Day 3 - Punga Cove to Portage

Signs to say where you are

This day is reputed to be the most strenuous of the days.  The distance is the longest of the four days.  Unfortunately there was to be no easing into the walk, there was climb out from Punga Cove along the road to the Kenepuru Saddle.  The day was cool and misty when we started out which was about an hour after T had left as she was considerably slower than B and I. 

The head of Kenepuru Sound

As we turned on to the track proper the mist turned to drizzle and then it was  light rain at which point I decided that I would put on a parka.  Of course two minutes after doing that it stopped, requiring yet another pause so that I could take it off.  The walk for the next hour or so was a gentle climb up a ridge until we reached a spot above Deep Bay in Endeavour Inlet where there was a table and toilet.  It was nice spot to stop for a moment. Bev caused a moments hilarity when she burst into the toilet where there was a man sitting there minding his own business.  

It was here that came across the first of a series of very cute hand painted signs that provided useful and not so useful information about aspects of the trac.  The ones at this stop described what was below us (Deep Bay) and the direction to various cities around the world. 

Walking through secondary growth

The next part of the walk was the most challenging with it being very steep and which  seemed to go on forever.  At times there were a few metres of respite and then we would go around a corner to find that we were climbing again.  However, there were thosesigns saying, for instance, that we were entering Pam’s Land and then another notice saying we were leaving it.  The worst of the climb peaked out at Eatwell’s lookout which we would have visited but due to mist obscuring the view we decided there was not going to be much to see which was confirmed later by some other trampers. 

Our next stop was the Bay of Many Coves Shelter where I changed my shirt as I was a bit chilly.  We had a snack and some water while chatting to some fellow trampers.  From there on it got a little easier.  We stopped for lunch at Manuka Lane about an hour after leaving the Shelter, where there was a seat providing a view over  the upper reaches of Kenepuru Sound. 

Lunch with the Weka

The track undulated from there on, traversing through land that has virgin forest on it as well as land that is in the process of regenerating after having been logged and burnt for farmland.  In several places there was mature native beech forest that now has other predators, namely the wasps that feed on the honey dew an important food source for our native birds. 

We caught T a kilometre or so away from Black Rock Shelter.  By that time the mist had cleared and there were lovely views of both Kenepuru and Queen Charlotte Sounds.  Black Rock was a convenient rest spot before the last leg to Portage.  

Trampers resting at Black Rock Shelter

The climbs from thereon were relatively gentle. We passed through Rimu Grove where there were huge mature rimus to be seen.  Clearly it had been too difficult to harvest them in the previous 150 years and no doubt they are nursery for seeds that will, over the next millennium, spread out over the regenerating forest. Further along we came to a cliff where there was the rock was multicoloured.  It must have been quite a task for the settlers to cut through that rock. Later it was another beech forest where there was a mixture of beautiful bird song and the hum of thousands of wasps stealing the honeydew.  

Allports Island  near Picton

An hour later we were at Torea Saddle and after a short walk down the road we were at the Portage Hotel. The last hour of the walk was in some ways the hardest.  My legs were tired and I had to concentrate to ensue that I did not roll an ankle on the uneven and rocky surface.  However, there was a wonderful sense of achievement when we arrived and had a moment to sit down and admire the view from our unit.  I was especially pleased with my performance as I felt like I had lots of energy but also that I just enjoyed being amongst nature with the sounds of bird and the occassional intrusion of civilisation. 

Coloured rocky cliff

That evening we chose the bar menu of fish and chips which was the right meal after an energy sapping eight hour walk. 

Day 2 - Furneaux Lodge to Camp Bay

This leg of the walk is the easiest and relatively short.  As we had plenty of time we went for a walk to a waterfall behind Furneaux Lodge.  It was an interesting walk through mature forest although the waterfall had absolutely no water going over it.  In the forest there were mature Rimu trees some of which were in the loose embrace of the vine Rata.  It is an interesting plant as it exists as either a tree or a vine.  Sometimes it smothers the tree to become a tree.  The flowers are a little like those of the pohutukawa.  Where the forest had lost its big trees there were young rimu reaching for the sky.  It was very nice as there are few places outside of Fiordland and the West Coast where there are these beautiful pockets of what NZ must have looked like before Europeans arrived cutting and burning the bush to create farms. 

Mandatory coffee before beginning

The walk to the waterfall was over a barely formed track so we had to be careful not to twist an ankle making it quite challenging for that reason. 

After our return we re-joined the Queen Charlotte Track which is like a motorway in comparison. 

We stopped for lunch at the head of Endeavour Inlet by a jetty.  A couple of men were bringing spoil and rocks to repair some erosion near it.  One of the men told us that the bach had been in the family for three generations and that it was able to used by all members of the family. 

A family heirloom?

Apparently a trust was set up in way that they could only sell their share for the original price, so effectively there was no capital gain in selling out . I guess this would mean that the property in theory would stay in the family in perpetuity.

It was an easy walk along the western side of Endeavour Inlet.  We encountered sheep, a lost pig dog with his GPS tracker, the owner of the dog with his other dogs, and a man with a rifle and suppressor in camouflage gear.

First sight of Punga Cove

Punga Cove was delightful from the receptionist with customer service skills to the very nice room with a wonderful view out on to the cove.  After showering we enjoyed a nice bottle of sauvignon blanc while viewing our day’s photos. 

Dinner was quite late for people like us who had an appetite from a day's walking. While the dinner was somewhat expensive my venison was superb. The others found the food to be interesting and well cooked.  For Bev and Trish the dessert was the highlight. 

After a windy and drizzly afternoon we were treated to a calm and clear night with the moon creating a beautiful reflection on the calm sea.  It was also very mild.  Being Saturday night and Easter there was entertainment down by the water in the Boatshed Café.  The guitarist/singer was very good and had people up and dancing dancing including the three of us. Conscious that we had a strenuous hike the next day and the music stopping we headed off to bed. 

Our unit at Punga Cove

Day 1 - Ship Cove to Furneaux Lodge

The days are drawing in with the sun not getting up until well after 7:30am.   We stayed overnight at my mother’s in Picton so that we could have a leisurely start to our first day.   We are doing what is known as glamping (glamour tramping) where you stay in decent accommodation and ones bags are transported to each place you stay. 

It was decided by unanimous vote that the best way to start the trip was to get a nice coffee in Picton and sit in the sun admiring  the view of the Sounds from Le Café which looks down Picton Harbour to the Queen Charlotte Sound or Totaranui to the Maori. 

It was a perfect morning, the sun warming us as we had our one and only coffee for the day.  For me not a problem but the others tend to have more than one. 

We collected our information and lunches from the organiser of accommodation and transport.  Then we were on a fast catamaran down to the head of the sound.  The weather was perfect with hardly a breeze to disturb the surface of the sea.  The sky was blue and the sun shining, yet the air was still cool.  On the way we saw a pod of bottle-nose dolphins playing around some boats.  It was beautiful. 

Arriving at Ship Cove

At Ship Cove we spent a good half an hour looking around and taking photos in front the memorial to Captain James Cook who used the sheltered bay as a base for his visits to New Zealand.   He found a plentiful supply of fresh water, timber and fish with which to feed and replenish his ships for their ongoing voyages.  There was also a grass called scurvy grass which he used to prevent scurvy on long sea voyages.

The walk out of Ship Cove is quite steep and it takes about an hour to get to the top where there is a lookout to view the outer part of Queen Charlotte Sound.  The walk through this part is in the original flora which had been there since Cook’s time. While we were recovering  a woman arrived pushing her bike, which we thought was very sensible given the steepness of the terrain.  We discovered that she was from Guelph in Canada although she said her home was her bike.  She works planting trees during the Canadian summer to raise funds and then goes travelling with her bike.   

Lunch place

Our lunch was in a very nice little bay called School House Bay in Resolution Bay.  Lunch was rather nice with sandwiches,  a piece of cake, fruit and water.   

Looking toward Arapawa Island

The track then took us past Resolution Bay cottages and through what had to be private land given the number of gates I had to open and close.  Our next major stop was Tawa Saddle.  This involved a gradual climb to the saddle.  Throughout the climb there were wonderful views down over the Sounds, with brilliant weather making the blues of the water very intense.  

Endeavour Inlet from the track

We paused for a few minutes at Tawa Saddle to have some water before we slowly descended into Endeavour Inlet.  It took us about two hours to walk from that point to Furneaux Lodge.  It was a very pretty walk and it was nice and warm.  What we did notice was the number of wasps around.  There were lots of poisons to target them as well.  They feed on the honey dew produced by a scale insect that feeds on the phloem from the beech tree and because the sap has more sugar than it needs it is secreted as honey dew.  The honey dew also provides food for fungi that covers the beech tree. 

It was after 5pm when we arrived at Furneaux to a very welcome shower, although the same could not be said of the receptionist who was clearly in the wrong job. We celebrated our first day with a glass of wine before having a nice meal at the Lodge.  I spent a bit of time watching a Super15 rugby match while waiting for each course to come much to the disquiet of the women. 

Furneaux Lodge

The Queen Charlotte Track

The Kiwi/Aussie and I had planned to do the Routeburn and do it with B’s sister during Easter.  However, T (the sister) managed to break her foot some months ago and it was clear that while the Routeburn is shorter it is a more difficult hike on a slightly dodgy foot.  Instead, we settled on the Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough Sounds as B had not done it and T had missed one section, due to it being closed after a dispute with the landowners over which part of the track traversed.  It was at least ten years since I did it so I thought it would be good to do it again and refresh my memory.  The other advantage of the track is that you can get a boat to deliver a bag to each stop which means only having to carry food for the day, water, some wet weather gear and warm clothing.