Queen Charlotte Track

Done.

Just done.

I'm writing these lines from Anakiwa, the destination of the Queen Charlotte Track. The pain and wounds are still fresh.

Admittedly - it wasn't too bad. For me, it was the perfect level of difficulty. I divided the 71km over three days, which makes about 30km per day including detours to lookouts, etc. I can feel it now, especially in my feet. At the end of the day, it wasn't so much my muscles that were rebelling, but rather my feet. I also got a few blisters, but that's natural on long hikes.

What else is there to say?
A lot.

First, it rained in Picton on the first morning. I tried not to interpret it as a bad omen.
Early in the morning, I took the water taxi to the starting point, Ship Cove. The journey took an hour, the return trip three days.

To show up those overly enthusiastic hikers right away, we embarked on a steep uphill climb in the first hour. Apparently, I started at too fast a pace with very cold muscles and ended up straining my calves. So in the first half of the first day, I had pain with every step, whether uphill or downhill. After that stopped, my left foot started tingling in a very alarming way.
But I didn't die, so I'll stop complaining.

Landscape-wise, it was as spectacular as expected (hoped for). Most of the way was through the forest, but when you had a glimpse of the sound - impressive.
I love hiking through New Zealand forests, but after 5 hours, even I get tired of it. So: count steps, sing songs in my head, distract myself somehow.
Still, I have to mention that it was nice to hike through nature. The bird songs, the cicadas, the greenery,...
So for three days, I had a perfect nature detox (without cucumber water).

Apparently, the Marlborough Sounds are a nature reserve, because the Weka, another native flightless New Zealand bird, lives in the area. On the North Island, I was told how rare these birds are and therefore very shy.

Don't make me laugh.

The Wekas were neither rare nor shy - quite the opposite. After the first five minutes, one of them calmly strolled across the hiking trail and just stared at us with its black eyes.
We were still excited then, because: a Weka!
But when these birds started stealing food and flip-flops, the fun stopped. But they really have no fear - they come very close and practically beg for food. And nothing is more annoying than a Weka searching for food when you're trying to set up your tent.

The first campsite (creatively named Camp Bay Campsite) was very nice, close to the water, so you could take a refreshing swim. The campsite was only equipped with a toilet, water tap, and a shelter. But the price was very affordable.
The luggage transport also worked great, big praise for that.

My first night in the tent was okay. It's not super comfortable on my yoga/pilates mat, but I was warm in my sleeping bag, and the tent did its job. As a 2-person tent, I even had more space for myself than in some hostels. Which was good, because after almost 30km, I just zipped up the tent and read.
I took about 6 hours each day, so I reached the campsites in the afternoon. But honestly - the rest of the day, I just lay in the tent and rested. Every trip to the toilet or to get water was carefully considered.

The second day was the most challenging in terms of the route. It went up and down, over and over again. And that over a total of 400 vertical meters. It was only 23 km, but in the end, I had to walk 100 vertical meters down to a coast, pick up my backpack, then climb up again and then walk down to the campsite on the other side, at the same elevation.
And of course, the weather decided to rain again that night. Thanks a lot.

Now it would show how good the $20 tent from the Warehouse was. And I have to say, I'm impressed: only a little water got into the tent, and it easily withstood the very strong wind.

In the morning, it was still raining, which was not fun at all to pack up the tent. Especially since it was quite wet, I have to let it dry somewhere in Picton, preferably tonight.

Because I couldn't estimate the time well, I started today at 7 o'clock. After all, I had to climb all the way back up, then down again on the other side, then back up.
And then - I had to climb another 300 vertical meters. Steeply.

I'll be honest - the first two hours today were tough. I needed music. Since my battery was still charged to 85%, I could treat myself to it.
It didn't necessarily make progress faster or easier, but it was definitely more fun.
My muscles were quite exhausted today, I just wanted to reach the destination. But I still managed to drag myself up to a lookout. At least it wasn't raining so hard anymore, only irregularly.
The last kilometers followed the coastline through forests and were a pleasant end to the hike.
Arriving in Anakiwa, every hiker just threw themselves on the first park bench. Take off your shoes, drink, breathe.

Then you could start congratulating each other and engaging in small talk. Every new hiker was welcomed and invited to the bench.
And then it was just: waiting for the water taxi. A Swede, two French people, and myself then got together and talked about everything under the sun. But mainly, which body parts hurt the most.

Eventually, the taxi arrived and took us back to Picton. I have never been more looking forward to a hostel.
There won't be much happening with me tonight: I'll have to try to set up the tent somewhere so it can dry properly. Maybe I'll repack my backpacks, but once I'm in bed, I won't get up again. Only food, toilet, and a shower (a shower!!!) could motivate me to do that.

A little conclusion at the end: The Queen Charlotte Track is definitely worth hiking! The scenic views are somehow always the same (the fjord landscape), but always beautiful. That's why there are so many pictures this time, I couldn't decide. But please don't expect me to name every single bay...