28 April - 10 May 2019 Come with us for 12 delightful days of walking and singing in beautiful New Zealand.
THIS EVENT IS FULLY SUBSCRIBED. If you'd like to know about future sing trek events, send me a message through the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Our adventure combines singing workshops with walking the 70km Queen Charlotte Track surrounded by breathtaking scenery of the Marlborough Sounds, sharing an evening of song with the 150-voice Wellington Community Choir, small boat rides, a small plane trip and an inter-island ferry trip, and sightseeing in and around beautiful Wellington, renowned for its low carbon plan and vibrant cultural life.
The trip begins in Wellington with visits to the iconic Te Papa National Museum, Futuna Chapel, Weta Caves of Lord of the Rings fame and the Wellington Botanic Gardens. From Wellington we’ll take a small plane to Picton at the top of the south island, then a boat ride to the start of the Queen Charlotte Track in the magnificent Marlborough Sounds.
The track offers unrivalled water views, bush and farmland serenity, and the unique opportunity to walk from resort to resort carrying only a day pack while our luggage goes by boat. Each day we spend together will include time learning songs to share with each other and with whoever we meet along our journey. On our rest days there’ll be opportunities for kayaking or a water taxi tour around the stunning Kenepuru Sound.
After the trek, we will spend the night in the picturesque little harbour town of Picton then take the Interisland Ferry through the archipelago of islands to Wellington, where we’ll share an evening of song with the much loved 150-voice Wellington Community Choir. Our final day together will be a winery tour in Martinborough, finishing with dinner in a restaurant in Cuba Street, Wellington’s famous ‘inner city slice of bohemia’.
Group size Maximum 15 guests
Walk grading Moderate. Anyone with reasonable fitness should easily be able to walk this track; where only a light daypack is required. However, if you are daunted by the thought of the next stage there is an option to take the luggage boat. This would require a day’s notice and would cost $40 per trip. Itinerary Sing Trek New Zealand begins on Sunday 28 April and ends on Friday 10 May. The first 3 nights will be spent in Wellington, renowned for its low carbon plan and vibrant cultural life, then 7 nights in the gorgeous Marlborough Sounds and The Queen Charlotte Track with 2 nights back in Wellington at the end.
Accommodation is based on twin share.
On the track, the resorts offer a range of accommodation to choose from, depending on your budget. At some locations there are two or three bedroom units/cottages with shared facilities. We have selected what we believe to be appropriate for our trek, although you can choose to upgrade (or downgrade to backpacker style) if you wish. Please contact us for details and additional costings.
Day 1 Arrivals. In Wellington, we will stay at the centrally located Ibis hotel
Day 2 Introductions, singing session, Te Papa museum, welcome lunch on the waterfront. Optional cable car to Botanic Gardens or uber to Mount Victoria Lookout. Stay at Ibis Hotel
Day 3 Singing session in Futuna Chapel. Weta Caves tour, grocery shopping for Queen Charlotte Track. Stay at Ibis Hotel
Day 4 Small plane flight to Picton. From Picton, the Cougar Line ferry picks us up from the airport, and takes us to Ship’s Cove, the start of the Queen Charlotte Track. BYO packed lunch. 4 hour trek to Furneaux Lodge, Endeavour Inlet (about 12 kms). Lodge accommodation. Restaurant & Bar / guest cooking facilities
Day 5 3.5 hour trek to Punga Cove Resort, Endeavour Inlet (12.5 kms). Basecamp & Lodge accommodation. Restaurant, Café & Bar / guest cooking facilities
Day 6 7 hour trek to The Portage Hotel, Portage Bay. (about 24 kms). Kowhai Lodge accommodation. Restaurant, Café & Bar (no guest cooking facilities)
Day 7 Leisure day and night in Portage Bay. Singing, optional kayaking or water taxi ride around Kenepuru Sound
Day 8 2.5 hour trek to Te Mahia Resort (8 kms). There is no restaurant here but a very well-stocked shop sells coffee, gifts, groceries, frozen meals and pre-cooked meals such as pies, quiche, frittata etc. Guest cooking facilities
Day 9 Second day and night at Te Mahia Resort. Singing, optional walk to Mistletoe Bay
Day 10 4 hour trek to Anakiwa (13 kms). Cougar Line ferry picks us up from Anakiwa and sails to Picton. Accommodation at the Picton Yacht Club Hotel. Singing. Restaurant (no guest cooking facilities)
Day 11 Interislander ferry Picton-Wellington. Sing with Wellington Community Choir in the evening. Stay at Ibis Hotel
Day 12 Day trip to winery at Martinborough. Farewell dinner in Cuba Street. Stay at Ibis Hotel
Day 13 Fond farewells
Cost Deposit to confirm place AUD 600 (paid by EFT in Australia or PayPal in NZ) Remainder of fixed fee NZD 2,100 (paid by EFT in NZ or PayPal in Australia) payable by 01 Mar 2019
Included in cost: All accommodation. Welcome lunch in Wellington on first day. Flight from Wellington to Picton and Interisland Ferry from Picton to Wellington. Round Trip Track Pass including ferry to the start and end of the track and pack carriage by boat. Farewell dinner in Wellington on last day. Coach to and from Martinborough for the day at a winery. Donation to Sacred Journeys Nepal
Not Included in cost: Airfares to Wellington. Those coming from Australia will need to take out traveller’s insurance. Food, apart from the welcome lunch and farewell dinner. We estimate you will need to spend an average of AUD 750 (NZD 800) for meals for the complete twelve days. The restaurants on the Queen Charlotte Track are à la carte or you may purchase what you want from a resort shop. Meals there tend to be expensive as all food is brought in by boat. Wellington restaurant prices are comparable to Australia. Any upgrade in accommodation on the Queen Charlotte Track, in addition to what we have booked.
Link with Sing Trek Nepal This tour has grown out of a well-established cultural, singing and walking experience called Sing Trek Nepal, managed by Sacred Journeys Nepal, who provide carefully targeted earthquake recovery assistance to remote Nepali villages. We plan to donate a component of each participant’s fee from Sing Trek New Zealand 2019 to Sacred Journeys Nepal.
The organisers Christine Wheeler is a singer and community choir leader based in the Blue Mountains of NSW. She is also the singing leader for Sing Trek Nepal.
Penny Griffith is a traveller and writer, whose most recent book is ‘Out of the Shadows: The Life of Millicent Baxter’.
Mick O’Neill is a mathematician and a skilled organiser who loves to sing and to walk.
