A 7:30am ferry out of Wellington, a five-kilometre 'gruelling' first day, and a stranger with a car: that's how days 59 to 61 of one long-distance trekker's New Zealand walk played out on the Queen Charlotte Track, at the top of the South Island.
The journey starts with the Interislander crossing from Wellington to Picton — and a practical reality check for anyone planning the same trip: bags, trekking poles included, all have to be checked in rather than carried on. Once the ferry glides into the Marlborough Sounds under clear skies, though, the logistics fade. The writer swam off the drop-off point before tackling a deliberately short opening stretch of trail, camping near fellow hikers picked up along the way.
Day two was the highlight: a hitch up to Mount Stokes, the highest point on the track, thanks to a chatty hiker named Tim who offered a lift instead of the planned road walk. There was a side story there too — Tim turns out to pay for a daily subscription giving life advice from an online guru, which the group found a little cult-adjacent. Still, one line landed: the past is just retold stories and the future doesn't exist yet, so only the present is real. Not bad trail philosophy, whatever you make of the rest.
Day 61 wound down at Cowshed Bay, where the campsite conversation turned to tearing apart each other's dating profiles — and the eternal question of whether thru-hiking and being single are correlated. Then came the most useful lesson of the three days: a ranger came around warning that fierce wind was incoming, and most campers sensibly shifted their tents to higher, sheltered ground. The writer instead pitched beside what turned out to be an already-occupied family tent, and lived to regret the awkwardness. The takeaway for anyone camping the Sounds: check the forecast, follow the ranger's advice, and never squeeze in right next to a stranger's tent.
For travellers, this is a nice window into what the Queen Charlotte Track actually feels like day to day — a mix of water taxi logistics, social campsite life, side-trip hitches, and mild mishaps. It's one of New Zealand's great multi-day walks, typically taking three to five days through the Marlborough Sounds, with camping spots and lodges spaced along the route. If you're considering it, this account is a good reminder that the trail is as much about the people you meet as the ridgeline views.
