Queen Charlotte Track

Taking a boat from Picton, I began my Queen Charlotte Track trip; 71km (about 44 miles) over 3 days.  I went the direction that most people go: Ship's Cove to Anikiwa; you pay for a boat to drop you off at the far end and pick you up when you are done at the near end.  It costs the same amount ($103 round-trip) for them to include luggage drop-offs- which I did.  So you just hike with a day-pack.
  You can camp along the way; I opted to stay at resorts in the "Backpackers" rooms, which were significantly cheaper.
  The first day I walked with two women who were just doing a one-day walk.  The vegetation was rather jungle-y and lush.  Around 2pm it started pouring rain- we had just reached one of the pick-up points, so we sat at a table on a covered porch and had some snacks; the rain lasted about 40 minutes.  I bid them farewell at that point and continued another few hours to my lodging at Punga Cove resort.
  Beautiful spot- nice hot tub with a few- but a bit noisy!  Apparently there was a wedding party...
  The next day early on I met two women who were friends doing the trek together- they kindly let me join them- and they were awesome!  One is a winemaker in Australia, and the other a yoga instructor (with dance background) on the North Island of New Zealand.  Super nice and really lovely company.
  We walked together to Portage Bay; coming across great viewpoints along the way.

New Zealand pidgeon- great iridescent green in the feathers- and quite a large bird. 

There were lovely views of Marlborough Sound in many directions- often we were on a ridge with views of the water on both sides.

 My friends!

 Interesting ferns and fungi.

 A contemplative moment during a break.

 Really lovely birch forest areas.

 Nice coves.

 New Zealand Tui birds.

Nearing the end of the trek- sparkling aqua blue water through the trees.

Notes on the track-
  -you can also mountain bike it- it doesn't seem like it would be that hard or technical- there are some steep uphills though
  -contrary to the literature/brochures, there are not many places to buy food/get supplies along the way!  I found the resorts to be rather expensive- so I would recommend packing meals to cook (transported by boat in your main bag).

EDF