Queen Charlotte Track – Captain Cook Guided 1 Day Walk
Features:
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- Cruise calm sheltered waters of the Queen Charlotte Sound
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Take an E-Ko Tour!
A portion of each tour fee goes back into conservation
Tour info in brief
| 9.5 hours | |
| Daily Departures: |
8.00 AM |
| Pricing: | Adult: $399 (16+ years) Child: $310 (5 – 15 years) Infant: $80 (0 – 4 years) |
| Location: | 1 Wellington Street Picton |
| Briefing: | 7.45 AM |
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About the Tour
Queen Charlotte Track – Captain Cook 1 Day Guided Walk
After your visit to Motuara Island, New Zealand’s highest producing Predator FREE Sanctuary, the tour takes you to Ships Cove, Captain Cook’s favourite spot in the pacific.
Then you can walk the BEST of Queen Charlotte Track or go to Cooks Waterfall Guided. Or you can stay at Ships Cove and snorkel with the eagle rays; lots of choices.
These trails are the only section of the original native bush that is up to 40m tall .Kupe arrived in Meretoto 1200 years ago and used to forage for food on this trail, and Captain Cook interacted with his descendants over 250 years ago here
What to expect
The Experience Begins
The tour begins with a fully guided Wildlife Boat experience. You will witness many species of sea birds, dolphins, and seals on your way to Motuara Island, New Zealand’s Premier Predator-Free island. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to take a one-hour guided walk on this Department of Conservation breeding reserve, where rare and endangered species (Taonga) are bred and then translocated to other locations in New Zealand. Then head to Ships Cove / Meretoto, where New Zealand’s first Maori/ European relations thrived, with Cook spending 170 days locally with the friendly Ngtai Kua Tribe.
Welcome to Motuara Island
Motuara Island is 100% predator-free and is home to some rare species, such as the yellow-crowned Parakeet and Saddleback. Explore the island on your own or go with our knowledgeable World Cetacean Alliance Qualified Marine Guide, who will point out and describe the resident blue penguins, rare saddleback, melodic bellbirds, cheeky robins, native pigeons and yellow-crowned parakeets (kakariki). If it’s a clear day, you can also spot the North Island in the distance. The view from the Cook Strait lookout is spectacular!
Friendly Birds
The birds on this predator-free island are fearless, plentiful and very vocal, and many are still rare or Endangered Species. It’s not unusual for you to be able to get very close to these fantastic creatures – there’ll be plenty of photo opportunities. Our expert Queen Charlotte Track guides will be with you all the way. Our team is passionate about the local environment and loves sharing its unique aspects with our small groups.
Historical Significance
Motuara Island was significant for Maori. At the southern tip of Motuara Island is the smaller Hippa Island, which was the site of a pre-European Maori Pa. Motuara Island was where, in 1770, Captain Cook proclaimed British sovereignty over the South Island.
Refreshments before Queen Charlotte Track
After returning to the boat, please sit back and relax with a hot drink and cookies before making our way back to Ships Cove for the second part of your Adventure for your Soul :
Queen Charlotte Track Walk / Waterfall and Captain Cook’s campsite
After you visit Motuara Island, the tour takes you to Ship Cove, where you can enjoy an easy 5km loop walk through Virgin bush back to Meretoto or Ship Cove. This trail is the only section of the original native bush up to 40m tall, serving on the Queen Charlotte Track. Kupe arrived in Meretoto 1200 years ago and used to forage for food on this trail, stopping to pay his respects to the forest giants that still exist today. Captain cook
Lunch at Meretoto/ Ships Cove
Enjoy the Pinot Gris wine we have provided to savour this fantastic location’s essence and a gourmet lunch. From the first Māori basing themselves here to Captain Cook establishing three voyages around the Pacific, staying 170 days over nine years from 1770, this location is rich in history and culture. Learn about Captain Cook’s time here with the DOC information signs and your knowledgable Guide.
Captain Cook Experience
At Ships Cove / Meretoto, there are even more incredible experiences waiting for you. You can wade into the beach where Cook pulled his ship ashore and enjoy the company of young stingrays. We also provide wetsuit masks and snorkels if you want to get into the sea and enjoy these animals closer. It’s a unique opportunity to interact with these fascinating creatures up close. If you’re feeling thirsty, you can drink water from the stream, which provided water to the Nagtai Kuia Tribe and Captain Cook’s men. With Cook’s arrival, this creek nurtured the first vegetable patch in New Zealand, which he used to nurse his men back to health. It then made the first beer in New Zealand, adding to the history and culture of this location.
Legends and Facts on Display at Ships Cove / Meretoto
The stories and history of Ships Cove /Meretoto are displayed in Department of Conservation interpretation signs and toilets. There is a sheltered eating area, a long pier for swimming access and boats, and a short waterfall trail for your pleasure. Alternatively, you can use the custom-made seats to enjoy the local glass of wine, food and soak in the Mana, and replenish your Soul’s Mauri (life force). Read More
If you like to stretch your legs and have a few days to spare, or just have one day to see the highlights, you’ll definitely want to put the Queen Charlotte Track on your itinerary. Sometimes referred to as the Queen Charlotte Sound walk, this is a not-to-be-missed hiking experience that will let you take in the scenery as you go and this location provides the best experience.
You will touch, see, hear and feel in this experience. We will transport you back in time to an ancient forest that you will walk through and be guided and embrace the beauty of Ships Cove.
To top off this experience, you can choose for your afternoon lunch local cuisine – meat, fish, or vegetarian options. This inclusive package also includes local high-quality wine. This kai (food) you do not have to carry as we will hand-deliver it to Meretoto, where you can relax, walk to a waterfall, go snorkeling, walk on the beach, play with local stingrays, read the information panels, go for a swim, or just drink wine, and take in the mana and mauri (life force) of this amazing location. Be careful of the cheeky gang of Weka – they will try and take your kai (food).
The day finishes with a cruise back down the Sound to arrive back in Picton fulfilled, empowered, and spiritually richer for walking in Kupes’ footsteps.
Your Guide to Our Queen Charlotte Tour
With two departures a day at 8am (safety briefings 15 mins before departure) and pick up back at Ship Cove at 4.15pm, visitors can enjoy the flexibility of a full day seeing just the best and NOT walking to far.
Tour Times ⏰
- Briefing: 7.45 AM,
- Departure: 8.00 AM
- Duration: 9.5 hours
What to bring
- Sunhat
- Sunblock
- Good walking shoes
- Water
- Raincoat
- Daybag
- Phone for Audio Book to Download
Where are we?
We are located conveniently on Picton’s main waterfront with car parking close by and only a 1-minute walk from the main street.
Just look for the Dusky Dolphin outside our shop.
Before your tour starts feel free to take a seat inside the shop or outside on our sun drenched deck and enjoy the stunning views.
Customers can also get online with our free WiFi, and purchase a tea or coffee to enjoy on the deck.
You will Never Miss your Ferry
Our tour schedules are integrated with the Interislander – so there is no chance that you’ll miss your ferry.
What people are saying about us
“Quality Wildlife Tour”
Trip Advisor – 5 STAR ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 23 May 2017 We were lucky enough to head out with e-Ko Tours recently on a perfect late autumn day with not a cloud in the sky. We’d considered carefully which cruise company to go with and were not disappointed… The boat was well appointed and comfortable with space for everyone to move around easily. Paul, the skipper, was friendly and fun to chat to and Tristram, our guide, was superbly knowledgeable about everything we saw during our 4 hour trip to Motuara Island and back. Also much appreciated were the thoughtful hands up and down from boat to jetty, myself being not the agilest. Little things that make a big difference. We saw a wealth of wildlife whilst on our trip – 2 species of dolphin, the Hector’s were absolutely delightful as they played right around the boat, rolling to look up at us! And fur seals, rare shags, petrels, gannets, moon jellyfish, and on the island – Saddlebacks, Black Robins, Bellbirds, Wax-eyes, Fantails, and Kakariki. I advise sitting quietly by the “bird bath” – water source where the birdlife comes to bathe and drink – for best viewing of birds. It was incredible to listen to the birdsong in the bush, something that is sadly a thing of the past in so many places. Thank goodness for predator-free sanctuaries such as this. It was a most memorable day and I thoroughly recommend E-Ko Tours.
“Great team of people”
FACEBOOK – 5 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sam Fox reviewed E-Ko Tours – May 22 · Great team of people – who all worked hard to make sure we enjoyed a fab day out. The boat is really comfortable and well set up, the commentary by Tristram was really well delivered and interesting, further enhancing our experience. We were lucky enough to see many rare bird species both at sea and on Motuara Island, plus NZ Fur Seals and both Hectors and Dusky Dolphins which was just amazing. Paul, the captain, went out of his way to find the Hectors Dolphins – which capped our day off beautifully! If you are looking for a quality wildlife experience these are your guys!
“Awesome tour!”
FACEBOOK – 5 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Laura Keereweer reviewed E-Ko Tours – December 11, Awesome tour! Nice boat, great skipper, and guide. Both know a lot about the area and about the wildlife. Enthusiastic and fun! Spotted dolphins within the first 20 minutes and was a great experience! ? Thanks so much, guys, would definitely recommend you to all people visiting NZ!