Picton to Havelock

• Start: @ km 1696
• End: @ km 1731.5
• Hiked: 35.5 km

We started our day with bakery treats from an awesome Dutch bakery (yay to being open at 6 am)! What could make the morning even better? Leah got a second interview with one of the schools in Zurich. And what could still make the morning better? The amazing public toilets by the pier that talked to you and played jazz music, of course. 

At the pier, we ran into Brittney (an american who we had met on the day of the dolphin magic) and Dennis (a german who it turns out we met at Apple Dam campground on the North Island). We all took the same boat over to Ship Cove, where we would begin the Queen Charlotte Track. The ferry ride was lovely. We sat on the top deck, front row. The views of the sounds / fjords were magical. 

When we got to Ship Cove, we had a quick look at the Cook Monument. This location was where Captain Cook had landed years earlier.

We didn’t actually start hiking until 10am. The track was well formed (especially compared to what we’ve seen in the past) and provided us with multiple lookout points that we could enjoy along the way. We passed some other day hikers along the way as well as some small settlements on the banks of the coves. We were curious about the home owners and what they did for work (or had done for work in the past to afford to stay here).

We enjoyed snack times one, two and three while sitting at picnic tables and enjoying the lookouts.

The cicadas were out in abundance, and poor Mathias hated the sound of them, especially when they are so loud!

As we walked, we kept seeing signs for ‘Eatwell lookout’ and that you shouldn’t miss it. It was said to be a ‘30min’ detour. We dropped our packs and raced up in 5mins. Totally worth it! Came back down happy to find the Wekas had not stolen our packs.

We got to camp with time to spare before sundown. There were four Swedes camping here as well who were already off to bed for the night. We enjoyed our dinner with a rocking view! This gave us the idea to wake up early the following day to catch the sunrise. Mathias stayed on guard; eyeing the Wekas to make sure they didn’t try to steal our things. A funny sign said something along the lines of: ‘If a Weka takes your things, don’t chase it. It will only make your things go further away from you. Instead watch where it goes and try to retrieve later. 

We ended the evening with some Anti-Flamme self care. :)

• Start: @ km 1731.5
• End: @ km 1765
• Hiked: 33.5 km

Last night we had our first opossum encounter. Leah had left a smelly granola bar wrapper in the hip-belt pocket of her bag and one curious and hungry opossum took a chance. Leah, startled by the noise (and still half asleep) started hitting the tent, which woke Mathias up who then put on his headlamp and came face to face with our visitor. The opossum was cool enough because it didn’t come back. 

We had decided to wake up early so we could see sunrise. We knew our campground had a great spot facing the East where we could sit and watch the sun come up from behind the mountains. Sunrise was beautiful. We ate breakfast overlooking the bays. Having a bit of time, and reception, we were able to Skype with Leah’s brother Jeremy and Anne. It’s sometimes hard to connect when your family and friends are on the other side of the world but it is so important for us to feel connected. We had been thinking about them for days, so finally being able to talk and see each other was so needed.

Before we left we talked with the Swedes who had stayed at the campground as well. They were asking us about what we eat on the TA. They were quite intrigued and had lots of questions. It’s fun to see the seed getting planted in the minds of future TA hikers. 

After our chats, we set off for the day aiming for the end of the Queen Charlotte track. Oh, Leah also heard back from the school in Zürich and has a second interview (so fingers crossed that goes well). The track was easy enough and filled with beautiful views. The cicadas were again too loud and annoying for Mathias so he opted to enjoy a podcast with his head phones.

Leah thought about family, and was feeling quite emotional. Talking with Jeremy and Anne made it even more real just how much she misses them. She had a little cry and felt thankful that Mathias was there to offer comfort and support.

We happened to have reception at the time and so took the opportunity to book a place to stay in Anakiwa. We needed reliable internet for Leah’s Skype interview and as Mathias pointed out, even if we could get reception at the campground, it might be a bit distracting interviewing at midnight (oh yeah, it was a late interview), wearing a head lamp while opossums and Wekas run around trying to steal stuff. 

Leah felt so much better after the cry, and after making a plan. She took off uphill and set a good pace. We enjoyed more beautiful views of the water below. 

At one point the Cicada madness was taken to a whole new level; there were hundreds flying around in the sky, whizzing by our faces and so loud! We were happy to quickly move on... thus finishing the Queen Charlotte Track...in two days! 

As we made our way into Anakiwa we were in awe! Right on the lake; so beautiful! We can’t believe that Nat and Tash actually live here and didn’t brag about it more.

The B&B was chill, but the internet seemed a little wonky. Also, a time/day for Leah’s second interview had not been confirmed. Two dates/times had been given, one of them being tonight at midnight (NZ time). Leah wanted to make herself available just incase. Time would tell.

We enjoyed a couscous dinner which was yum enough, in a communal kitchen and spoke with a couple of Germans (surprise, there are more Germans) who educated us about the aluminum smelters in the south of NZ very close to Bluff where the TA will end. 

Leah forced herself to stay up for an interview that might not happen. Spoiler alert: It didn’t happen 😩

Hopefully tomorrow will bring better luck.

• Start: @ km 1765
• End: @ km 1783.5
• Hiked: 18.5 km

It was an early wake up (and hard as there was not a lot of sleep last night and it was still dark this morning... who knew?!) We probably would have justified going back to sleep for a bit longer, but we had a morning coffee and catch up date with Tash (who we were super excited to see). Tash met us at the jetty and took us in to the world of the Outward Bound grounds. Tash and Nat’s partners work for Outward Bound and they all live ‘on campus’. We got to meet Tash’s partner, Hamish, who was just as lovely as she is. Their apartment (and energy) is awesome. Tash made us a big cup of coffee 🎉, we chatted a bunch, and then she gave us some tips about the day’s trek. Then it was time for farewell hugs. :(

We walked back to our B&B, ate breakfast, packed up and headed out.

Leah was stressing about what to do concerning interview #2. Anyone who has gone through the recruiting process knows this can be a ‘full-on’ time. Now add a thru hike to the mix. 😬😳 Will there be internet? Is my phone working? Did I mess something up? 

Stress or no stress, we must walk on. There was a pretty nice trail alternative parallel to the roads which was a welcomed treat and the track was mostly flat. We stopped for a snack break and mini nap/rest in a shady spot, which was needed because the heat was intense. 

During the next section, the original trail was closed due to a slip and had been rerouted. We got lost for a moment... but then we soon found our way. Yay!

The trail took us up a steep hill, but then rewarded us with beautiful views looking down on the water below. Oh, did we mention it was so hot?!

We finally made it in to Havelock and took a room at the Blue Bird Lodge. Leah had a quick pop over to the Four- Square and loaded up on hummus, crackers, juice and ice-cream. We then inhaled it all! 

Leah got to Skype with her dad and have a nice long catch up (which was needed). She also heard back from the school in Switzerland and a second interview time had been confirmed: it would be tonight.

We collected our first bump box that we had shipped from Wellington and assessed. We thought it looked pretty good, but made a list of a few items we could add before leaving tomorrow. We went back to Four Square to pick up said items, and soon realized that many TA hikers had done the same. Most of what we needed/wanted was sold out. Oh well.

We came back, had a nap, did laundry (Mathias did this, Leah just kept napping... thank you my love!, and headed back out for dinner where we ran into Tessa for beers, pizza and burgers.

Back at the lodge it was chill out time for Mathias and interview prep for Leah. The interview went well and made Leah feel even more excited about the school. But time will tell... it is out of her hands at this point.

Sleep. Hard.