Know before you go

Plan, prepare and equip yourself well. Have the right gear and skills required for the trip and always check the latest information about facilities you plan to use and local weather conditions. 

Dogs

• You can walk your dog between Anakiwa and Davies Bay only. A permit is required. Contact the local DOC office.
• Dogs must be on a leash at all times.
• Dogs are not permitted elsewhere on the Queen Charlotte Track or on any of the walking and tramping tracks off it.
• Landowners adjacent to the track and hunters using it for access to hunting areas can apply for a dog permit for limited dog access on other parts of the track.

Fire

• No open fires are allowed along the Queen Charlotte Track.
• Campers need to use portable cookers.
• During periods of extreme drought and high fire risk, the track may be closed.

Water

• Some sections have limited water, especially during drought conditions. Always carry enough water for the day with you.
• Giardia and other waterborne diseases may be present in the water at the campsites or in the streams. All water should be treated, filtered or boiled for 3 minutes to make it safe to drink.
• Don’t use soap in streams.
• Water taps are provided at the DOC campsites and washing sinks are provided in the cooking shelters. This water is not safe to drink.
• Water is limited, so use sparingly.

Wasps

Wasps are common in late summer and autumn, particularly on beech trees. Carry antihistamines if you are allergic to their stings.

Pigs and goats

You may encounter a wild pig or goat along the track. They will usually disappear into the bush when disturbed. You may also encounter hunters with dogs and or firearms hunting for these pest animals.

Pest control

The Bottle Rock Peninsula between Meretoto/Ship Cove and Resolution Bay is part of a project to prevent rats and possums reinvading an area without using predator fences. The project uses traps, some of which can be seen from the Queen Charlotte Track and toxins (including diphacinone, pindone and cyanide). 

Rubbish

There are no rubbish facilities along the track. Take your rubbish away with you.

Outward Bound New Zealand

The Outward Bound School at Anakiwa has a long history with the Queen Charlotte Track. Students can be seen helping to maintain the track as well as using it as part of their course activities. The school also manages and maintains the toilet block at the Anakiwa end of the track. The Outward Bound School welcomes visitors enquiring about the school and the courses it provides.

Foreshore Reserve

Public access to most bays and beaches in the Marlborough Sounds is guaranteed by the unique Sounds Foreshore Reserve. This is an approximately 20-metre wide strip of publicly owned land above the mean high water mark. If you use this reserve, respect the rights of any nearby residents. Some landowners have riparian (private) rights to the foreshore.

Toilets

Toilet facilities are provided and maintained by DOC with help from private landowners and commercial operators. Toilets are provided on the track and at the track entrances. Most of these toilets are long drops, however some campsites have flush toilets.

Use the toilets where they have been provided and avoid polluting bush margins and waterways. If you do need to go to the toilet away from a toilet facility, go at least five metres off the track and bury your toilet waste in the shallow organic layers of the topsoil, well away from any flowing water. It is important not to defecate on the track.