Keep up with us on our six month adventure to the other side of the world. We may have very well lost our minds, but that won't keep this from being the trip of a lifetime. We hope you'll join us!
April 24
QUEEN CHARLOTTE SOUND Before heading back north, Seth and I got one last hike in in the South Island down the length of Queen Charlotte Sound. After 3 months of tramping around the mountains of the South Island, it was a welcome change for us to be in the beautiful Marlborough Sound region. Not only did the scenery change, this 71km, 3-day walk was very different for us in that we didn’t have to carry our own packs. Part of the deal with the Queen Charlotte Track is that you need boat transport to get to the start of the track, and for no extra fee the boat will drop your pack off at your next campsite each day allowing you to walk pack free. Amazing. While it kind of felt like cheating at first, we got used to it very quickly. No pack and relatively flat ground made for a nice 3 days with great views of beaches, coastline and surrounding mountains. And to prove to us once again how small this country is, our first night in we happened to bump into a couple from Ohio we had met previously on the Abel Tasman track back in January and then bumped into for a second time in Oamaru in March, where we looked for blue penguins together. It was actually Pete & Libby who first told us about the Queen Charlotte Track, so it was fitting to meet them again there. We shared a beer at a bar near our campsite … yes, there was a bar about 5 minutes from our campsite. In addition to not walking with your pack, another perk of the Queen Charlotte Track is walkers have their pick of accommodations along the way from campsites (where we were) to hostels to hotels to vacation homes. With hostels and hotels come bars and restaurants, and luckily you don’t need to be a paying guest to partake. After the hike we spent one last night in Picton before taking the ferry back to Wellington. We had mixed feelings about leaving the South Island. Mainly, it means our trip is coming closer to an end. However, we are really excited for what lies ahead, and with just 3 weeks left in New Zealand, we still have a lot of ground to cover.

QUEEN CHARLOTTE SOUND

Before heading back north, Seth and I got one last hike in in the South Island down the length of Queen Charlotte Sound. After 3 months of tramping around the mountains of the South Island, it was a welcome change for us to be in the beautiful Marlborough Sound region. Not only did the scenery change, this 71km, 3-day walk was very different for us in that we didn’t have to carry our own packs. Part of the deal with the Queen Charlotte Track is that you need boat transport to get to the start of the track, and for no extra fee the boat will drop your pack off at your next campsite each day allowing you to walk pack free. Amazing. While it kind of felt like cheating at first, we got used to it very quickly.

No pack and relatively flat ground made for a nice 3 days with great views of beaches, coastline and surrounding mountains. And to prove to us once again how small this country is, our first night in we happened to bump into a couple from Ohio we had met previously on the Abel Tasman track back in January and then bumped into for a second time in Oamaru in March, where we looked for blue penguins together. It was actually Pete & Libby who first told us about the Queen Charlotte Track, so it was fitting to meet them again there. We shared a beer at a bar near our campsite … yes, there was a bar about 5 minutes from our campsite. In addition to not walking with your pack, another perk of the Queen Charlotte Track is walkers have their pick of accommodations along the way from campsites (where we were) to hostels to hotels to vacation homes. With hostels and hotels come bars and restaurants, and luckily you don’t need to be a paying guest to partake.

After the hike we spent one last night in Picton before taking the ferry back to Wellington. We had mixed feelings about leaving the South Island. Mainly, it means our trip is coming closer to an end. However, we are really excited for what lies ahead, and with just 3 weeks left in New Zealand, we still have a lot of ground to cover.