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Sunset over the calm water of the Marlborough Sounds and the silhouettes of wooded hills

Sample journey · 8–10 days

The top of the South: on foot through the Sounds to Golden Bay

Wellington, the Queen Charlotte Track, Marlborough's vineyards, Golden Bay & Nelson

Photo: Mark de Jong / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Most New Zealand journeys only pass through the top of the South Island: off the ferry at Picton and away towards the glaciers or Queenstown. This one stays for a week. It begins in Wellington and with the ferry, which spends its final hour winding between the hills of the Marlborough Sounds, then sets off on foot along the Queen Charlotte Track, following ridges between two sounds from one quiet lodge by the water to the next. Meanwhile a water taxi carries your luggage, so you walk with only a light daypack.

After the track comes Marlborough's wine valley, explored by bike between cellar doors, then over the hills to Golden Bay: long tidal sands, some of the clearest spring water in the country, Farewell Spit and Wharariki Beach with its rock arches. The journey suits active travellers and couples who enjoy eating well: track days run from four to seven hours but with no altitude or technical sections, and the evenings come with local wine, green-lipped mussels and a quiet view of the water. The stays range from track lodges in the coves to guesthouses among the vines.

The route

The journey

  1. Wellington
  2. Ferry to Picton
  3. The Queen Charlotte Track
  4. Anakiwa
  5. Marlborough wine country
  6. Tākaka Hill
  7. Golden Bay & Farewell Spit
  8. Nelson
  1. Passengers on a ferry deck looking towards the hills of the Marlborough Sounds near Picton

    01Days 1–2 · Wellington & Cook Strait

    Across the strait into the Sounds

    One night in Wellington, a compact capital between hills and harbour. In the afternoon, Te Papa, whose Māori and Pacific collections explain the country better than any guidebook, and in the evening a walk along the waterfront and the cable car up to the botanic garden. The next morning, the ferry across Cook Strait, about three and a half hours. The strait can be rough, but the last hour, between the hills of Queen Charlotte Sound, is usually calm and lovely: wooded slopes slide past the deck, the odd house by the water and, with luck, dolphins. At Picton a water taxi is waiting to take you to Ship Cove (Meretoto), where Captain Cook's ships anchored more than once in the eighteenth century.

  2. Green wooded hills above the still water of a sound in the Marlborough Sounds

    02Days 2–5 · The Queen Charlotte Track

    Along the ridge between two sounds

    Three nights in track lodges on the shores of the sounds. The first afternoon's section from Ship Cove is short, about two hours through coastal forest where inquisitive weka often appear among the tree ferns. On the second day the track climbs onto the ridge, with Queen Charlotte Sound on one side and Kenepuru Sound on the other, and a lodge by the water waiting in the evening. The third day is the longest: the ridge section to Portage, around six or seven hours, with the widest views of the whole track; for something shorter, a water taxi can take care of part of the way. On the fourth day, the last section down to Anakiwa: easier, but long, around five hours, so it too can be shortened by boat. Your bags travel by boat each day, and parts of the track cross private land, so a track pass is needed: we arrange it in advance.

  3. Rows of vines stretching towards rolling hills near Blenheim, Marlborough

    03Days 5–7 · Marlborough wine country

    By bike between the cellar doors

    From Anakiwa it's about three-quarters of an hour to the Wairau Valley and two nights in a guesthouse among the vines near Renwick. After three days on the track, legs will welcome a bike: the valley is flat, the lanes are quiet and the cellar doors sit only a few kilometres apart. This is where New Zealand's Sauvignon Blanc was born, but the Pinot Noir, Riesling and sparkling wines from the cooler side valleys are just as worth tasting. The next day, a slow lunch at a winery, a short hike in the Wither Hills with a view across the whole valley to the sea or, for the hungry, a trip to Havelock, where green-lipped mussels from the farms in the sounds are served every way imaginable. The evenings here are quiet and long.

  4. The wide sands of Wharariki Beach and two rocky islets offshore under a blue sky

    04Days 7–9 · Golden Bay & Farewell Spit

    In the island's far corner

    A longer travel day: about two hours to Nelson, lunch in town, then roughly two more on the winding road over marble-veined Tākaka Hill to Golden Bay. Two nights here, near Tākaka or Collingwood. The first stop is Te Waikoropupū Springs, among the clearest in the world; they are sacred to Māori, so we don't enter or touch the water and simply look from the paths. The next day, Farewell Spit, a long ribbon of dunes running out to sea: beyond the first few kilometres it can be visited only with a licensed guide, out to the lighthouse and, in season, the seabird colonies. In the afternoon, Wharariki Beach: around twenty minutes' walk across farmland, rock arches offshore and, in the rock pools, young fur seals often lazing about.

  5. An aerial view along the coast and sea back towards Nelson from Glenduan

    05Days 9–10 · Nelson

    A sunny town to finish

    Back over Tākaka Hill, with a stop at the lookout and, if you like, a short walk to the Ngarua Caves or the marble outcrops, and a final night in Nelson, one of the sunniest towns in the country. It's full of artists, potters and glassblowers' studios, and if the trip falls on a Saturday, the morning market is the best place for a last breakfast and a few gifts. In the afternoon it's worth climbing the hill known as the Centre of New Zealand: from the top there are the town, the harbour and Tasman Bay. On the last day, a short domestic flight from Nelson to Auckland or Wellington for the journey home.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The ferry into the Sounds

    The ferry's last hour between the hills of Queen Charlotte Sound: the loveliest of introductions to the South Island.

  2. 02

    A track without the luggage

    Three days on the ridges between two sounds while a boat carries your things from lodge to lodge.

  3. 03

    The Wairau Valley by bike

    Flat lanes, cellar doors side by side and green-lipped mussels from the sounds.

  4. 04

    Farewell Spit & Wharariki

    A ribbon of dunes into the sea with a guide, and a beach where young fur seals often rest in the rock pools.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • An easier track

    The long ridge day can be shortened by water taxi, or the track walked for just two days, with the rest of the time spent kayaking in the sounds.

  • With Abel Tasman

    Two extra days would add Abel Tasman National Park: kayaking along its golden coves and walking back.

  • In another season

    In spring and autumn the track is quieter, and autumn brings the harvest to the vineyards; in summer (December to February) the lodges fill early.

  • On to the south

    From Nelson the road leads on to the West Coast and the glaciers, so the journey continues naturally with a week or two around the South Island.

Practical considerations

  • The easiest time is roughly October to April. This corner of New Zealand is known for its sunshine, but the weather here, as everywhere in the country, changes quickly, and Cook Strait sailings are sometimes cancelled in high winds.
  • The Queen Charlotte Track needs no technical skills, but the longer days with climbs call for good fitness; in some seasons parts of the track are shared with mountain bikers. We check current track pass and luggage-transfer arrangements before you travel.
  • Beyond the first few kilometres, Farewell Spit can be visited only with a licensed guide, and trip times depend on the tides.
  • Te Waikoropupū Springs are sacred to Māori: the water is not touched, and visitors keep to the paths and signs.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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