7 minute read
QUEEN CHARLOTTE TRACK
SHIP COVE to ANAKIWA - 2-3 days 73.5km
© AA Traveller 2022
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Don’t be under any preconceived idea that this ride won’t test your endurance. Those jaw-dropping views you seek are found from ridgelines, after long, relentless climbs. There are many sections that skirt the shoreline, traversing from one idyllic bay to the next, but this track is graded as intermediate to advance for good reason. Some areas, such as the ridgetop sections of the central part are listed as Grade 5. However, day trips are a feasible choice for less advanced riders and if you’re overnighting, backpacks can be transferred to your accommodation by local operators, allowing for a lighter ride.
Along the way, various lodges offer comfortable stays. In fact, so isolated are these far-flung hideouts, they feel pleasantly unattainable to the outside world.
From beginning to end, the journey never waivers from extraordinary. From secret coves to saddles and ridges offering stupendous views, this 73.5km track is commonly regarded as one of the best singletrack mountain bike rides in NewZealand. We have a feeling you’ll agree.
TOP TIP
A unique feature of this track is that entry and exit paths are accessed mostly by boat, starting with a scenic cruise from Picton to Meretoto (aka Ship Cove) to commence your ride.
TRAIL INFO
TRAIL GRADE:
MERETOTO/SHIP COVE TO CAMP BAY, 28.5KM GRADE 3 (INTERMEDIATE) to GRADE 4 (ADVANCED)
CAMP BAY TO TŌREA SADDLE, 24.5KM GRADE 3 (INTERMEDIATE) to GRADE 4 (ADVANCED). Kenepuru Saddle to the Bay of Many Coves Campsite is GRADE 5 (EXPERT)
TŌREA SADDLE TO ANAKIWA, 20.5KM GRADE 3 (INTERMEDIATE) to GRADE 4 (ADVANCED). Climb from Torea Saddle is GRADE 5 (EXPERT)
MOBILE PHONE COVERAGE: Patchy along the first section of trail, from Meretoto to Camp Bay. From Camp Bay to Anakiwa there is reasonable signal most of the way.
DRINKING WATER: Water supplies are limited, particularly in the peak, dry season. Fill up your bottles from reliable sources before you set off each day.
TYPE OF BIKE: A ship-shape mountain bike is essential. In accordance with Ngā Haerenga New Zealand Cycle Trails’ policy, e-bikes are not permitted on trails graded 4 and above.
PLEASE NOTE: Sections of the QCT between Kenepuru Saddle and Anakiwa cross private land and require a Queen Charlotte Track Land Cooperative (QCTLC) Pass. A QCT Land Cooperative Pass is required for all private land sections of the QCT between Kenepuru Saddle and Anakiwa. See www.qctlc.com to purchase and for more info.
ROAD CLOSURES: The Kenepuru Road and some side roads to the track are closed due to extreme storm damage at least until autumn 2022. Access to the track by road is only available at Anakiwa. The rest of the track is accessible by boat only until the Kenepuru Road reopens. For more information on current road conditions please see www.marlborough.govt.nz
RIDING THE TRAIL
MERETOTO/SHIP COVE TO CAMP BAY, 28.5KM The first section from Ship Cove to Camp Bay is closed for biking between 1 Dec and 28 Feb. The trail climbs gently away from the beach thanks to the new reroute, passing through impressive groves of tall native trees and a diverse understory of shrubs and ferns. Your gentle ascent ends at the Ship Cove Saddle, a lookout point with views of both the outer and inner Queen Charlotte/Totaranui. The track then winds its way to the shoreline at Schoolhouse Bay, where there is a DOC campsite, and then on above Resolution Bay. It’s a reasonably gentle climb out of Resolution Bay to reach Tawa Saddle. From there the trail takes in views all the way around Endeavour Inlet. The track is mainly flat and wide, allowing riders to enjoy the forest and birdlife along with various salty seaside scenes and a couple of holiday resorts offering refreshments.
CAMP BAY TO TŌREA SADDLE, 24.5KM The QCTLC Pass is required for this section. Sidling around ridgelines for much of the way, this section certainly has its ups and downs but rewards riders with magnificent new panoramas at every turn. The climb from Camp Bay to Kenepuru Saddle is the first of many – totalling 900m in all – and ushers riders on to the ridgeline separating Queen Charlotte and Kenepuru sounds. Eatwell’s Lookout is particularly impressive, but it is just one of many on this awesome section. Onward it goes, passing two DOC campsites and endless other spots to stop and absorb the grandeur. It’s a bit of a bumpy final run to Tōrea Saddle where the track meets the short, steep road linking the two Sounds. The right turn leads to Portage where there’s a campsite and other accommodation options. On-road alternative: riders looking for an easier route can ride the sealed road from Kenepuru Saddle to Portage. The road is quiet and undulating with pretty views.
TŌREA TO ANAKIWA, 20.5KM The QCTLC Pass is required for this section. A decent whack of the day’s 600m of climbing is delivered in the fairly brutal first few kilometres; many riders will have to get off and push. This slog will soon be forgotten once back on the view-filled tops. Along this section the landscape is a patchy but pleasant mix of old farmland and regenerating native bush. The trail eventually dips down and sidles around the top of Lochmara Bay before hitting the final climb over Te Mahia Saddle. Riders with time and gas in the tank should head down to super pretty Mistletoe Bay, a great place for a picnic (or indeed an overnight stop). From Te Mahia Saddle, it’s a relatively easy cruise around Ōnahau Bay and the Grove Arm, with the trail hugging the shoreline for the last few kilometres – handy if you’re keeping an eye out for your boat. If you have time, linger a while at Davies/Umungata Bay just shy of the end of the trail. Then again, the ice cream stall at Anakiwa may well be open, and you’ll certainly have earned yourself a refreshing treat. In the past, most riders have finished their ride with the boat trip back to Picton, but the creation of the Link Pathway between Picton and Havelock means it’s also now possible to bike back to Picton via the picturesque Queen Charlotte Drive and Link Pathway which, once completed in 2022, will ‘link’ the Queen Charlotte Track with Picton and Havelock.
ADD-ON TRAIL
Queen Charlotte Drive: 40km/2–4 hours This spectacular, winding path links Picton to Havelock. The Anakiwa end of the Queen Charlotte Track is just 4km away from Linkwater, found halfway along this route.
Link Pathway
© MarlboroughNZ
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRAIL
• Mistletoe Bay is a well-run eco-village with clean amenities and a laid-back vibe. Currently road access is closed but you can still book a water taxi. See their website for details.
• Feed the stingray at the Underwater Observatory at Lochmara Bay.
• The blue waters will tempt you to make time for swimming, kayaking, walks and beach picnics.
• Using interpretation panels, Meretoto/ Ship Cove details significant historic events in the Sounds.
• Charming locals such as dolphins and seals will come to greet you on one of the many wildlife cruises on offer.
• The boat back to Picton from Anakiwa takes approximately 30 minutes.
• Add the optional section to ride on to Picton, a great base for seeing more of the Sounds and catching a full or half-day fishing charter.
• Recharge your carbs with one of Toastie Picton’s award-winning four-cheese sandwiche offerings.
• Maritime History Visit the Edwin Fox Ship, the world’s oldest surviving merchant ship, last surviving convict ship and last wooden New Zealand immigrant ship. The Picton Heritage & Whaling Museum is also well worth a look in.
Ngākuta Bay, Link Pathway
© MarlboroughNZ
