Te Araroa Information: Arthurs Pass NP

Te Araroa Information on ArthursPass.Com

I have just discovered that the ArthursPass.com website has a lot of information about the Te Araroa sections which run through the National Park. 

ArthursPass.Com home page

You should have a look at this site, it is one of my favourite resources when planning tramping trips to the area. The site is administered by a local Canterbury tramper so the information is up to date and proven through experience.

The ArthursPass.Com page dealing with the Te Araroa Trail

The weather forecasting service they use on the site is also reliable, if I am going to Arthur's Pass I check both it and Met Service. 

Weather forecasting on the ArthursPass.com website

Good advice about the rivers; all of the Te Araroa sections in Arthurs Pass have dangerous un-bridged rivers, exercise caution when crossing them.

Check it out!

DOC Huts: A guide for TA trekkers

 Back country huts: source of pride and shelter

One of the unique things you will encounter on the Te Araroa Trail are the DOC huts which are such a feature of outdoor life here. We have 900+ back country huts scattered around the country which can be used for a very minimal charge. You will probably stay in huts for the section through the Tararua's as well as for almost all of the South Island. That is a lot of hut life!

Pahautea Hut, Pirongia FP...probably the first/last DOC hut on the Te Araroa

 

I am sure you will find the huts are one of the highlights of your visit to New Zealand. 

A breakdown of DOC hut amenities

I thought it might be interesting to look at some of the amenities DOC huts contain as well as discussing some of the rules of good hut etiquette before you start your trek.

Living Space

  Most of the larger huts will have some sort of living area, what this entails varies from hut to hut. Generally this will consist of a table of some description with wooden benches, a cooking bench (see below), heating source (see below) and possibly some shelving space. 

Living/Cooking space, Te Matawai Hut

 If we look at a specific hut, Boyle Flat Hut on the St Arnaud-Boyle section we can see what the hut contains. This is one of my favorite huts, I have been here 5 times now and I have always enjoyed my stay.

 As you can see below there are several tables with bench seating, there is also a very nice bench seat under the window. There are a series of drying wires across the living space for trampers to dry their gear on.

Living area in Boyle Flat Hut

In this photo we can see the integrated gun rack that has been built for this hut, there is a book shelf with some reading material and some information panels on the walls.

River side of Boyle Flat Hut, St James Conservation Area

  

The other side of the room has a cooking bench along the wall, with shelf units above and below it. The sleeping area at Boyle Flat consists of two separate 10 bunk rooms. This hut was built by the Walkways Commission back in the early 1980's so it has a much higher level of amenity than your more typical 4 or 6 bunk hut.

Other side of Boyle Flat Hut living area

Compare this to Hackett Hut in Mt Richmond FP, this is a classic NZFS 6 bunk hut. It has the same amenities but in a much more compact form. Generally these smaller huts are an open room design, they will not have a table but will still have a cooking bench, heating and shelving.

Entrance way for Hackett Hut

Hackett Hut Interior

Sleeping areas

Many of the DOC huts were built as overnight shelter for NZFS forestry workers, deer cullers and musterer's so of course they needed sleep facilities. 

Some of the older huts still have the original canvas/burlap sacking bunks which was the standard format up till the late 1960's. This consists of a piece of canvas stretched over poles to make a hammock like bunk. If you never have the doubtful pleasure of sleeping in one just let me say...they are damn uncomfortable!

Canvas sacking bunks, West Harper Hut

Far more common are huts with mattresses and bunks/sleeping platforms. A sleeping platform in one large expanse of wood or concrete which you top with the supplied mattresses. This is the most economical use of space as 10 people can fit on a sleeping platform that will only hold 6 individual bunks.

Sleeping platform at Boyle Flat Hut

Bunks are individual spaces, just big enough for the standard DOC foam mattresses to fit on and are more common with huts built after the mid 1970's. All DOC huts can be partially characterised by the number of bunks supplied: for example Anne Hut is a 24 bunk hut, whereas tiny Harpers Pass Bivy is a 2 bunk.

Lagoon Saddle Shelter, confined sleeping space

Individual bunks in Anti Crow Hut

When you leave in the morning please stack the mattresses on their sides in an orderly fashion, this protects them from dust, vermin and mildew.

Nicely stacked mattresses in Christopher Hut

A note concerning bunk reservations...

There are zero huts on the main TA route where you can reserve a bunk, it is first come first served. If you are hiking with a group and arrive piecemeal, good hut etiquette dictates that you cannot reserve a bunk for your mate....they need to be there in person.

 Hut floors, decks and verandas make great back ups if the bunks are all taken and this perfectly allowable (I have slept on a hut table a couple of times before...). You can sleep in your tent and only use the hut for cooking, socialising etc. if that proves necessary.

Share the hut: if there are 6 of you in a 6 bunk hut and a group of 8 arrive move over, make room for them and welcome them in.

This is the Kiwi way.....behave like we would while you are in Kiwi-land!

Verandas/Decks

There is a trend in the newer huts to include both verandas and decks to maximise the usable space.

Decks are a welcome addition to huts, as they provide space to sit in the sun, dry out gear and generally stop mud from entering the hut itself. There is nothing finer of an afternoon than sitting on a sunny sand fly free deck supping a hot brew.

Anne Hut, the wrap around deck look

 

Verandas are often built onto existing huts to provide a place for hanging wet gear out of the rain as well as providing storage areas for firewood. They range in size from small alcoves right through to fully enclosed secondary rooms.

Boyle Flat Hut, veranda and deck

Inside the Lakehead Hut veranda, Nelson Lakes NP

 Water sources

With some exceptions every DOC hut will have one of two types of water source: a rainwater tank or a nearby stream or river.

Your source of water, a nearby river

The vast majority of huts will still get their water from a nearby stream or river but this is changing. With climate change, drier weather and more people visiting back country areas these water sources either disappear or become vectors for sickness. The solution is rain water tanks.

Boyle Flat Hut, stream fed water tank

Increasingly DOC huts are provided with a rainwater tank, these take rainwater from the hut gutters and store it in large capacity tanks. This is especially prevalent in low precipitation areas like the Richmond Range and at those huts atop ridge lines or on drier east facing hills.

 

Magdalen Hut, rain water tank to left

 All new huts are built to this standard and more and more older ones are having them added as maintenance is done on the huts. Eventually all of the maintained huts will get the majority of their water from rain. 

Water is a precious resource please conserve it: take only what you need and make sure any tap you use is firmly shut.

Cooking spaces

  Cooking mishaps are the number two reason huts burn down so DOC have provided us with metal cooking benches for your stove. Please use these, as cooking on one of the wooden tables or the floor of a hut can easily cause a fire.

  

Magdalen Hut, Lake Sumner FP: the  cooking bench

In the newer huts these benches will be stainless steel, generally with a metal backsplash on the nearby walls. There will be a window for ventilation and candle holders or solar lighting panels to illuminate the area. 

Lakehead Hut cooking area, table and bench

In the older huts the bench will be made of zinc covered wood but they provide the same protection for the hut. Some popular huts may have pots, pans, utensils etc. but don't count on this, bring your own.

Classic NZFS zinc covered cooking bench, Mid Robinson Hut

Many of the established DOC campgrounds will have a covered shelter where you can cook and hang out. Generally these are set up like a hut: steel/zinc covered bench, picnic table with seating or benches and water supply from tank or stream. If the bugs aren't too bad these are excellent places to mingle with other TA hikers and trampers in general.

Cooking shelter, Bay of Many Coves, Queen Charlotte Track

Fire places/stoves

Most DOC huts in will have a fireplace, gas heater or wood burner in them. These are to provide heating as well as a place to cook. What you wont always get is wood- only the Great Walk and serviced huts will have a fuel supply- otherwise it is up to you to provide.

Example of an open fireplace

Firewood waiting to go into the wood shed

All huts with wood heating will have either an axe (usually chained to the wood shed) or a bow saw for cutting firewood. Please return them to their spot so other trampers can use them in the future

Wood burner in Magdalen Hut

Hut etiquette note:

Please do not cut up the furniture, decks, doors etc. and burn it (yes people have done this), not only is it ridiculous it also the number one way to get off side with a Kiwi Tramper. If I turn up at a hut and I see you shoving the last piece of the table into the fire rest assured I will tear you a new one....

Please do not cut down the 200 year old tree next to the hut....go find some standing dry in the forest and cut it up with the axe or saw provided. Don't use all the wood, replace the dry wood you use so the next visitors have some.

Nothing like a blazing fire...

Make sure the fireplace is cleared or at least fully out before you leave. More huts burn down because of careless ash handling than any other cause. Dowse them or put them in the ash barrel if there is one. As a last resort leave the cooling ashes in the fireplace with the door firmly shut, at least they wont burn down the hut if they are contained.

Ash barrel at Lakehead Hut, Nelson Lakes NP

Finally, if it is a sweltering 30 degree summer day don't light the fire, it is not necessary. You are just wasting firewood and pissing off your hut mates.

Cheers!

Toilet facilities

Ah... a subject dear to the heart of all trampers....toilets!

Almost all of the 900+ DOC huts will have toilet facilities of one sort or another, the quality will depend on popularity of the hut, its age, location and users.

Were there be people there be long drop....

The toilets will range from very basic long drops right through to palatial toilet mansions with flushing toilets, sinks, fresh water and even a supply of paper in some cases.

Basic: "Bog" standard DOC long drop toilet

Better: Slightly more up market facilities

Oh yeah: High quality DOC Campground toilet block

Two things to consider:

1.  Bring your own paper as 98% of the DOC facilities will not have any.

2.  USE THE TOILETS! There was a lot of hate for TA thru hikers in the media earlier this year as tales of sordid toilet habits were made public. It seems that people were "doing their business" outside hut doors and on tracks rather than using the toilets provided.

It may not have been TA walkers but that is who got blamed.

Don't be that guy or gal... if there is a toilet available then bloody well use it!

If you must "s - - t in the woods" do it right and bury your waste at least 100 meters away from water/tracks/huts.

Martins Hut, Longwood Forest...the first/last hut on the Te Araroa Trail

Miscellaneous Hut Gear

Stuff you will commonly find in a DOC Hut:

• Broom (Hint: You use it to sweep the floor...)
• Ash bucket for the fire
• Axe and/ or saw for cutting firewood
• Half brush and shovel
• A green DOC hut visitors book

Axe and bow saw, Mt Rintoul Hut, Richmond FP

Stuff you might find in a hut but don't rely on it:

• Buckets/bowls/pots/pans
• Reading matter
• Paper/matches/lighter for starting a fire
• Pack of Cards
• Spare tramping food

Standard DOC hut visitors book

 

Weird stuff I have found in a hut:

• a 750ml bottle of good red wine (seriously...why didn't you just drink it...it was delicious by the way)
• A pair of lavender coloured frilly French knickers
• a 12 pack of condoms...found near the knickers...how do you even have the energy?
• One sized 10 boot??????
• 
  

 Use them....don't abuse them!

We Kiwis are justifiably proud of our hut network and we are also very protective of it. All of us are privileged to be able to use these huts and Kiwi's will frequently tell you so until your ears start bleeding... 

Please bear in mind they are a finite resource: DOC is strapped for cash so if you damage a hut or burn it down it will probably not be repaired/replaced.

Fill in the hut book, DOC maintain these huts based on the number of visitors to them and hut book statistics are their main source of data. No data....no maintenance!

Pay your hut fees........I do, so should you. This includes kiwi trampers...no you haven't already paid for them, Joe Taxpayer paid for them back in 1971 when the hut was built! Don't be so cheap.
 


If in doubt, treat the hut like your own home, there's a good fellow....

Caroline Creek Bivouac upgrade summer 2017/2018

A new hut for the Waiau Valley...

Good news for all Te Araroa trampers....the dilapidated two person bivouac at Caroline Creek on the Waiau Pass route is being replaced with a new hut over the summer of 2017/2018.

Existing bivouac at Caroline Creek from Wilderness

There is an article in the October Wilderness magazine detailing how $300 000 has been donated for a new hut to replace the totally inadequate bivy which exists in the area presently.

I imagine it will be like the Poulter Hut which is the standard 10 bunk DOC hut design .

Poulter Hut from Mapio.com

This is great news as a hut is badly needed at this location.

Update 2018: 

The hut was completed in January 2018, it is named Waiau Hut and is located in an area of bush approximately 4 km's further down the Waiau Valley from Caroline Creek Bivouac. The hut is a standard DOC 6 bunk design.

Wauia Hut, St James Conservation Area

Map: Location of new Waiau Hut i relation to Caroline Creek Bivy

This is the same design as used at Magdalen Hut in the Lower Boyle Valley and numerous other spots around the country.

Magdalen Hut, another standard 6 bunk DOC hut

Te Araroa: North Island section breakdown

A planning guide for walking the North Island Te Araroa sections 

I have been working on a section plan of the North Island Te Araroa Sections, the file can be viewed here:

In line with my general method most of these sections are stand alone 3-7 day tramps to be completed as and when I am able. One of the major problems is transport: some of the start and finish points are difficult to get to from the South Island.

Approaching the Tongariro Alpine Track

My overall plan is to take some long service leave next year to walk a 30 day section of the trail from Cape Reinga to Auckland.  Additionally I have another 10-12 day section walking from Auckland to Hamilton to complete. This covers approximately half the distance between the start and finish points.

Completed sections and Alternate plans

I have completed two sections of the TA in the North Island: The Tongariro Crossing and the Whanganui River Journey, these are marked as finished in this plan.

As an alternate to the Whanganui Journey I plan to either walk or cycle from Whakapapa to Taihape.  Heading out to the Mangapurua Landing would leave me stranded over 70 kms from the nearest transport hub, this alternate covers roughly the same distance. 

Some of the individual days travel need to be finessed,  but for the most part this is how I intend to walk from Cape Reinga to Wellington.

Updated: Tongariro Crossing Post

I have updated my post about tramping the Tongariro Crossing in the early 1990's as part of my Army days.

 This trip was basically a lark, we had nothing better to do so one of the Sergeants, who was a keen tramper, said "...lets go walk around the volcanoes...". It makes sense you can clearly see all of them from the now defunct Army Training Ground at Waiouru, you just have to walk outside.

I imagine the Army operates much the same in 2016 (your tax dollars at work people...).

As an exercise in keeping the troop-ies fit it rocks, as far as transferable skills....not so much.

I have added some scanned black and white photos I took at the time and a little more commentary. 

Emerald Lakes from the Tongariro Track

Some time in the future I will go back and tramp the track again just to see how it has changed from the primitive goat track it was way back then.

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

In the last instalment 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.

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. 

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

Start of the QCT, from Torea Saddle to Te Mahia

Track to DOC campsite next to this sign

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

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

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 seat 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

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

4 more km's to Te Mahia

I was walking amongst a 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.

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

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....

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

Track end at Te Mahia Saddle

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. 

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 Eco Village

I tried a new (for me) Back Country freeze dried for dinner, it was Moroccan Lamb and Pumpkin Tagine and it was marvellous, 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. 

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 have been talking to my wife Kathryn about visiting with the kids some time as it was so tranquil and really beautiful.

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. 

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....

Mistletoe Bay on the climb out from the Eco Village

Te Mahia Saddle to Anakiwa

Start of the track between Te Mahia and Anakiwa

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. 

Nice track for this day

Sedimentary sub strata visible from the track

Nice thick punga forest alongside track

The anticipation is starting to build...

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: dirt, loose rocks and sandstone sheets, photos are included below for your edification....

Track types: 1: Dirt

Track types: 2: loose rock

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

Mature Macrocarpa trees at old farm site

Typical dense bush in side stream

Introduced grass along track

Feral goat spied in the bush

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

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

More horses in same area

Torrey Channel, route of the Wellington ferries

Anakiwa at head of Sound to right

It looked very stormy over the outers Sounds area, I heard later that the ferries had 4-5 metre swells to contend with out in Cooks Strait, which must have been fun. 

Storm building over outer sounds

Waikawa in the distance

The last 10km's of Queen Charlotte Sound

Almost there....

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

Selfie on the 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

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

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 1pm as I knew it would be a nicer spot to waste some time than the shelter at Anakiwa.

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.

DOC Davies Bay camp site

Cooking Shelter at Davies Bay camp site

Davies Bay camp site

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.

 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.

Jon with brew at the Davies Bay camp site

Foreshore looking out on Davies Bay 

Very nice track over the last three kilometres

Nearly there....

Ohhh yeaahhhhh.....

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.....

QCT 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.

QCT track head, Anakiwa

Close up of QCT track head

Yacht marina at Anakiwa

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 onwards 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

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)

Accomodation :          $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 loved the interaction with various groups everyday, even though I was on my own, I had plenty of folk to talk too.

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!

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!

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 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....

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