Where is the Queen Charlotte Track?

The Queen Charlotte Track is located in Marlborough, New Zealand at the north Eastern tip of the country's south island. The 70km long track stretches from the historic Meretoto/Ship Cove in the north, all the way down to Anakiwa in the south, nestled in the Grove Arm of Queen Charlotte Sound, traversing almost the entire length of Queen Charlotte Sound. Making you way along the track, you will find yourself surrounded by rich and healthy native bushland, with incredible views of impeccable white sand beaches, and the sapphire blue ocean. The elevation is highly varied, ranging from zero metres, to 470 metres at the Ridgeline near Bay of Many Coves Resort.

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The setting of the Queen Charlotte Track is an amazingly unique and highly diverse coastal environment, with plentiful vegetation of many varieties growing strong along the track. Witnessing the coexistence of so many plant species, from subtropical rainforest to pasture lands on their way to full regeneration provides a special look into the workings of the country's native bush ecosystem. You'll find the absolute best examples of untouched forestry in the Marlborough Sounds up near Ship Cove in the north, where many of the tallest trees are said to have been mature 250 years ago when Captain Cook first visited the land. Some sections of the track is land which has been farmed and is reflowering back towards its former glory, boasting kanuka and manuka trees, and the majestic tutukiwi, a native and rare green hooded orchid.

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Keep your eyes open to insure you catch a glimpse of the wildlife too! The Queen Charlotte Track is visited by dolphins, penguins, albatross and other seabirds, as well as fur seals. Find New Zealand's flightless bird, the weka plodding along the trail, as well as sleek grey warblers, and the kereru, New Zealand's native pigeon. The Queen Charlotte Track is certainly placed amongst a wonderland of nature, where so much beauty collides.

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The location of The Queen Charlotte Track is steeped in a historic Maori and European setting. For some 800 years, Maori have occupied the Sounds, known to them as Totaranui. The importance stemmed on the provisions it bestowed from bountiful seafood and many sheltered inlets that sustained their culture and way of life. It wasn't until 1770 that Captain James Cook, the first European to set foot ashore amid the Sounds, had anchored in Ship Cove from 1770 to 1777, naming the sound Queen Charlotte, after the wife of King George the third. Prior to the walking track we all know and love today, the series of once uncoonected trails were mainly used for transporting goods, moving stock and coastal watches during World War II. In 1987, the maintenace of the track was taken over by the Department of Conservation, where 150 men and the help of the New Zealand Air Force were sent out to help assist in a major restoration and clean-up before the track was officially opened in 1991 as the then named, Queen Charlotte Walkway.

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