Queen Charlotte Trail

BUT: The section between Ship Cove and Camp Bay is closed for riding from the beginning of December to the end of February every year!

AND: As of 1 July 2010 a Queen Charlotte Track Land Cooperative (Q.C.T.L.C.) Pass is required for all Q.C.T.L.C. private land between Kenepuru Saddle, Torea Saddle, Te Mahia Saddle and Anakiwa. The Pass fee is to help contribute to the track maintenance particularly on the private landholdings. Pass prices are as folows:

The Queen Charlotte rides starts at Ship Cove which is gained via a 50 minute (approximately) water taxi from Picton. Beachcomber Cruises offer an exclusive NZbyBike readers rate of $50 per person including bike to either Ship Cove or Resolution Bay.

You can not camp at Ship Cove but there are toilets there. The ride out of Ship Cove is the first, and hardest, of two long climbs this day (both 230 meter ascents) and some people choose to miss this first section instead starting the ride at Resolution Bay (a good option if it has been raining as the track from Ship Cove can in fact be very muddy). We think this is cheating and besides you will miss the stunning views from Ship Cove Platform which on a clear day will be all the way up the west coast of the North Island as far as Kapiti Island and the south to the Seaward Kaikoura mountains. An alternative is to leave the majority of your gear in Resolution Bay and pick it up when you ride through a few hours later - there is also a hose at the end of the jetty for water if you consumed your whole days ration on the first climb.

Captain Cook sailed the HMS Endeavour into Ship Cove on January 17th, 1770 and was to return many times over the next seven years while he explored New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Once you get over the initial slog out of Ships Cove day 1 is glorious single track in native bush, in and out of all the coves and inlets on your way to Endeavour Inlet. Apart from the hard hill out of Ship Cove there is only one other significant climb on this first day although it is nowhere near as steep as the track gradually climbs another 230 meters from Resolution Bay to Tawa Saddle before a lovely ride down into Endeavour Inlet. There is a huge range of accommodation and eating options at Endeavour Inlet including a camping ground at Miners at the head of Endeavour Inlet. The days total ride time will be between 4 and 6 hours depending on how far along Endeavour Inlet you choose your accommodation.

The start of Day 2 follows the coastline over some more technical single track round to Camp Bay before a bit of an uphill grunt along a ridge line on excellent trails with wonderful views into Queen Charlotte and Kenepuru Sounds before an awesome descent into Portage. Take your time exploring the head of Endeavour Inlet which was a large village in the late 19th Century supporting mining for the precious metal, antimony. The track follows the coastline around and through Big Bay to Camp Bay, where there are some accommodation options.

The ride along the ridgeline is a wide track however there are lots of very short steep climbs as the trail undulates, and it is also quite exposed. Two easier options are to join the Kenepuru Road at Kenepuru Saddle or even from Camp Bay, which keeps you at sea level. If you do take the easier option you will probably be able to make it back to Picton on this day. Otherwise todays ride will take you about 4 hours to 6 hours. There are lots of accommodation options in and around Portage, Te Mahia and Torea Sadle.

The final day takes you from your overnight stop to Anakiwa and back to Picton. From Portage it starts with one hell of a climb up to Te Mahia saddle before great trails pretty much all the way downhill to Anakiwa - getting progressively wider and easier as you go. It is possible to avoid the climb by staying on the Kenepuru Road at sea level through to Mistletoe Bay.

There is accommodation options in Anakiwa. you can take pre-arranged bus or boat transfers back to Picton or it is a leisurely road ride along the Queen Charlotte Drive for 23 kilometers (about 2 hours) to return to Picton.

It is possible to arrange with one of the many tour companies or the water taxis to move your gear between accommodation also.