Sounds to Sounds - Ship Cove to Picton
The start of our Sounds to Sounds adventure was not going to be easy. 45km on the Queen Charlotte Track plus 50km of gravel and sealed roads to make it to Picton. Add a forecast of torrential rain to the mix and we really weren’t sure what to expect.
After hours of keeping myself awake with thoughts of dread, excitement and nervous anticipation, I finally get some sleep in the early hours of the morning. Next thing I know it’s 5am and my alarm is waking me up. Despite the lack of sleep I’m instantly animated, the start of my 15 day adventure cycling from Marlborough Sounds to Milford Sounds has finally arrived. And unlike previous solo missions, this time my sister will be joining me.
We take our time getting changed, having breakfast and making sure we’ve got everything we need for the day ahead. 45 minutes later it’s on with the wet weather gear and into the rain and dark, to ride the 5 minutes to Picton Wharf to catch our ferry to Ship Cove. There are already about 30 riders at the wharf when we arrive and we join the queue, soon followed by the other 70 strangers starting off on this crazy adventure with us. The atmosphere is subdued, quiet greetings and nervous chatter about the terrible weather and ride ahead. After a few minutes standing in the drizzle our bikes are loaded onto the small ferry and we squeeze into the cabin for the hour long trip to the start of the Queen Charlotte Track. The rough seas combined with the fogged up windows and darkness outside make for a disorientating boat ride but the chat with new acquaintances and the growing daylight are enough to keep me distracted. Once at Ship Cove, it’s a chaotic disembarkment with rain belting down and the event briefing is forgotten in the rush of bodies and bikes towards shelter.
We don’t muck around once on land and start the challenging ascent from Ship Cove almost straight away. This turns out to be a bad idea as my sister and I are not the best technically and with the relatively steep, slippery, rocky single-track we end up stopping frequently to let more competent riders past us. It’s a very stressful start to the ride and we stop for a breather to let the nerves and heart rate settle before continuing on up the climb. Once at the top we are rewarded with a rainbow and our first glimpse of the Sounds.
The following downhill is very enjoyable (also a little sketchy) and over the next 10 or so km we settle into a good rhythm getting used to the mud and rain. At 18km we pull off the main trail and in to Furneaux Lodge to order a much anticipated coffee. Many of the other riders from the ferry have also decided to stop for a cuppa which provides a great opportunity to debrief the ride so far and laugh / cry about our wet, muddy states. After a nice break we put on our wet raincoats and to the sound of thunder head back out onto the trail. Thankfully it is not too cold.
With the mud and rain, the next section of the QCT (Queen Charlotte Track) is on the very limit of our technical abilities and it takes extreme concentration to get through it without falling off. We dismount and walk the more steep or technical parts as the possibility of crashing on day 1 of our 15 day ride, is not worth the risk.
Feeling mentally and physically drained, after 12km we divert from the QCT to take the guide book recommended road the remaining 20km to Portage. After the wet, rocky singletrack the gravel roads feel like heaven and it doesn’t take us long to reach town. Being one of few places to stay and buy meals on the QCT, we’re surprised to find it’s basically deserted and we look around fearful that the café/restaurant we had marked as somewhere to grab a hot drink is closed. After a bit of detective work we find the restaurant but decide sitting down in a nice café in our muddy chamois’ may not be a wise choice. Settling for a can of coke, we find an outdoor picnic table where we sit and enjoy our premade toasties. Luckily the rain has stopped.
Refueled and slightly re-energised we leave Portage and head towards the next section of the Queen Charlotte Track where we are met by our parents who have caught the ferry over from Picton. They’ve timed their arrival perfectly with the weather, the sun has finally come out and we stop for a moment to take off our raincoats. After that it’s straight onto the singletrack and we are full of hope that this section will be easier than the last. Our hopes soon turn to despair as the notoriously “easy” part of the track turns out, with the mud, to have turned into one of the most sketchy. We slip and slide our way along the trail, dismounting and walking more often than we’d like. We’re all riding on our own at this point and when I have my first tumble of the day, falling head (and bike) over heels off the side of the track I quickly right myself, drag my bike back up the bank and pretend like I just needed a break when my mum and sister roll around the corner. Except for a few grazes I’m very lucky that myself, my camera and my bike are ok and I take a moment to let my adrenaline settle and lecture myself about being careful for the rest of the day.
After my little spill, the trail thankfully is less muddy and we all enjoy some beautiful view points of the Sounds through the trees and the well-earned downhill into Anakiwa. Anakiwa marks the end of the QCT and we celebrate by stopping for an ice-cream at the Green Caravan Café that has stayed open late just for us and other Sounds to Sounds riders.
It’s nearing 5pm by this stage and with another 23km to go we don’t dally for long. A quick rinse of our bikes and back into the saddle to ride the sealed Queen Charlotte Drive back to Picton. This stretch of the Sounds to Sounds route is one of two that is shared with the Tour Aotearoa and being bikepacking season we see a few TA riders coming the other way. We wave and I think back fondly to when I rode the tour in 2022. I feel like I was much fitter then!
After battling a strong headwind the whole way back along the Drive, we are absolutely shattered by the time we reach the outskirts of Picton and decide not to take the 7km singletrack option into town. We do however stop briefly to admire the view over the Picton Harbour and congratulate ourselves on a HUGE day. The final few kilometers into town pass by quickly and we make it to our AirBnB just as it starts to rain again. Day 1 complete.
