Queen Charlotte Track DAY 1

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Ship Cove->Camp Bay Campsite

27 km - Overcast/Rainy

We took a ferry from the pier in Picton to the starting point of this hike at Ship Cove. During the ride we not only witnessed the green rolling mountains along Queen Charlotte Sound but also cute little penguins living on an isolated islands and groups of welcoming dolphins popping out of the water.

Dolphins

The trail was muddy from the rain with continuous ups and downs and some bridge crossings but we were rewarded with stunningly beautiful views of the sound every once a while. Even under the bad weather, the ocean still maintained its charming azure.

Unexpectedly, by the time when we finally reached our first destination, Camp Bay, it was already packed with a bunch of noisy middle school students led by their teacher to experience outdoor fun. We had a hard time finding a leftover flat ground to set up our tent. A young British volunteer who was maintaining the campsite there pointed us to a big patch of glowworms perching on the rock shimmering like countless small diamonds in the dark.