Ngahere Hou

The Queen Charlotte Track is one of the premier multi day walks in New Zealand. Starting with the historic James Cook memorial at Ships Cove and ending at the Outward Bound School at Anakiwa. Taking 3-5 days to walk or two to cycle, we’re right in the middle of the track – the perfect place to take a break and refresh for the second half of the hike!

This section of the walkway follows the ridgeline between the two Sounds so there is a bit of up and down along the way and its the highest section of the walk so getting to a comfortable bed means you need to come down the hill! When planning your trip it may be useful to bear this in mind and try not to make it too big a day! We’ve found that those who walk to us from further than Camp Bay tend to be the grumpy ones on arrival – just saying! Ngahere Hou is accessed from the walkway where the powerlines cross the track opposite Ruakaka Bay, Look for our sign….. it’s about 10 minutes past the “Manuka Lane” info panel – you can see the yurt and our place directly below you from there From the walkway you’ll find us where the power lines cross the Track into Ruakaka Bay and then by following the powerlines track down the hill for about 300m where you’ll see another sign, you take our track on your right following the yellow ties in the trees from there to our gate, which is about half the way down the hill.  It’s about 30 minutes down, (longer if you’re tired) and 30-40 minutes back up to the track from here fully restored in the morning! Take care coming down the hill as it can be greasy after rain. Our track is roughly 1200m and about 370m high at the topThis is the access track from the walkway to Ngahere Hou Going back up in the morning can feel like a bit of a challenge, but after a good nights rest and a hearty breakfast….

41 minutes! Not bad for a couple of old Weka hens. Thanks for having us Ian. Fabulous hospitality.

There is also the possibility of doing the next leg from us to Portage by Kayak or bike if you want another option. You can reconnect to the QCT from there at the Torea Saddle. We charge $40 each to go and collect the Kayaks/bikes from Portage. It takes roughly 2.5 hours to kayak and a little less to bike the 12km on the road. We advise caution cycling or walking on the road as it’s currently under repair with numerous slips and drop outs. It’s very narrow in places. Ngahere Hou is about 4 to 4.5 hours to either Camp Bay (Punga Cove) or Torea Saddle (Portage). Below are the walking times provided by DOC:

• Ship Cove to Endeavour inlet 15kms (5 hours), 
• Endeavour Inlet to Camp Bay (Punga Cove) 11.5kms 4 Hours, 
• Camp Bay to Ngahere Hou 11kms 4 hrs, 
• Ngahere Hou to Torea Saddle (Portage) 12 kms 4hrs
• Torea Saddle to Mistletoe Bay (Te Mahia) 8kms 4hrs
• Mistletoe Bay to Anakiwa 12.5 kms 4 hrs.

Be careful when planning your route, Google maps will take you on the road not the QCT! more information regarding the track is here on the Department of Conservation site and the official Queen Charlotte Track site There are a number of water taxi operators, more information for transfers: Cougarline Picton Watertaxis The beachcomber We can pick up your luggage for free at Torea Bay/Portage. Just tell your operator you’re at Ngahere Hou and your bags will be here to greet you. NOTE: If you want to make us a base while you do the middle section of the QCTrack, We can help you complete the track without doing extra long days by collecting you from both the Kenepuru and Torea Saddles, returning you there the next day. People transfers cost $80 per trip – up to 4 . Contact us to arrange the transfers and come to stay with us for that extra night too! Check here for availability or for any other queries and information – we’re happy to help. It is important to complete the Track survey, this asks a series of questions relating to both walking and cycling. To ensure we keep our NZCT status for another year we need everyone to to participate with your feedback, we want to make the QCT a great experience for everyone, thanks

Here is our link to the survey: www.getsmartglobal.com/queencharlottetrack