November 17: Queen Charlotte Track - Lochmara Bay to Anakiwa

 What a perfect day for a hike on our last day on the Queen Charlotte Track! Our 11.5 mile route today started off with a 2 mile hike uphill from our lodging at Lochmara Lodge to rejoin the Queen Charlottec track. Once back on the trail we had some additional climbing to do to reach the ridge line where we could see down onto the Queen Charlotte Sound on one side and Kenepuru Sound on the other. The last part of the track was a gentle downhill into Anakiwa where we took a water taxi back to Picton and the end of this piece of our journey. Total elevation was @ 1800 feet.

The scenery on both the Abel Tasman and Queen Charlotte tracks has been stunning and the area is pristine. As we enjoyed the lush beauty of our surroundings each day, we also had the thrill of being serenaded by birdsong along the way. What lovely memories we have to carry home with us!

Tomorrow we have a 6-hour bus ride to Christchurch where we’ll continue our adventure on a trans alpine train before meeting up with Brent, Ashley and grandkids on Friday for more touring of New Zealand’s South Island.

Looking down onto Lochmara Bay








Mistletoe Bay

Looking toward Anakiwa








And then, there’s this!




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