we started walking it was about 10:00am as Landey was busy making an amazing start-stop motion clip of our routine in the mornings. (it will be up loaded soon). The walk was at low altitude with the sea always just in view through the bush. The water here is very blue and clear so we were looking forward to a swim later in the day to relax and chill.
On coming up to our first saddle over looking the many bays and headlands of the Marlbourgh Sounds, we stopped for elevensies on a bentch to absorb the awesomeness. (believe me when i say that this view was nothing in comparison to what came later). Anders thought it would be a great idea to film a Weka up close for all at home to see; however when placing a small amount of energy bar infront of the camera, the cheeky little Weka gobbled the bait and then imediately tried to run off with Anders camera! Luckily in Anders panic the Weka dropped the camera and we got some very funny footage for you all to see. (also to be uploaded soon with the JAWS theme music by John Williams.
We met an Austrian guy who was also doing the walk and he was very interested in the bush knowledge we have learnt over the past 85 days. Anders explained everything and we walked with him until the Camp Bay camp site. We planned to move on but the next camp site was at altitude so we couldn't eat any mussels! Therefore it we justified staying for an epic meal. The camp site was not great but once the tents were up it was all good, as two Kiwi sisters came over and gave us spagetti and bacon! Amazing! thank you! FREE DINNER! DELICIOUS TASTE!
Day 86 - Camp Bay (09:00) to Cowshed Bay (16:00)
We seemed to be the last people to leave the camp site, (loads more people arrived later on in the day). It was cool though because we eventually ended up walking past everyone and being the first to arrive in the next camp site! It was interesting seeing how much our fitness has improved. The track had some amazing views along the ridge line where you can see mussel farms. It difficult in some parts but again we were quick to recover and started again just as quickly as we stopped. It was a good walk and we really enjoyd our selves, especially at 'Eatwell Lookout' which had views of 100 km in each direction! The massive mountain to the South were quite daunting as it was the mountains we were going over next.
We got to Cowshed bay very sweaty and needed a swim. The camp site was split by a road, one side by the sea and the other in the bush. We had to camp in the bush side as the ocean view was taken. A nice spot in the sun next to the toilets and water. From above along the ridge the bay looks really nice; however it was infact not that great as it was muddy and smelly. To be honest though the cold water was very refreshing and we managed to pick some large green lipped mussels off the beach that blew some of the other campers minds! DM even picked up a dead mussel that had a fish inside! Using the Titri we had a constant controlled fire going cooking our mussels, cous cous and coffee and manuka tea. We love the Tea Tree!
In the camp site we met a really cool German woman called Johannah, who was travelling around NZ. She was on her own so we told her to come and chill with us. The night was spent chatting and relaxing around the Ti-Tri cooker and Johannah generously gave us some egg, english mustard, bread, and salami to dig into. Johannah was really impressed with what we were doing and thought we were really cool! She especially liked the solar light caps that Landey and DM were using. Before ending the night DM explained how the Maoris used flax and he made her a bracelet out of flax and tape.
Day 87 - Cowshed Bay (09:00) to Davis Bay (2:00)
Today was a nice easy day with a steep climb in the morning that had some beautiful views of the Sounds. The track then descended to the waters edge and kept at this altitude until the camp. We got there early at 1:30pm, just in time for peanut butter and jam on bacon flavoured corn crackers. Unfortunately the camp was swarming with wasps and they tried to eat our delicious salami.
Other than the wasps, which eventually leave when the food is gone, it was a really nice camp next to the sea with a river running through it. The water was so calm we kept forgeting it was the sea as it looked like a lake. In the river there were some big, plump, delicious looking ducks and they were all sleeping .... we could have .... but didn't, as some of the other campers would have frowned upon it.
Met another two German women who were 'free spirits', they were just going, Never having a plan. We chilled with them by the bench all night and swapt a small amount of meths for bisquits. A good deal! Later in the night we saw some possums and really, really wanted to do our part for NZ, but the German girls were quite against the idea. Next time possum!
Day 88 - Davis Bay (10:00) to Bluemoon BBH Havelock (15:30)
The track was an easy strole to the end of the Queen Charlotte track. We met an 'Outward bound guide' who was looking over a 22km run that morning, and he was stoked by what we were doing. Cool guy. As we were coming to the end of the track, we were walking with a girl who was part of outward bound. Being the last person of the race, everyone was cheering her on and clapping, which made us smile as it felt like it was for us.
The rest of the day was walking on road to Havelock, there was a track called the Linkwater Track which was useless as it followed the road anyway. It also went up a massive hill just before Havelock and Landey's knee was hurting him so we decided not to walk it. It was quicker to go on the road anyway, plus we got to see an antique Jaguar race with lots of old people at the wheel!
Johannah wanted to meet us, so we organised to meet her in Havelock and have dinner. As we were walking into the 'Green Lipped Mussel Capital of the World', Johannah pulled up and offered to take our gear to the BBH which was 5 mins walk away. After we agreed and Johannah drove off, we realised that we had just given our lives to a person who we really didn't know! Funnily enough she was thinking the same thing, except she thought we were very trusting.
The BBH was amazing as everyone was really acommodating and as it was the weekend they were having a BBQ for everyone. Pretty much everyone was German there, except for one American guy who said we were the first non-German guys in 3 weeks! It turned out to be a bit of a party as everyone got to know each other and we drank Steinlager. Later in the night we then walked along a small track to see some glow worms. Johannah cooked us some pasta, which went great with the steak and ice-cream!
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