Our long awaited trip to Queen Charlotte Sound arrived in early March. We had booked the Bluebridge night time sailing. On the boat by 11, sleep in a cabin until 6, leave the boat to find breakfast in a cosy café, catch water taxi at 8. In theory. The Bluebridge was late arriving in Wellington and we sat with a number of good natured folks talking and playing on our phones on the hard plastic seats in the waiting room. Sleep didn't happen till after 1.30.g on our phones. The sailing was unadventurous and so we slept peacefully only waken for a moment as the boat entered Cook Strait and encountered a small swell.
We found a breakfast spot (first in and desperate for that tea and toast) but we settled down and waited patiently for our orders. We had been to this café before - the food is pretty good - but the owner runs the place with an iron fist. The staff don't seem happy and very quickly the queue grows as the owner takes orders and money and hands out counter food - everyone has their specific tasks and you don't go near hers.
Over to the Wilderness building where they gave us our packed lunch in a brown paper bag and a short briefing and then on to the taxi boat, where I definitely slept. Great lunch by the way.
Our first day we walked and talked. The rather large weka came to say hello as he waited for the taxi boat captain to give him his daily fruit cake (shouldn't the tourist industry know better?). The first steep part from Ships Cove has been replaced by a much longer but gentler path (I heard that this was in their attempt to get accepted as a Great Walk - which didn't happen due to the resistant private land owners further along the track). In some ways, I missed that first part - I enjoyed the climbing over steep steps, tree roots and rocks. Beautiful scenery.
First night we spent at Furneaux. Accommodation was pretty luxurious and we appreciated sitting outside in the sun, the huge kingsize bed and kitchen facilities. Food at the restaurant was o.k, but possibly could have had a few more veges to fuel up the walkers for the next day.
Day Two - over the only spring bridge and through some wonderful scenery.
It was meant to be the easiest day, but I started to flag and felt disappointed considering how much training I had done. But that night after a spa and a meal I knew why. I came down with a fever and that was the end of my walk. Don and Judy continued, while Harry (who had always planned to do the first two days only) and I caught the water taxi to the Portage (I guess there are worse places to spend a day in bed) and then the next day went to Picton. We managed to get the 1.00 ferry from Picton (rather than wait for the evening sailing) and I slept most of the way except for the time I had an icecream. A disappointing end but not much I could do about it. A few people said to me "hope it isn't COVID" and although I was pretty sure it wasn't (and later on the doctor didn't think so either) I did make sure I kept my hands clean so I didn't spread it (not successfully because both Don and Judy came down with it after their holiday).
So Harry and I are planning eventually to have our third stab at finishing the walk. We just might start from Punga Cove and make it a 2 day walk rather than a 4 day one.
