What Makes A Great Walk?
Walking New Zealand|August 2017

How do you create an iconic walking trail? First, take a pinch of initiative, a handful of funding and a bucketful of foresight.

Juliet Gibbons
What Makes A Great Walk?

Mix this together with a breathtakingly unique natural environment and then throw in an historic site of international significance for good measure. Journalist turned track guide and owner of Wilderness Guides Marlborough Sounds Juliet Gibbons deliberates on the ingredients that make the Queen Charlotte Track a great New Zealand walk . . .

Most New Zealanders who walk the Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough Sounds are surprised to find out that it isn’t one of the Department of Conservation’s official Great Walks. In the minds of many, it is one already.

Located in the Marlborough Sounds and accessed by boat from the seaside town of Picton, the Queen Charlotte Track entices walkers from all around the world.

Wilderness Guides have spent the past 18 years hosting walkers to experience the Queen Charlotte Track and have packages to suit all tastes and budgets. From family trips to backpacker style accommodation options combining hiking with kayaking and mountain biking through to the premier hotel and boutique lodge guided and independent walks, there is something for everyone. All feature the Queen Charlotte Track’s unique bag transfer system meaning you walk with just a day pack along the way.

This story is from the August 2017 edition of Walking New Zealand.

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This story is from the August 2017 edition of Walking New Zealand.

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