The first known European to visit the Marlborough Sounds was the famous English explorer, Captain James Cook, on the HMS Endeavour."Queen Charlotte” was the name he gave the Sound. The Maori name is “Totaranui”, reflecting the totara trees growing there.
Cook sailed into Ship Cove, today the start of the Queen Charlotte Track, on January 17, 1770 and made this small cove his South Pacific base for the next seven years. It was here the first social interaction between South Island Maori and the European took place. (painting by John Webber 1777, Royal Maritime Museum)
When the first European pioneers arrived they travelled by boat and formed trails along the foreshore.
Other parts of the track, created by private landowners and initially know as the Kenepuru Walkway, passes over farmland and ridge tops, adding to the diversity of the walkway.
The Queen Charlotte Track, from Ship Cove to Anakiwa, was officially named and opened in 1991. Today the 71km track is a public/private partnership, made up of private land, Department of Conservation land and Marlborough District Council "paper roads" .
The track has grown in popularity over the years and now has a world wide reputation as a great New Zealand hiking and biking trail, enjoyed by thousands of visitors.
