On Wednesday I took the boat from Picton to Ship's Cove at the start of the Queen Charlotte Track. With me I had my trusty monster pack, weighing over 20kg.
The boat drops you at Ship's Cove about 10am. Here, Captain Cook stopped several times during his three voyages to the Pacific, and he spent about 100 days here in all. He found this an hospitable coast and rapidly established trade relationships with local Maori. It has been speculated that the iwi here were accustomed to trade being at the main 'crossroads' between the two main islands. This view has North Island in the background, and on a clear day you can see Kapiti Island which is just south of Foxton, where we stayed before going to Wellington. That's how close it is.