Day 106 | Anakiwa
27 January 2023 | 12°C | 20km
Bye bye Richmonds, hello Queen Charlotte Sound!
We had been talking about this last stretch of the South Island for several days already naming it the “home strait”. No more climbing just walking along beaches and eventually jumping in …. at least that is how we had imagined it.
3 hours after leaving Havelock and walking along the Pelouras sound, we reach the Queen Charlotte Tavern and it starts raining. It’s just a light summer rain and the walk is still enjoyable but no suntan, sunscreen & bikinis ….
At 5pm sitting on the toilet by the Anakiwa wharf I feel that it’s enough walking in the rain for today. After a shower and a Power Nap at the Anakiwa lodge, the rain has stopped and I head down to the wharf were Phil is trying his luck with the fish. The air is crystal clear apart from some mystic clouds in the hills.
A relaxing and peaceful Friday evening atmosphere …
Day 107 | Portage
28 January 2023 | 19°C | 12km
The day starts like the previous one ended: no rain, cloudy skies but with quite a bit of wind. The trail is sheltered by the trees though, so the wind is not a big issue.
We stop at a viewpoint for a snack and observe one of the big ferries from Wellington entring the sind into Picton. One of the these we will take in 3 days to go over to the North Island again. This ferry looks strangely slow when it starts turning towards Picton, is what we think observing it. (We would learn the next day that one of the ferries had a technical problem and was stuck for several hours in the middle of Cook Straight 😱)
Portage, a small town or resort, is our envisaged destination today and around midday there is the option to either walk the trail along a ridge and then take a side trail down or take the road. We opt for the latter primarily as walking a ridge during a windy day is not that enjoyable and the views seem to be blocked by trees anyway.
After being so long in the mountains, the road walk is quite enjoyable, a lot of nice houses are tucked away in the trees of the bay and boots are moored all along the bay. Quite a picturesque scenery.
At 4.30pm we stop at the .. for a beer. It’s about the only accommodation here but when asking at the reception for the price of a room, we feel it’s a bit too much. We have our beer in he lounge with views over the bay when a lady (apparently the manager) approaches us offering a cheaper room that we could look at. After seeing it we don’t think twice and decide to stay. The trail provides?
After dinner we google up the case of two young people that disappeared 25 years ago during a New Year’s party at the Furneaux Lodge … our destination for tomorrow. 😲
Day 108 | Furneaux Lodge
29 January 2023 | 20°C
Does it make sense to climb up to a trail that is covered in clouds and probably muddy after last nights rain? Probably not, so we continue our journey along the road to have at least a view on the bay from there.
Despite the clouds and a slight drizzle in the beginning, it’s a nice walk that has something mystical. Also the wekas - some kind of chickenlike brown bird - seem to like it. A little weka family walks along the road … looks like it’s easier for weka mum to dig worms out of the ground after the rain.
There’s very few cars on this road where several land slides have washed away one of the lanes, not enough traffic to fix it apparently. Do some of the people here reach their homes by boat?
We join the trail again at Punga Cove, a lovely resort with several small caging overlooking one of the many bays of the Queen Charlotte Sound. Once we sit on the terrace of the restaurant for a drink, the sun comes out! Very tempting to stay here but we already booked a room in the morning at Furneaux Lodge, so let’s head over to Endeavor Inlet, the next bay.. It’s an easy, enjoyable walk along the coast just a bit slippery here and there. The trail is so wide and well maintained - like most of the popular Queen Charlotte Track - that two people could walk besides each other.
The dinner at the lodge is yum though a bit expensive but it’s our last evening on the South Island, so it’s time for a little celebration. Unfortunately, our plan to have a glass of wine in the hut tub doesn’t work out: the water there is disappointingly cold. Bummer! No luck with hut tabs these days … the one at St Arnaud was closed for maintenance, the one at Portage belonged to the manager 🥲😅
So we head over to the jetty instead where a little surprise awaits: some of the waves a shimmering just like they are illuminated by some kind of neon lights (an effect created by plankton in the water).
Day 109 | Ship Cove
30 January 2023 | 24°C | 17km
Last day on the South Island! It’s only 3-4 hours to Ship Cove from where we have booked a boat to Picton.
Breakfast: As usual.
Walk: Easy
Lunch: Not hungry. I start thinking about “the end”
Arrival at Ship Cove: Too fast, almost feels a bit unreal.
We get there at 3.10pm. The boat and some “tourists” are already there. Just enough time to take some photos until the boat leaves at 3h30. It actually is the mailboat that delivers mail to the different bays from Picton and on that occasion takes travelers as well. Sweet, we see again where we have walked the previous days!
Day 109 | Picton
30 January 2023
After 3 hours of cruising through the sound we reach Picton where our first destination is - of course - the pub. I quickly run over to the ferry terminal to see when the next ferry is available but unfortunately there is nothing left for today.
I run over to a hostel but reception is closed and it looks full. The next hostel looks a bit weird. I still ring the bell and an older hippie lady with a very short dress appears. Nothing left either but she kindly offers the sofa bed in the TV room for a good price.
We will have a few drinks to celebrate anyway so falling asleep on a hostel couch not be a big problem. 🍻🛋️
