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Queen Charlotte Track Self-Guided Walk

5 days / 4 nights

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Four days from Ship Cove to Anakiwa with a lodge and a restaurant at the end of every stage, your bag moved by boat and a water taxi back to Picton.

Starting Point

Picton

Finish Point

Picton

Fitness Level

3/5

Technical Level

2/5

Season

From October to April

Accommodation Level

Comfort

Tour Type

Inn-to-Inn

Daily Distance

8 – 15 mi

Daily Elevation

623 – 2493 ft

Highlights

  • Step off the water taxi at Ship Cove, where Captain Cook anchored five times
  • Walk the whole 73-kilometre track in four days, lodge to lodge
  • Sleep at Furneaux Lodge, a 1908 homestead at the head of Endeavour Inlet
  • Follow the ridge between Queen Charlotte and Kenepuru sounds, water on both sides
  • Climb to Eatwell's Lookout for the view over the Bay of Many Coves
  • Send your bag ahead by boat and carry a day pack the whole way
PricePrice on request
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What’s included in the price?

Accommodation levelComfort

Carefully selected hotels and lodges, all with private en-suite rooms. Expect comfortable, well-appointed rooms in scenic waterside locations — every lodge on the track has its own restaurant and bar, where breakfast and dinner are paid on the spot.

These are examples of the type and standard you can expect. Actual properties may vary depending on availability.

What to bring to the tour

  • Hiking shoes/boots
  • 25 to 45-liter backpack
  • Base layer
  • Sports T-shirts
  • Hiking shorts
  • Hiking water-repellent pants
  • Waterproof jacket
  • Midlayer
  • Sports socks and underwear
  • Leisurewear for evenings
  • Down jacket
  • Gloves
  • Shade hat/cap
  • Warm headwear
  • Sunscreen
  • Sunglasses
  • Headlamp
  • Hiking poles
  • ID card or passport
  • Snacks
  • Cash
  • Water bottles or hydration pack
  • Sleeping liner
  • Toiletries
  • Toilet paper
  • Small first aid kit

The Queen Charlotte Track is the walk New Zealanders recommend when you ask for one that is long, beautiful and comfortable at the same time. It runs 73 kilometres along the Marlborough Sounds, from Ship Cove at the outer edge to Anakiwa near Picton, and because every stage ends at a jetty, a lodge sits at the end of each day.

You start by boat. The water taxi from Picton takes about an hour and a half down the sound and puts you ashore where Captain Cook refitted the Endeavour, and from there the whole track is in front of you: bush and bays for two days, then two days on the ridge.

The lodges are part of the walk, not just beds. Furneaux Lodge is a homestead from 1908 with a bar on the lawn; Punga Cove has chalets up the hill and a pool; the Portage looks out over Kenepuru Sound. Each has a restaurant and a packed-lunch counter, so you carry a day pack and nothing else. The boat company moves your bag from jetty to jetty while you walk.

Day 4 is the one to respect: 24 kilometres on the ridge with no boat stop in between, and the finest views of the trip from Eatwell's Lookout. The other days are shorter and gentler, and day 3 is over by lunchtime.

Distances and climbs on this page are approximate: they are measured on our own route lines and rounded, and the official track figures differ by a kilometre here and there.

The track is shared with mountain bikes and well made for it: wide, benched and signposted at every junction. You will not need your hands anywhere; what you need is the fitness for two long days back to back.

We book the lodges and the boats, put the land pass in your hands, and give you the route on your phone in our guidebook. You walk on your own, at your own pace, and the water taxi is waiting at Anakiwa to take you home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Two of the four days are long: 24 km on day 4 and 21.5 km on day 5, each with about 750 m of climb spread over the day. The path is wide and well made with no exposed parts. If you are happy walking seven hours two days in a row with a day pack, you will be fine. Fitness 3 of 5, technical 2 of 5.

No. The boat company moves one bag per person from lodge to lodge every day. You walk with a day pack.

No, and on this track that works well. Every lodge has a restaurant and a bar for dinner and breakfast, and sells packed lunches for the day. You pay on the spot. There are no shops on the track itself, so bring cash or a card.

From late October to the end of April. December to March is best. The two inlet lodges close for winter, and February sells out months ahead, so the earlier you book the better.

The ferry from Wellington takes about three and a half hours; Sounds Air flies it in 25 minutes. Blenheim airport is half an hour away by road. The journey to Picton is not included, but we can help you plan it.

Days 2, 3 and 5 can be shortened with a water taxi from the lodge jetties. Day 4 cannot: there is no boat stop between Punga Cove and Torea Bay. If you would rather not walk it, we can end the tour at Torea Bay after day 3 and send you back to Picton by boat.

Yes, all of it. Riders are asked to take the early boat in summer so they are ahead of walkers, and the track is wide enough for both. You will meet a few, mostly on the ridge.

Yes. Solo walkers pay a single supplement for the room, and the lodges ask you to sign a short waiver. The track is busy enough in season that you are rarely out of sight of someone.

HASSLE-FREE

We handle itineraries, accommodations, and anything else you prefer not to deal with, so you can enjoy a carefree hike.

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE

We are a financially protected company, fully bonded and insured, keeping your money safe and allowing you to travel with confidence.

TRIED & TESTED ADVENTURES

We picked each walk only after checking it stage by stage, from the boat timetables to the lodge at each stop.

SUPPORT ON THE TRACK

Our support number is in the guidebook we give you, for a missed boat or a change of plan. In an emergency, dial 111, free from any phone.

Price on request