Queen Charlotte Sounds

June 3, 2011

I arrived in Picton in the early afternoon and checked into my hostel.  The driver and one other person on the bus also got off to stay at the hostel.  Everyone else either went to Nelson or to Wellington.   Next door to the hostel was a lovely bakery!  Yum!  Really good bread and I also purchased a cherry torte!  After lunch I went and used the free internet at the library and caught up with family and friends.

It gets so dark here now because it’s winter so I spend my evenings pretty quietly.  Most hostels have a really nice, cozy fireplace to cuddle up to.  I read magazines, made dinner, and then watched a movie later with a couple of Germans.

The driver, Chase, convinced me to do a day walk on the Queen Charlotte Track.  The Queen Charlotte Track is normally a 2-3 day walking track, but a boat will take you to wherever you want to walk on the track and then pick you up down the way.  Mattias Huber, from Germany, who was also on the Stray bus, came with us.

The boat ride out through the sounds was pretty long.  We stopped at several spots to deliver food and people to their various locations.  There are several accommodations out along the track and some people live out there.  We also saw bottle-nosed dolphins!  They are huge compared to the dusky dolphins I saw in Kaikoura!  They look more like the traditional dolphin we are used to seeing.

The day was fairly cold especially with a strong wind, but the track immediately starts off  climbing up a steep hill.  So we warmed up pretty quickly.  Throughout the track are gorgeous views of the sound.  We were also surrounded by native bush including the silver fern.  

We stopped for lunch with a beautiful view.  Then some wekas, flightless birds, came and begged for our food.  But we didn’t give them any.  We only had about an hour left to walk until the spot where we got picked up by the boat again.  

On our way back to Picton on the boat we visited a salmon farm and saw quite a few more fur seals.  Man those guys are everywhere!  Here they feast on the salmon and eat about $5,000 worth of salmon a day!

I was really happy to get back to my hostel and the warm fireplace at the end of the day!  The boat ride back had been quite cold.  I spent the evening with a book and the fireplace!

This afternoon Mattias and I head to Wellington where I’ll spend three nights.  Then it’s on to Auckland!