Kayaking Queen Charlotte Sound in Marlborough Sound and Hiking the Queen Charlotte Track
Day 1 in Picton was a full day. We kayaked in the morning and hiked in the afternoon. Our original plan was to kayak one day and hike the next, but when researching the cost of water taxis to bring us to the Queen Charlotte Track, we concluded that becoming our own water taxi was a much cheaper way to go!
Our kayak trip began in Anakiwa and followed the coast to Mistletoe Bay. It was guided by a very knowledgeable young man. We learned much from him about the flora, fauna and history of the area.
We were able to spot quite a few birds. Most of them were quite shy about posing for pictures, but we managed to get a couple. We spied three types of Shags (cormorants), the Pied, Spotted and the rare Little shag. We also saw a Sacred kingfisher, White faced heron, Oystercatchers, Black backed gulls and heard the beautiful song and captured a picture of the charming Bellbird. We even spotted a stingray in the shallows. I would highly recommend Sea Kayaking Adventures to anyone venturing to this area.
After arriving in Mistletoe Bay, we continued our day by returning to Anakiwa on foot along the Queen Charlotte track. The track provided us with many glorious vistas of the bay as we made our way back to our car. The 12 km hike was a much less strenuous walk than the Escarpment Track (whew!)
Day 2 in Picton was a non physical day unless you consider raising your glass of wine to your mouth numerous times exercise 🥂😆.
We travelled to Blenheim, 30 km south of Picton for a winery tour. Blenheim is in a valley region that is premium country for growing wine grapes. Therefore, many wineries. New Zealand's soil and temperatures are more well suited for growing white wine grapes, so most of the wines we tasted were whites. We learned so much and met a number of wonderfully gracious and knowledgeable sommeliers. It was a surprisingly fun day. I think even Stubby, the non wine drinker managed to have fun.
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