Queen Charlotte Track from Ship Cove to Camp Bay Campsite
Hiking time: 09:30a.m.-05:30p.m. (including brakes)
Daily/Total distance: 27km/27km
Steps: 38984
Weather: sunny with few clouds at the start

Well, even though I went to bed quite early last night, there where some inconsiderate other guests arriving after 12am, who turned on the light and packed their things rather loudly for an hour. So much for getting a good night’s sleep.

I got up at 7am, taking all of my things out of the room, being considered and packing in the lounge area. It took me about 30 min to get everything sorted out. As I went back to the room to trap my final things as well as my charging phone, I heard a familiar tune and realised, that my second alarm had set off and had been ringing for about 3 min already. Well, paybacks a bitch!

At 7:45am I left with everything packed and a few toasts for breakfast towards the harbour for my water taxi. Got there just in time to check in and board. The boat was filled with a few hikers as well as a lot of day visitors by the look of it. Got myself set up on the top deck at the front for a nice and easy 90 min boat ride. Towards the end I decided to already apply sunblock and use the loo one last time to be all set upon arrival.

We got to ship cove just before 9:30am.

Everyone else went towards the monument there to look around. But as I had already seen that the last time I was here I decided to get going.

The beginning of the track was a bit rerouted from the last time I was here. There is now a more gradual ascent. I quite soon though felt the heavy weight of my pack as well as the blazing sun and cursed myself for not getting a bit more training done before. But there just was no time. My feet were soon getting quite sore and I have to stop quite often for a small break just leaning on my poles. I am already glad to have brought these poles. As I am just starting out, I have also not yet found the right tramping speed and am either going to fast or to slow for me to feel comfortably. But I know from experience that this will settle within a short time.

Within 90 min I passed the first camp ground. Everyone else who was ahead of me had stopped here for a break and some food. I am not hungry yet though so I decided to venture on. The track continued to go up and down along the sound and the views are gorgeous.

The sun is really hot though and I am not yet tanned enough so I need to reapply sin lock every now and then. Even though the sun is blazing, I soon took my cap off as my head gets too hot underneath. A buff keeping the hair out of my face is enough.

I was starting to get hungry around noon. Even though there were good break opportunities about every 30 mins before, now I just couldn’t seem to find any. So I continued munching on muesli bars as well as gummy bears. The muesli bars here taste really bad though and I am already craving the good ones from corny already. But I know that some natures valley oat bars are waiting for me in my parcel in Pelorus Bridge.

Around 1:30pm I finally stopped for lunch. I stopped near a small creek in order to cool my sore feet in the water while eating. Bring on the cheese and crackers. It is so weird that the cheddar cheese here in New Zealand is called tasty. After some time I realised that my feet were getting really cold in the water. Taking them out I now had ice blocks on the end of my legs;) It was a bit painful until I got them warmed up again walking.

After countless more steps and kilometers I finally reached my place for the night, Camp Bay, at 5:30 pm. After a total time of 8 hours, including breaks, even though the sign suggested it would take 10h. There were already quite a few people here, who did not arrive on the boat with me that morning. They must have started the QCT last night and stopped at the first Camp ground.

I set up my tent and then set out for the ocean to wash the sweat and sunblock off. I left my towel close to where I got in, so as to be able to dry myself fast after getting out. The wind had other ideas though and blew my towel right into the ocean. Now I had a soaking wet towel -.-

Back at the camp I paid the fees, covered myself in sandfly repellent and ate my dinner of wraps with chicken, cheese and spinach. Looked way to healthy for a hike meal.

At the cooking shelter I met all the others also staying at the camp ground. Some had just come back from a closely restaurant where you get free chips as a TA hiker. But I need to get rid of the food I am carrying to reduce my pack weight.

It was interesting meeting the others though. Some were just doing the QCT, some are doing the TA on the South Island and some have already finished the North Island and are now starting the South. We stayed up until sundown, with the newbies staying up longer than the seasoned hikers. I left to go to my tent around 9 only to spend probably another hour sorting through my things and reorganize everything. I will need to get a routine down to get everything done faster.