History
Ship Cove
The Queen Charlotte Sound has a rich history beginning with Maori settlement,
possibly up to 1000 years ago. Various local tribes (iwi) inhabited parts
of the Marlborough Sounds and created their own pathways to source food in
neighbouring bays.
Then in the 1770's Captain James Cook visited Ship Cove (now the start of
the Queen Charlotte Track) and his encounters with the local Maori at the
time are well documented in his diaries. Even today Ship Cove is still one
of the least developed and most pristine monuments to Cook in the world.
It is a fitting beginning to the rest of your journey.
European settlement began in the Marlborough Sounds in the late 1800's when
farmers and miners began settling in the area. At one time over 300
people lived at the head of Endeavour Inlet whilst antimony was mined.
Hardy settlers farmed areas of the Sounds and at one stage a large proportion
of the Queen Charlotte and Kenepuru Sound were cleared for farming. However
as the tough, steep hillside environment and remote access of the farms continued
to make farming difficult, much of the land has now returned back to
native bush. However during that early settlement, bridle paths were created
between neighbouring bays and coves, to provide social and economic benefit.
In the late 1980's the Department of Conservation, Destination Marlborough
and the Marlborough District Council worked together to create one single
track out of that network of bridle paths and stock routes.
Today the track travels over a variety of public and private land. It is
due to the goodwill of the private landowners that the single track can be
created, and we encourage all users to respect the fact that at times they
are walking on private land.
