Queen Charlotte Track Cruise and Self-Guided Hike from Picton

Picton and Queen Charlotte Sound

Picton is the small harbour town at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound, best known as the arrival point of the ferries that cross the strait from Wellington. Your day starts at the cruise office on the Picton waterfront, where you check in 30 minutes before the 09:00 departure, then board for the cruise north along the sound.

Queen Charlotte Sound, Tōtaranui in Māori, is one of the drowned river valleys that make up the Marlborough Sounds: long arms of calm, deep water between steep hills covered in forest. During the hour-long Queen Charlotte Sound cruise, the skipper tells the story of the area and its settlers, and everyone watches for marine wildlife; dolphins, fur seals and seabirds are often seen in these waters.

Ship Cove: Where the Track Begins

Ship Cove, Meretoto, is a sheltered bay at the outer end of the sound and the northern start of the Queen Charlotte Track. In the 1770s the British naval expeditions that charted New Zealand anchored here again and again, drawn by fresh water, timber and a safe harbour, and a monument on the shore recalls these early meetings between Māori and Europeans.

Today Ship Cove is a peaceful historic reserve with a pebble beach, a wooden jetty, a small waterfall walk and dense native forest full of birdsong. In the default option you spend about 30 minutes ashore before reboarding; in the 17 km option you start walking here directly. Either way, a Ship Cove cruise from Picton is the classic way to begin the track.

The Queen Charlotte Track

The Queen Charlotte Track runs for about 70 kilometres from Ship Cove to Anakiwa, following ridges and coastline between Queen Charlotte Sound and Kenepuru Sound. It is one of the most loved coastal walks in New Zealand, with well-formed paths, gentle gradients and water views almost all the way. On this day trip you walk one of its finest sections, self-guided, at your own pace.

The track passes through regenerating native bush beneath a high canopy, with tree ferns, mosses and the calls of native birds such as tūī and bellbirds. Walking times vary between 3 and 5 hours depending on your fitness, and the boat transport takes care of the logistics, so you only carry a day pack with water, snacks and a rain jacket. It is the easiest way to do a Queen Charlotte Track day walk.

Endeavour Inlet to Punga Cove (12.7 km)

In the default option the boat drops you in Endeavour Inlet, a long, sheltered arm of the sound named after one of the 18th-century expedition ships. A historic lodge near the start is a good place for a coffee before you set off. The 12.7 km path then follows the shoreline around the inlet, crossing streams and small beaches through regenerating native forest.

The walk ends at Punga Cove, a quiet bay with a jetty and a small resort where you can relax by the water before the return cruise to Picton. This section is mostly level and is the more relaxed of the two options, ideal for walkers who want to enjoy the scenery and the time ashore at Ship Cove without too many hills.

Ship Cove over Tawa Saddle (17 km)

The second option is longer and hillier. From Ship Cove the track climbs away from the beach through native forest regenerating beneath a high canopy, reaching Tawa Saddle, where the views open over Queen Charlotte Sound and the outer islands. This climb is the hardest part of the day and the most rewarding for photographs.

From the saddle the track drops into Resolution Bay and then follows an old bridle path around the coast into Endeavour Inlet, where you rest before the boat back to Picton. Allow 4 to 5 hours of walking. The best time to hike the Queen Charlotte Track is from spring to autumn, when days are long, but the cruise runs year-round.