A fine day tramping

28th March 2011

Tramping is the kiwi word for hiking. Oh, and kiwi is the New Zealander word for New Zealanders. You probably knew that.

Anyway, our day started with a boat trip out to Ship Cove, the place where Captain Cook first moored on his arrival in New Zealand and one end of the Queen Charlotte Track. On the way we stopped at Motuara island, a predator-free island in the Queen Charlotte Sound. The forest was absolutely full of birdsong, and the robins and saddlebacks and fantails were totally fearless of humans. They’d flutter around your head and peck at your footwear in search of insects. After an hour of smiling at birds we were taken to Ship Cove for the start of a two-day trek.

And it has actually been a very fine day for tramping. Wall-to-wall sunshine and temperature about 20 degrees, pretty much perfect for walking. Hats off to NZ for producing balmy weather on the days we really need it. I’d rather mooch around Dunedin in drizzle than walk 15kms of the Queen Charlotte Track soaked through.

We did 15kms today and have 25kms to look forward to tomorrow. Other people just do a one day hike, or take 4 to 5 days to tramp the whole lot. We’re going to be picked up tomorrow afternoon having done two-thirds in two days. It’s a beautiful trail, climbing up through native bush onto high hills overlooking the Queen Charlotte Sound, whose waters vary from a deep navy blue through vivid cerulean to a calming aquatic green depending on where the sun lies. The forest is quite dense and so the views of the Sound are just the occasional awesome windows.

So for a two-day trek we’re obviously camping out tonight, right? Wrong! I’m relaxing in a lovely lodge overlooking the tranquil evening waters of the sound. There are a small scattering of little houses in coves and inlets, most of them only accessible by boat. Some are little farms for those who like a quiet life, a few are lodges or holiday homes. Our place, Mahana Lodge, was one of the original farmsteads on the sound and is now home to John and Anne who are wonderful hosts and have a lovely (and luxurious) place to stay in the middle of your trek. Tramp, rather. Oh, and there’s a glow-worm grotto just behind the lodge where you can see a constellation of tiny lights in the darkness.

So that’s us. We love hiking out in the wilderness, but prefer a warm room and a comfy bed at the end of the day. That’s our idea of a fine day tramping.

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