Havelock: Resupplying while on the Te Araroa Trail

Havelock as a Te Araroa Trail resupply point...

I recently passed through Havelock near Pelorous Sound on my way to a tramping trip in Kahurangi National Park. I stopped and took some photos of the town and its supermarket as I thought it might be useful to investigate the town as a potential resupply point.

The main street of Havelock in Marlborough Province...

Havelock is half way between Anakiwa at the end of the Queen Charlotte Track and Pelorous Bridge the entrance to the Richmond Ranges. You would be arriving here on day 6-8 of a SOBO trek or day 8-10 of a NOBO trip from St Arnaud so you will be needing an urgent resupply.

Map: Havelock is half way between Anakiwa and Pelorous Bridge

Havelock is the only place close to the trail you can resupply before starting the next two sections of the trail as both Anakiwa and Pelorous Bridge are small settlements.  You used to be able to send drop boxes to Pelorous Bridge campground but this service is no longer available. Your only other option is to hitch to Blenheim about 40 odd kilometres away.

Pelorous Sound from the northern outskirts of Havelock

Havelock is small...less than 300 permanent residents as it is simply a service center for the forestry, farming, factory fishing and holiday industries which exist nearby. There is one petrol station, a medium sized supermarket, some restaurants/cafes, retail shops and other infrastructure to support the local community.

Map: Street map of Havelock, Pelorous Sound

One thing Havelock is famous for are the extensive mussel and salmon farms in nearby Pelorous and Kenepuru Sounds. If you are visiting or staying in Havelock make sure you have some mussels..there are several places selling them and they are really good. 

A visit to the Mussel Pot Cafe is a Te Araroa institution...

There is enough in Havelock for a reasonable rest/lay day but if you needed more than basic food resupply, accommodation or meals you need to hitch to Blenheim. Anyway...lets have a look at what Havelock has to offer the TA trekker...

Four Square Havelock:

Havelock has only the one food store and that is the Four Square supermarket on the corner of SH6 and Neil Street. Four Square supermarkets are very common in smaller towns such as this...they are independently owned but buy goods as a co-operative so they are able to charge similar prices to the big chains. 

The Four Square supermarket in Havelock, Marlborough

The Havelock Four Square supermarket is well stocked and it has almost every item you will need to do a full resupply before you continue your journey. Taking a look at a selection of items the prices are almost the same as in any larger supermarket in a big town or city. 

Havelock Four Square:Chilled food section, fruit and vegetables

Havelock Four Square:a full spread of cured meats...

There are a couple of taverns in Havelock but no liquor outlets so the closest thing you have is the alcohol selection at the supermarket. They have a good range of beer, wine and cider for sale but as with all supermarkets in New Zealand no spirits. There is an off licence at the Havelock Hotel if spirits are your thing.....they have limited hours so check to see when they are open. 

Havelock Four Square:beer, sparkling wine and cider...

Havelock Four Square:various wines, snack nuts and potato chips...

Probably the best way to describe to you what they have in stock is simply to show you. Here are a series of photos of all of the shelves in the Havelock Four Square so you can see for yourself...

Havelock Four Square:crackers, biscuits,cereal...

Havelock Four Square:they have a comprehensive Muesli bar selection...

Havelock Four Square:juice, powdered drinks, soda, iced tea...

Havelock Four Square: a good spread of fish in packets and cans, soup, beans etc.

They had a good selection of bread, wraps, tortillas, pastries etc. so plenty of scope for lunches and no cook dinner meals....

Havelock Four Square:they had bread, wraps, croissant and pastries

Havelock Four Square:teas, coffee, cocoa etc.

Havelock Four Square:dried fruit, nuts and eggs...

They had a selection of the most popular Backcountry freeze dried meals including the fancy muesli and porridge meals. There was also a comprehensive selection of those Continental, Maggi and San Remo pasta side dishes. Plenty of noodles, rice, pasta, instant mash and Mexican meal items....

Havelock Four Square:pasta, rice, sidemeals,  noodles and Backcountry meals

Lots of chocolate including some of the fancy brands for those of you who carry when out on trail.....not me. I only very occasionally carry chocolate and if I am it will be Whittakers sante bars, Snickers or peanut M & M's.

I am more of a savoury guy...chips, olives, cheese, salted nuts, jerky are more my style.

Havelock Four Square:lots of chocolate...

Havelock Four Square: chocolate, sweets, powdered milk etc.

The Four Square had a fairly comprehensive selection of hardware including Meths (for Trangia type cookers), candles, matches and storage bags. What they did not have were any gas canisters..I specifically looked for them but there were none in the store. 

This is problematic as there is no source of them before you enter the Richmond Ranges so you either need to carry them with you from Picton or go 'no cook' on this section of the trail. They may sell them at the service station in Havelock...I will have a look the next time I am passing through. 

Havelock Four Square:hardware, cleaners, meths etc.

Havelock Four Square:storage bags/containers, stationary, tape....

The town may be small but the Four Square in Havelock would be more than capable of resupplying you for your next sections of the trail. They have enough variety to cater for a range of tastes and I am sure you will be able to find something in store to see you through to your next resupply point. 

Bars & eateries in Havelock:

Havelock is on SH6 the main road between Blenheim and Nelson so it has a number of cafes, restaurants and bars to cater to the people passing through. Most of these are clustered around the main road but there are a couple of eateries down by the Marina as well.

The Havelock Marina, Marlborough Sounds

One of the things you should try if you are in Havelock are some green lipped Mussels...they are farmed in the local areas and are damn delicious. Probably the best place for these is the Mussel Pot a well known TA tradition. They do a variety of lunch and dinner meals with an emphasis on seafood...go for the steamed mussels in white wine with crusty bread...yum!!!

They also do non-seafood meals so check out their online menu...

The Mussel Pot steamed mussels.....marvelous!!!

Another place I have eaten lunch is the Captains Daughter a brasserie style cafe, restaurant and bar close to the supermarket. The meal I had was very nice and the cafe has a nice ambiance to it...it was busy as it is the most obvious eatery in the town so you should probably book in for dinner. Prices were moderate and well within a modest budget. 

The Captains Daughter is a cafe/bar in Havelock...

 I have also heard good things about the Mills Bay Mussel Tasting Company they are a Mussel factory farming business but have a retail store and cafe located near the Marina. Dine in or take away options are available. I am going to visit the next time I am heading through Havelock.

Mills Bay Mussels Tasting Room and Eatery

There are a couple of other cafes and restaurants in the town but as I have not sampled their wares I cannot comment on the quality. 

If you are looking to wet your whistle there are three bars in Havelock...the first is the Captains Daughter, there is also the Havelock Hotel and the Slip Inn Brasserie and Bar. All three have websites so have a look to see when they are open. 

The Slip Inn Brasserie and Bar at the Havelock Marina

Apart from the places I have mentioned it is Muggins choice...go have a look at the menus at different places and choose one that suits your taste and budget.

Accommodation in Havelock

Havelock is a days walk from both Anakiwa and the start of the Richmond Range at Pelorous Bridge so it is a good spot for a rest/lay day.

You are going to need somewhere to stay. There are a range of accommodation options in the town ranging from campgrounds right up to top of the line lodges, hotels and holiday homes. The cheapest is the Havelock Holiday Park with tent sites, cabins and dorm style rooms. They have a dining/cooking hall and facilities like showers and laundry services.

Havelock Holiday Park has tent sites and camp facilities...

Moving up the price range there are a couple of Bed and Breakfast places in Havelock which provide accommodation and a morning meal. There are also several motels scattered at various places in the town and if you are a squillionaire there are a couple of high end Lodges.

The Havelock Garden Motel is right in the center of town...

My best advice would be to look at the TA Trail notes for this section and check out the blogs of TA alumni to get their recommendations for good places to stay. 

Miscellaneous information about Havelock and Marlborough:

The closest city with a full range of retail, accommodation and administrative services is Blenheim approximately 40 odd kilometers south along SH 6. Blenheim has around 30 000 residents so it has everything you might need including several big supermarkets, outdoor retail outlets, a hospital, an airport, fast food outlets (KFC/Subway/MacDonalds) and an area DOC office.

Blenheim is the closest city to Havelock...

You can hitch or take public transport (shuttles) to Blenheim or Nelson and some of them will drop you at the Pelorous Bridge camp ground if needed. This would save you one day of mostly road walking on a narrow and very busy highway. 

The campground and camp shelter at Pelorous Bridge Reserve

There is a pharmacy in Havelock which may be able to help you with basic medical requirements such as tape, bandages and over the counter medication. There is also a small museum and the area around the marina is worth visiting to see the various yachts and motor vessels tied up there.

There is a small museum in Havelock...

Heading SOBO you will head to Canvastown before joining Daltons Road all the way to the camp ground at Pelorous Bridge on the edge of the Richmond Ranges. NOBO you have a mix of  track and road walking to Anakiwa at the southern end of the Queen Charlotte Track. Both are one days walk or around 20 kilometres away. 

Anakiwa...the southern terminus of the Queen Charlotte Track

So...hopefully some of that information will be useful to you as you do your planning for your trek of the Te Araroa Trail. 

The Queen Charlotte Walkway: Part II: Days 4-5: Cowshed Bay to Anakiwa

In the last installment I had arrived and spent the night at the DOC camp site at Cowshed Bay......NB: I find that despite taking over 200 photos I missed some key points. So I have used some photos off the web and attributed them as necessary.

Day 4: Cowshed Bay to Mistletoe Bay Campsite

 Day's four and five were both short 4 hour tramping days, the first from Cowshed Bay to Mistletoe Bay Eco Village, and then from Mistletoe to Anakiwa.  I could have combined both days and arrived at Anakiwa a day earlier but it would have meant tramping 24 km over 8 hour's and quite frankly I could not be bothered walking so far in one day. 

Also, it would have meant missing out on staying at Mistletoe Bay which was one of the highlights of the trip.

Map: Queen Charlotte Track:Cowshed Bay to Mistletoe Bay

 I was up at my customary early hour and messed around having breakfast etc. for about an hour before setting out on my days walk. I was on the track at 7.45 am and climbing back up to Torea Saddle, which was easier than I expected, it only took 15 minutes to get back to the QCT. 

Queen Charlotte Track: dawn at Cowshed Bay, Day four

I reached Torea Saddle in time to see the sun start to rise over the surrounding hills, then it was up, up and up as I climbed to the summit of pt 407, the second highest point along the whole QCT.

It was a bit of a cold and windy day, though I appreciated this cooling effect, as I heated up from climbing for so long.

View of Portage from Torea Saddle, Queen Charlotte Track

Start of the QCT, from Torea Saddle to Te Mahia

Track to DOC campsite next to this sign...Queen Charlotte Track

Queen Charlotte Track: An idea of the up hill nature of the track in this section

Image from: https://davidfromak.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/img_4789-sm-track-looking-uphill.jpg

The first part of the track is a constant climb to point 407 which is the high point for this section of the QCT. 

30 minutes up the track from Torea Saddle, Queen Charlotte Track

Queen Charlotte Track: Picton from near point 407

Mixed native/exotic bush acting as wind shield on the QCT

First high point of the day, Shamrock Ridge lookout, Queen Charlotte Track

View of Queen Charlotte Sound from high on the QCT

The climb up to point 407 is frustrating as hell as there must be 20 false crests along the track, eventually you break out of the bush to emerge at the final high point. There are a couple of seats on Pt 407 with views to both Queen Charlotte and Pelorous Sounds.

From here it is repeat of the previous day with the track sidling up and down as it follows the ridge line out to the West.

Queen Charlotte Sound from Point 407, Queen Charlotte Track

Queen Charlotte Track: Waikawa in the distance, first view

The last 5 kilometres for this section are up and over the two high points in the photo below. Thankfully you don't have to climb over the second higher peak (pt. 415) to get to Te Mahia, as the track sidles the hill on the Pelorous Sound side of the ridge.  

Still a bit of climbing to do though.

Te Mahia Saddle is on the reverse of Point 415 centre

Lower reaches of Pelorus Sound, Queen Charlotte Track

4 more km's to Te Mahia...Queen Charlotte Track

I was walking among a guided tour group for most of the day, we kept overtaking each other as one or the other of us stopped for a break. The tour leader was a super fit looking older New Zealander who I am fairly certain was Graeme Dingle. I had read somewhere that he acts as a tour guide over the summer, if so he was doing well as he is now in his early 70's, a machine on the hill climbs as you would expect.

Queen Charlotte Track: one of the guided tours on the Track

I spotted one of those massive mega yacht's down in Pelorous Sound, it must have been a big one as it had a helicopter sitting on a launch pad at the rear....

Mega yacht cruising in Pelorous Sound, Queen Charlotte Track

Queen Charlotte Track: view of Te Mahia Bay from near Te Mahia Saddle

The final section of the QCT is a series of gnarly switch backs as the track descends to Te Mahia Saddle. I can imagine this is one of the areas the MTB fraternity go ape over as it looked like some truly awesome down hill, rock hopping fun....even I would give it a go!

Switch back down hill fun....Queen Charlotte Track

Image from: https://davidfromak.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/img_4835-sm-hairpin-bend.jpg

Track end at Te Mahia Saddle...Queen Charlotte Track

Te Mahia Saddle itself is very barren, it is basically a gravel parking area with little or no view of the Bays to either side. The next section of the QCT starts about 30 meters down hill as you head towards Mistletoe Bay. 

Queen Charlotte Track: parking area at Te Mahia Saddle

Road to Mistletoe Bay and start of final section of the QCT

Image from: https://davidfromak.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/img_4845-sm-onahau-rd-track.jpg

Mistletoe Bay Eco Village is at the end of the gravel road leading down from Te Mahia Saddle. It takes about 20 minutes to get down to the sea level camp ground. Take care on this road, it is quiet but narrow and winding, not so easy to see approaching vehicles.  

The first part of the village you pass is Jo Cottage which is an refurbished farm house with accommodation for 8 people, it looked very nice from the road. 

The main part of the Eco village is another 2-3 minutes down the road.

Jo Cottage, one accommodation option at Mistletoe Bay

Reception for the village is attached to the main dining hall. The level of amenity is high: there are toilets with coin operated showers, the dining hall (with free gas cookers, pots/pans, refrigeration and drinkable water), a laundry and a small shop attached to the reception area. The camp sites are in front of the ablution block and in a shaded area behind and to the side of the dining hall. 

All this for only $16 per night! It is a real bargain, and well worth the loss of altitude to get to the camp.

Mistletoe Bay Reception and dining hall

You can see one of the tent site area's in the photo below, you are able to camp anywhere on this grassed area but on the day it was empty as the prevailing wind was blowing dust strongly up valley and across this otherwise great spot.

View from the couch outside reception, Mistletoe Bay Eco village

Inside the dining hall, Mistletoe Bay Eco village

After setting up my tent, I had a shower, lunch, a cold drink + ice cream from the shop,  then went for a stroll down to the jetty to see the afternoon ferry arrive to collect the day walkers.

Plenty of fish around and mussels/oysters on the rocks, it would be a good spot for a bit of fishing.

Mistletoe Bay with jetty and mud flats

Interpretive sign near the Mistletoe Bay jetty

Looking back towards the Mistletoe Bay Eco Village

The bungalows at Mistletoe Bay Resort, QCT

I tried a new (for me) Back Country freeze dried for dinner, it was Moroccan Lamb and Pumpkin Tagine and it was marvelous, really delicious and filling. I will be buying it again for future trips, definitely one of the better offerings from that company.

My dinner for the night, Moroccan Lamb Tagine and drinks

Jon in the dinning hall, Mistletoe Bay Eco village

The camp ground was about 1/3 full, 3 tramping groups and 3-4 camper vans, the manager said to me it had been fully booked for the last 3 months but that the numbers were going down as the season ended.

A view of the camp office and dining room at Mistletoe Bay Resort

The camp site at Mistletoe Bay on the QCT

I really enjoyed my stay here, I heard a couple of kiwi calling about 2 or 3 in the morning and the stars were awesome in the totally clear sky. I would love to come back sometime and stay for a couple of nights in the bungalows as it was so tranquil here. 

Day 5:   Mistletoe Bay to Anakiwa

After a very restful night at Mistletoe (10 hours sleep!!!!!), I set out on the last 4 hours of the tramp to Anakiwa. To start, you need to follow your path back up to Te Mahia Saddle, about 30 minutes on the gravel access road. 

Mistletoe Bay on the climb out from the Eco Village, Queen Charlotte Track

You can also use the Julius Vogel track to get back to the saddle, but a tramper I talked to at Mistletoe Bay said it was a lot longer and overgrown in places, more like your usual DOC back country track.

 Bear this in mind if you are thinking about using it....

Map: Queen Charlotte Track, Te Mahia Saddle to Anakiwa

Start of the track between Te Mahia and Anakiwa...Queen Charlotte Track

Initially the track climbs steadily away from Te Mahia Saddle, but it is nowhere near as steep as the other hill climbs. It is also liberally provided with picnic tables and seats if you feel the need for a rest. I would have to rate this the easiest section of the track by far, as well as being quite scenic in several places. 

Queen Charlotte Track:Nice track for this day

Sedimentary sub strata visible from the track...Queen Charlotte Track

Nice thick punga forest alongside the Queen Charlotte Track

The anticipation is starting to build...Queen Charlotte Track

Queen Charlotte Track: One of the areas of duck board over swamp area

As an aside, you are going to strike three types of ground surface on the QCT: solid packed dirt, loose rocks and sandstone sheets, photos are included below for your edification....

Queen Charlotte Track types: 1: Dirt...packed and fried stone hard for your comfort....

Queen Charlotte Track types: 2: loose rock

Queen Charlotte Track types:3: Sandstone sheets

I happened upon a Weta on the track at one point, this one was about 10 cm long (4 inches) and was obviously on his way home after a long night of nefarious insectoid pursuits. 

I helped him off the track with a stick...

Giant Weta sitting on the track...QCT

Mature Macrocarpa trees at old farm site on the Queen Charlotte Track

Queen Charlotte Track: typical dense bush in side stream

Introduced grass along the Queen Charlotte Track

Feral goat spied in the bush...Queen Charlotte Track

About an hour after leaving Mistletoe you strike a headland with views down over the Sound, you can see the heavy cloud cover I had on the day...

View back to Mistletoe Bay after an hour on the track

View of an Interislander ferry heading for Picton

There are still a couple of farms along this section of the track but I imagine it is not a lucrative undertaking as the farms have a bit of a hard scrabble look about them. 

Horse on one of the still existent farms on the Queen Charlotte Track

More horses in same area.....

Torrey Channel, route of the Wellington ferries, Queen Charlotte Track

Anakiwa at head of Sound to right

It looked very stormy over the Outer Sounds area, I heard later that the ferries had 4-5 meter swells to contend with out in Cooks Strait, which must have been fun for the passengers!!! 

View of a storm building over outer sounds...QCT

Queen Charlotte Track: Waikawa in the distance

The last 10km's of Queen Charlotte Sound

Almost there....Queen Charlotte Track

The last 5 km's of the track are very nice with dense bush, punga groves and mature podocarp trees all along the route.

Picturesque track as you near Davies Bay, Queen Charlotte Track

Selfie on the Queen Charlotte Track

Queen Charlotte Track: Anakiwa in the mid distance

After 2-3 hours you start to turn into Davies Bay, where there is a DOC camp site and shelter.

Last kilometre heading to Davies Bay, Queen Charlotte Track

Queen Charlotte Track: Davies Bay foreshore, you can camp here!

https://davidfromak.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/img_4909-sm-davies-bay-beach-1358.jpg

Turn of to the Davies Bay Shelter, Queen Charlotte Track

I stopped for a long lunch at the Davies Bay Campsite, about an hour from the end of the track. I arrived at 11 am, about 3 hours after setting out from Mistletoe Bay and proceeded to make myself comfortable. The camp site looks very nice with a lot of space for tents in a well maintained clearing in the forest. I stayed till 1 pm as I knew it would be a nicer spot to waste some time than the shelter at Anakiwa.

Queen Charlotte Track: DOC Davies Bay camp site

It would be a good spot for a family camping holiday as it is close to the track end, the track from Anakiwa is easy and it has excellent access to the nearby Davies Bay foreshore. The forest surrounding the shelter is beautiful with a lot of bird life to be seen and heard, including a NZ Falcon which kept flying over the clearing.

Queen Charlotte Track: Cooking Shelter at Davies Bay camp site

Davies Bay camp site on the Queen Charlotte Track

I had my lunch and a couple of hot brews as I waited and talked to the various people who stopped by like me for a break on the way to other places.

Jon with brew at the Davies Bay camp site

 I didn't get a single sand fly bite the whole time which makes me believe they have died off for this year, as this should be prime sand fly territory.

Foreshore looking out on Davies Bay, Queen Charlotte Track

Queen Charlotte Track: Very nice track over the last three kilometres

Queen Charlotte Track....Nearly there....

Ohhh yeaahhhhh.....near end of the Queen Charlotte Track

Near the end of the Queen Charlotte Track

It is about 40-50 minutes from Davies Bay to the end of the track, you walk off the QCT and immediately strike civilisation in the form of holiday homes and the Outward Bound School. 

It is a bit of a jarring transition.....

Queen Charlotte Track end at Anakiwa

Walking off the end of the QCT

Below is the official end to the QCT, the shelter and Anakiwa proper are another 5 minutes walk down an access road.

Queen Charlotte Track head, Anakiwa

Close up of QCT track head at Anakiwa....

Yacht marina at Anakiwa, Queen Charlotte Track

I could easily have Forrest Gump'ed it and turned around and started walking back to Ship Cove, I can see why some people get into the long trail mentality. After a couple of days you get into a trail rhythm and really start to enjoy the experience.

71 kilometers to Ship Cove anyone....?

A woman sitting in the shelter gave me a "Woo Hoo" as I walked off the track, I really appreciated it as walking by yourself robs you of a feeling of accomplishment sometimes. 

There is a nice shelter at the end of the track for those waiting on the Picton ferry, it provides a place to get out of the sun/wind and had a lot of track information and a selection of books for the use of those who visit. There are also DOC toilets nearby but no water source so fill up at Davies Bay campsite before you leave...

There is a ticket vending machine where you can buy a QCTLC track pass if you don't have one and are starting the QCT from this end.

The QCT shelter at Anakiwa

  There is a well placed coffee cart cum snack stall right next to the QCT shelter, it opens from 2.30 pm onward and caterers mostly to those waiting for the ferry. It is a summer side business attached to the Anakiwa 401 lodge co located there and sells coffee, cold drinks, ice cream, snacks and a very limited range of tramping food (noodles/rice/soup etc.)

Anakiwa 401 coffee cart, Anakiwa Bay

I'm not usually a coffee guy but the Cappuccino I had went down a real treat as it was cold and windy here.

Anakiwa Jetty in deteriorating weather......

Thank God for the QCT shelter because the weather got worse and worse as the day progressed. The Cougar Line ferry arrived early at 3.25 pm and as all passengers were present we set off for Picton in rough, windy sea conditions.....25 minutes later we were back in the big smoke.

I was equally happy and sad for this tramp to be ending. I enjoyed it a lot but was happy I would be sleeping in a bed and eating a salty, greasy burger and fries for dinner (which I did, it was tres bon!).

Cost breakdown for this section:

Queen Charlotte Track (2016)

Transport:                     $265.00 (Ferry + cost to get to/from Picton, ferry was $95 to Ship Cove)

Accommodation :          $182.00 ( or $30 per day for through hikers to stay at a YHA)

Food:                             $  60.00

Misc:                             $  60.00

Total:                            $567.00

Some thoughts on the Queen Charlotte Track

On a positive note, this was an awesome trip, I will be back to walk the track again this time from South to North. When I come back I will stay in the lodges and have my gear shifted each day by boat, I will eat at the restaurants and generally act like a tourist.I actually think this is the way the track should be walked.

I loved the interaction with various groups everyday, even though I was on my own, I had plenty of folk to talk too. I talked to other trampers as well as people on mountain bikes, day walkers and even the guided walkers. All were generally friendly and good to chat to...

The Swiss/French trampers I talked too....good value!!!

All of the camp sites were excellent, the best by far was Mistletoe Bay, the worst was Cowshed but only because it was windy, dusty and lacking grass on the tent sites. I love those cooking shelters, give us more of those DOC and more people will use tents instead of huts.

A few negative things I would like to comment on as well.

Firstly the track is more gnarly than the promotional material would suggest. There is a lot of hill climbing to be done, some sizable distance's and some high and weather prone ridges to cross. I was ready for this but how many tourist's walk the track and think "Jesus, those kiwis are crazy bastards.....!" Reading the promo material it sounds like a walk in the local park, it is not!

The Queen Charlotte Track crosses a lot of steep hills....

I was generally appalled with the level of gear people were using: $40 Warehouse tents/sleeping bags, no wet weather or cooking gear and a lack of proper food. This may suffice in beautiful Summer weather but we all know how changeable it is in New Zealand. If you got caught on one of these high ridges in a storm you would be buggered with this shoddy gear. It may only take you 3 days to walk the track, but you could easily be dead from hypothermia in 3 hours.

Take proper gear if you are walking the track!

Cheap Wharehouse tents at Cowshed Bay campsite...

As to the MTB aspects of the track, apart from the Te Mahia to Anakiwa section how do you ride this track? Mostly I saw angry, swearing, sweaty MTB riders pushing bikes up big hills. I talked to 4-5 of them at various times and they all agreed that this is not a riders trail. To steep, too crowded, too many places to dead yourself.

I'm not really a MTB rider, so it is not for me to judge....

A big drop off on the downhill side of the Queen Charlotte Track

Aside from that, go walk the Queen Charlotte Track, either as part of the Te Araroa or just for a tramp, it totally rocks!