Picton and the QCT

As already announced, I have now left Blenheim (finally) and am in Picton. Picton is a small town in the Marlborough Sounds, which is particularly known for the ferries from Wellington which dock there and from where you can explore the Marlborough Sounds. In general, it is more scenic than Blenheim, but there is less to do. At least that's what everyone said when I told them my plans. I turned out to be completely resistant to advice and left Blenheim on the 9th and hitchhiked, thanks to an older Kiwi whose English was so heavily accented that I couldn't understand a word (Sorry), towards the coastal town. There I first checked two hostels, but they were fully booked (great start). But finally I ended up at Atlantis Backpackers, which I immediately liked because of its family atmosphere (and its many cats). And it was also affordable, for $20 per night in a 27-person dorm. It sounds worse than it is, the beds have curtains and the bed rows are separated by partitions. The kitchen is well equipped and the woofers are all friendly. So I settled in, went shopping and enjoyed the view of Queen Charlotte Sound. Good feeling to be on the road again.

Although there were a few job opportunities in conversations, I wanted to do the Queen Charlotte Track (QCT) first, which runs almost the entire length of the same-named sound, starting at Ship Cove, where Captain Cook often anchored, and ending in the village of Anakiwa. I planned to leave half of my belongings at the hostel, which went without any problems, and only had to get the track pass, because part of the trail goes through private property, ($18) and a boat ticket to Ship Cove ($67) (ouch, I didn't actually want to buy the sound). Equipped with fresh clothes, drinks, food, camping stove, etc., I started on Friday the 12th. At 9 am the ship took me to the end of the sound. After some tips and warnings from the skipper, I set off at half past ten, which also marked the start or end of the Te Araroa trail on the South Island. Since you can also have your luggage sent between the individual intermediate stations, there were only a few people with large backpacks and of course none of them were alone, except for me. At the beginning, my luggage was already hindering me, because the start of the QCT goes over a very nice hill and it's damn steep. Of course, it also started pouring rain (the weather forecast mentioned occasional showers in the afternoon. Apart from the fact that it was an hasty downpour that lasted a long time, it was also as light as my backpack was comfortable.) The trail, which went up the mountain without any switchbacks, was a well-trodden clay path, the top layer of which became as slippery as a frozen lake during thawing in the rain. So I struggled up the mountain, focusing on not sliding back down, enjoyed the wonderful view at the top into a sea of fog (visibility 3m at a viewpoint, in front of me there could have been all seven wonders of the world, a fire-spewing dragon and the entrance to Hell, apart from the fact that the dragon would probably have been too wet, I wouldn't have seen anything). But I did see my first Waka, a kiwi-like bird, but smaller and more common than its relative, but above all it's much smarter. As every Waka knows , humans always carry something edible with them that can be stolen from them, and if there's nothing edible, then something else. In my case, the bird wanted to take my hiking poles, but I was able to prevent it, which was good because of the following equally steep and slippery descent I would probably have just slid down the slope without the poles. At the bottom there was also the first campsite, but I wanted to go further that day, and besides, the rain had stopped. On my further descent, which was no longer steep, I met a group of older New Zealanders, including the daughter of one of the older couples. They showed me a stick insect, chatted a bit with me and wished me good luck, then I continued on my way. Of course, they overtook me shortly afterwards, but soon after that we (first them, then me) came to a meadow that offered an impressive view over the sound. In the light of an orange full moon, I quickly cooked dinner and rolled up in the tent (this time without mosquitoes).

The next morning I set off early again, this time with more luggage, because at my next campsite there was no drinking water left and there were also no streams to refill from. Encouraged by a coffee (my camping stove is great), I set off again along the other side of the inlet, back towards the sound. The weather went overboard with trying to make up for it and the sun grilled me. In addition, it constantly went up and down. At least on the way I met the New Zealanders again, this time they showed me a cicada (it looked like a colorful giant grasshopper) and congratulated me on my perseverance (hmm stubbornness hmm). I reached the Camp Bay Campsite much too late, which wasn't my destination for the day, and started the ascent up the mountain towards Bay of Many Coves, which was my actual destination. At Kenepuru Saddle right above Camp Bay, I met a British couple who had just found out that there would be no water for at least 18 kilometers. Finally, the man decided to quickly run down to Camp Bay and take as much water as possible. He was so kind as to take one of my bottles with him, and while his girlfriend waited for him, I set off to find a suitable place to set up my tent, because I wouldn't make it to Bay of Many Coves anyway. They passed me again shortly afterwards, but soon we (first they, then me) came to a meadow that offered an impressive view over the sound. In the light of an orange full moon, I quickly cooked dinner and rolled up in the tent (this time without mosquitoes).

The next morning came the driest and hilliest section to Cowshed Bay and apart from beautiful views and constant ups and downs, I don't remember much. I reached Blackrock Station at eight o'clock in the evening, filled up my bottles and set off again to cover the last five kilometers in the dark. Surrounded by fireflies, I stumbled down the mountain into Cowshed Bay Campsite, enjoyed my dinner and went to sleep. Or at least I wanted to go to sleep, but a strong wind ripped the pegs of my outer tent out of the ground and forced me to stake them back in, and so it continued all night long.

Clearly sleep-deprived, I set off again the next morning and after a few (too many) hours overcame the worst climb (from 0 to 480m). I hardly met any people and finally arrived much too late at Te Mahia Saddle, where I ran out of water, which I then refilled at a stream shortly afterwards. I experienced a dreamlike sunset, but for that I had to trudge on in the dark again. At least it was flat. I arrived at Davies Bay far too late and went to sleep immediately.

The next morning, after a cat wash (there were no showers along the entire trail), I quickly walked to Anakiwa (only 3km left) and completed the QCT. There I took a break, watched seniors doing yoga (involuntarily, because it was taking place right next to my resting bench) and tried to book a boat ride back to Picton. After the phone call, which consisted mainly of "Hello? Is there someone? Can you hear me? KRRK," and was accordingly fruitless, I went back to the road and tried my luck hitchhiking. A group of friendly construction workers promised to give me a ride towards Picton after work, if I was still here. However, that was not necessary at all because a boat fan, who taught me everything about ships and the sound during the ride, took me to the entrance of the hostel. I checked in again, took a day off and then started looking for a job. Two days in a row without success. Even though the people in the hostel are super friendly, I will travel on again on Monday. On Saturday, tomorrow, there is a festival in Picton, so I will participate in that and then see. In any case, I will never let myself be held back for as long as in Blenheim again. The QCT was just the right thing to remind me of what I'm doing here. My next destination is Pelorus Bridge and then Nelson. So, until next time. Pictures will follow as soon as they are on my PC.