Queen Charlotte Track & Furneaux Lodge

We checked in for our hike at 9am and caught a water taxi for a 60 minute boat ride from Picton marina to Ship Cove, where we set off on the first leg of our four-day, 42 mile hike.

Ship Cove is a famous landmark notable for the British explorer Captain James Cook, who visited the cove five times during his exploration of New Zealand to reprovision his ship. It became a favorite destination for the captain and a monument is built in his honor.

The climb up from Ship Cove to Resolution Bay never seemed to end and it was a bit more strenuous than anticipated. However, we were greeted by incredible views of the Marlborough Sounds along the way. We stopped for a picnic lunch at Endeavor Inlet and took in some more panoramic views.

We made a new friend (or rather foe) with a Weka, a New Zealand bird that looks like a chicken and is known for its aggressive nature. He attempted to steal our food and belongings. We wrestled with him a few times and tried to shoo him away but nothing scared him. He was quite content to disturb us. He kept antagonizing us until other hikers finally showed up to distract him.

We took our time hiking the remainder of the section. The ten and a half mile hike took us about five and a half hours to complete.

We arrived at Forneaux Lodge, where to my surprise, it was a gorgeous “hut” hotel with breathtaking vistas of the Sounds.

Tomorrow we have a later start and a shorter walk — only seven miles or about three hours hiking to Punga Cove.

We’ve met many friendly fellow hikers from Anchorage, Yorkshire, San Francisco and some locals from Wellington.

We ended the day with a beautiful golden sunset. We’ll surely sleep well tonight!