The Queen Charlotte Walk & Nelson

Easter Sunday we were up early and down at the marina by 7.30 for our boat trip out to Ship Cove. It took over an hour to get there from Picton. This spot is one of the furthest out of the sound, and is where Captain Cook spent time repairing and resting on 5 different occasions during his trips to the southern hemisphere. It was easy to see why he chose to spend time there, it is a beautiful sheltered spot, with lovely clear water.
We started the walk here, and quickly wondered what we had got ourselves into to! The first hour was pretty hard, all uphill as we crossed over the ridge to look down on Resolution bay. The downhill trek was just as hard, because of the steepness and rocky paths. The view over Resolution bay was worth it though! From then on the walk was a little easier going, with some level parts and not as much steep walking. The weather started cooling down and by the time we finished the 15km trek it had just started raining lightly.
We made it to Furneaux Lodge in Endeavour Inlet by about 2pm and were very grateful to get a hot coffee and have a rest on the verandah of the lodge. We met a nice young guy from Israel and an American couple on the trek and we all shared stories while waiting for the boat to take us back to Picton. It was really raining by the time we boarded the boat and there was standing room only for the trip back. It was extremely cold when we disembarked and we made a quick dash back to our room for a very welcome warm shower. Poor John suffered on the last leg of the walk, his right knee started playing up and he was lucky to make the full walk. Needless to say we slept well that night!

The next morning we left Picton and headed to Nelson, only about an hour and a half away. It was a little overcast, and a lot cooler (about 12 -14 degrees) but not raining. The scenic trip takes you around Kenepuru Sound and it is very scenic but oh, so windy.

Nelson is a big city, we had a quick look around and then settled into our motel for the afternoon to rest up and pack our stuff for the next 5 days. John is coping with a head cold and welcomed the chance to rest today, and we took our trusty Corolla back to the rental car company. We are staying at the Mecure Monaco apartments, a nice spot not far from the airport. All stations are go for the next 5 day kayak and walking tour in the Abel Tasman National Park. There will be no more updates until after we return from this trip.