An Apple In The Land of Kiwis : Picton & Queen Charlotte Track

"Downtown" Picton

Day 1 - After 2 hours in this town, my reaction was – Barf. Why am I here? Granted this was a snap judgment since I had only been here two hours, was sad I had to leave Abel Tasman with all its wonders, and right about the time I arrived it started to drizzle. I checked into my hostel, where the first people I saw were 2 plump older British men complaining about how long it was taking to boil water for their tea…

Picton Waterfront

In my 3^rd hour here I decided to stop complaining to myself about no wifi, and after walking around the entire Downtown area (all 3 blocks of it) I booked a mani/pedi for Saturday, put in a load of laundry, and read a book before dinner. (Dinner was a delicious fish burger & chips btw.) Oh and I had an entire 4 person room/bathroom to myself! It was awesome and also weird. Ha ha.

Really cool tree bark

Day 2 – A good sleep is a nice way to gain a new perspective. (So is waking up to beautiful sunshine.) At breakfast the British gentlemen were up and being absolutely ridiculous (and I mean this in the nicest way). In their British accents reminiscent of BBC television, they argued about if the weather was nice enough to breakfast outside and exclaiming that scrambled eggs and toast was “England finest breakfast,” all the while calling each other “my darling” “my dear” and “my pretty” (I am pretty sure they are gay.) I felt a bit like I was watching a live British sitcom and a Beatles track might come on at any moment.

Well Anyway, I had my mani/pedi and it was EXACLY what I needed to start my day. Sitting in a massage chair while someone massages and beautifies your feet is a fantastic way to relax and get ready for more walking! J So is a coffee and cookie at the open window of a café… Feeling a little too decedent for being a “backpacker” I went for a walk through the harbor, and along one of the short tracks that run along the coastline. On my way back I booked a water taxi for a hike the following day, and went to bed praying for good weather for a day hike.

A pod of bottle nose dolphins were following the boat!

Day 3 - My last day in Picton was great! The water taxi I booked takes you out to Ships Cove at the very end of the Queen Charlotte Track and picks you up about 15km down the track at Furneaux Lodge. On the boat I met a girl from Switzerland staying in the same hostel, and we ended up spending a very enjoyable day together. The boat ride over was very nice and we even saw a pod of dolphins!!!! This hike was probably one of my favorite so far. The track feels more natural, and like a real hike. The Able Tasman Costal track is much flatter in the area I walked (I heard a lot of it is like that, though I suppose that makes it more enjoyable for the multi-day hikers…) so it doesn’t really feel like my idea of hiking, and Rangatoto feels more like a road than a walking path (probably because a lot of it is). The start of the track from Ships Cove was a bit steep, winding you up to the top of a hill for a fantastic view and then the trail wanders along eventually bringing you to a number of beach homes and different levels of accommodations. (We did manage to take a wrong turn along the way and end up on someone’s private property…oops!) The scenery was fantastic (of course) and there were a number of interesting birds that we encountered along the way. You can do the Queen Charlotte Track as a multi-day hike and camp or stay in lodges along the way, but I think a day hike through the farthest end of the trail was the best choice.