NZ Journal

Good morning students. So now I can explain the main reason for Kerry and I coming to New Zealand: to hike the Queen Charlotte track. I will let Dana provide you with an academic style passage on the history and significance of the track.

“

The Queen Charlotte Track, located in the Marlborough Sounds at the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, is both a scenic walking route and a place of historical and cultural importance. Stretching about 73 kilometers from Ship Cove to Anakiwa, the track follows ridgelines and coastal paths that have been used for centuries.

The Marlborough Sounds themselves are a network of sea-drowned valleys. A “sound” is a type of coastal landform created when rising sea levels flood river valleys, forming long, sheltered inlets. These waterways are typically deep, calm, and surrounded by steep hills. This geography made the area ideal for early travel, settlement, and food gathering.

Long before the track was developed, Māori iwi such as Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Apa, and Ngāti Toa used these routes for movement and trade. The land and sea were closely connected in their way of life, with tracks along ridges linking different bays and communities. One key site along the track is Ship Cove, known in Māori as Meretoto. It later became an important anchorage for the British explorer James Cook, who visited several times in the 1770s. His visits marked one of the earliest sustained encounters between Māori and Europeans in the region.

The modern Queen Charlotte Track was created in the 1990s as part of a conservation and tourism initiative. It passes through both public and private land, requiring cooperation between government agencies, landowners, and iwi. Careful management helps protect native bush, control pests, and maintain the track for walkers and mountain bikers.

Today, the track is significant not only for its natural beauty but also for its layered history. Walkers experience panoramic views while moving through a landscape shaped by both Māori tradition and European exploration. It also supports the local economy through eco-tourism.

In summary, the Queen Charlotte Track is more than a walking route. It is a pathway through history, culture, and a distinctive coastal environment.”

I am writing on the morning of the third day of our hike. In NZ, they call hiking ‘tramping’. Kerry and I have been training for many months to do this walk, and I’m glad we put the work in. The track is steep and at times rocky and slippery. But it is very beautiful. We are walking with a guide and 10 New Zealanders. They call us ‘the Aussies’. We call them ‘Kiwis’. So far we have walked 34km. Today is the big one – 24km with a long climb up to a ridge. We are feeling a little sore in the legs, but pretty good. In the next journal entry I will talk about the forest and the wildlife here. Wish us luck today!