New Zealand Week 3: the West Coast, Queen Charlotte Track & Marlborough Sounds

Week 3 was a whirlwind! We've been on the road and trail a ton and taking in so much of the South Island. We've seen countless weka (flightless birds), rainforests, rugged beaches, and even manta rays. We've also been in really isolated pockets of the country for this past stretch. As much as I love big nature, I have been feeling the itch to get into a more urban setting with some of my creature comforts, like a cozy coffee shop and yoga studio. Very thankful Wellington is coming up!

So let's rewind to the beginning of week 3!

After our two days in Franz Josef, we drove three hours north up the west coast to what felt like the middle of nowhere-- just us and the ocean. The coastline here was absolutely stunning. Just miles and miles of deserted rocky beaches.

We stayed in a retro little bach (what New Zealanders call a beach house) perched right above a private beach. In classic Kiwi beach house fashion, it was simple, lived-in, and surrounded by nature. We cooked all our meals here and generally spent time walking the coast and watching the rainstorms roll across the ocean.

This stretch of coast is also home to Paparoa National Park, which is known for its dramatic limestone cliffs. We visited the famous Pancake Rocks and Blowholes within the national park, which are these crazy looking limestone formations made from the buildup of seashells and skeletons of tiny sea creatures over millions of years. When the seas are rough, the waves slam into the cliffs and and spray up through the vertical shafts in the rocks -- a very cool sight.

Overlooking the coast at Paparoa National Park

The Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki

After two days at our sea bach on the West Coast, we headed four hours northwest to Marlborough Sounds at the top of the South Island-- a part of New Zealand I was especially excited to explore. First because the Marlborough Sounds themselves are amazing visually. The Sounds are a coastal region at the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island, and they are made up of ancient sunken river valleys that have been flooded by the sea creating a vast network of water channels, sheltered coves and amazing hiking trails in the coastal ridgelines above. And second because Marlborough is also a world famous sauvignon blanc region and New Zealand's largest wine region.

On day 1 of our arrival in Marlborough, we stopped in the town of Blenheim to indulge in some of the local flavors: fresh mussels and a wine tasting, of course ;) The seafood we've had in this region has been next level.

On day 2, we headed out for our 3-day trek on the Queen Charlotte Track. The Queen Charlotte Track is a 44-mile hike around the Marlborough Sounds and is known for really beautiful calm water, dramatic ridgelines, and rich wildlife like manta rays and bellbirds.

For us, we had some crazy weather to welcome us on track! The morning began early with a very wet and very bumpy boat ride to the start of the track. We hiked 10.5 miles (5 very soggy hours) through nonstop downpour and safe to say this is the wettest I've ever been. Thank goodness for drying rooms!

My only photo from day 1 on the Queen Charlotte Track. This was right after the water taxi dropped us off and before we embarked on the five rainy hours to stop 1: Furneaux Lodge.

But a hot shower and rainy dip in tub at Furneaux Lodge fixed us right up. Our first evening, the sun peeked back out and we were gifted with a golden hour sunset on the dock! One of the best parts of this track is that they have beautiful lodges to stay at each evening. In the morning, they send you off with a packed lunch and hiking directions to your next lodge.

At Furneaux Lodge

So happy the sun finally decided to join us

Sunset over Endeavour Inlet

On day 2 of the Queen Charlotte Track we woke up to calm waters, sunny skies and soo much beautiful bird song after all the rain! This was our leisurely day on track and it was just 7 miles to the iconic Punga Cove Lodge, where I kayaked with manta rays and Jason took a fairly icy dip in the ocean. I've never seen this many manta rays and it was so cool to be the only boat out there among them!

Our third and final hiking day on the Queen Charlotte was our biggest yet—15.7 miles taking us from Punga Cove to Torea Saddle and across some truly spectacular ridgeline views. Jason and I agreed that this was our favorite of the 3 hiking days on the Queen Charlotte.

Taking a short siesta at mile 12

Awarded with some amazing views as we finished ~35 miles on the Queen Charlotte!

We wrapped up week 3 feeling accomplished, sleepy, and bittersweet to be saying goodbye to the South Island! After a quick overnight for some much needed rest, we are boarding our trusty car (Rasheed the Rav4!) onto the Interislander ferry for the 3.5 hour crossing to the North Island. The Cook Straight is famously rough... wish us luck!!