3 Day Hike Bike and Kayak on Queen Charlotte Sounds

Highlights

• Experience all three options of exploring the Marlborough Sounds - hike, bike and kayak
• Incredible way to explore this natural playground
• This is a must-see region to discover

Delve into this natural playground in the Marlborough Sounds for a three day/two night adventure along the Queen Charlotte Track. With accommodation included, explore the region by land and sea with hiking, cycling and kayaking legs of the adventure.

What's Included?

• 2 nights’ twin share accommodation
• Mountain bike hire including helmet, pump and repair kit
• Kayak hire
• Safety equipment including buoyancy aids, spray decks, paddle jackets, paddles, dry bags for your gear (including small camera dry bags) and extensive safety equipment including flares, pumps and spare paddle.
• Water transport to the track
• Luggage transfers
• Information pack including track guide and map
• Private land access pass
• Lunch each day

Day 1: Make your way to Picton waterfront for an extensive pre-tour briefing before boarding your water taxi to Ship Cove where you will being a walk along the Queen Charlotte Track. This scenic and historic reserve was a favourite anchorage for Captain Cook during his explorations in the 1770s as well as being a site of significance for local Maori. Bush is mainly a mixture of stunning podocarp and beech forest with punga ferns and other New Zealand native foliage. This day is regarded as the premier section of the Queen Charlotte Track. Your walk concludes at the historic Furneaux Lodge where you catch a water taxi across Endeavour Inlet to Punga Cove.

Day 2: Collect your mountain bikes and ride from Camp Bay or Portage Bay. You’ll ascend to the main Queen Charlotte Track along the exposed ridgeline with stunning views over both the Kenepuru and Queen Charlotte Sounds. Enjoy a welcome stop at the Bay of Many Coves. The track is both wide and steep with some rocky areas, along with lots of undulation and short steep hill climbs to challenge you - but the views are most definitely worth the effort. Take a break at Black Rock Shelter before the final hills and then descend to Torea Saddle and down the road to Portage Bay.

Day 3: Your kayak is delivered to Torea Bay in the morning (near Portage) for your independent kayak around the picturesque bays and coves of Queen Charlotte Sound concluding to either Ngakuta Bay or Picton Harbour (depending on the weather). There are numerous bays and coves to explore along the way and lunch can be had at a secluded beach of your choice. Be on the look-out for dolphins and little blue penguins as well as New Zealand fur seals on the points you pass.

Please note that lunches are included each day. Breakfast and dinner can be arranged at the various lodges along the track.

The accommodation portion of the trip is always on Request - please book well in advance to avoid disappointment and allow for a couple of preferred dates for this to go ahead as we cannot guarantee availability.

This experience is part of the Responsible Range as it holds a Qualmark Enviro-Gold endorsement and is actively involved in local conservation projects.

Session Length

Please allow two nights and three days for this experience.