Enticed by tales of an unspoilt New Zealand countryside, an American friend escaped New York recently to fly over and see it for herself. So what better antidote to the bustle of the Big Apple than the resonant tranquillity of Marlborough Sounds?

Wishing to impress a visitor from a New York with the great kiwi experience, I hastily organised a trip south. Wishing to impress a visitor from a New York, I hastily organised a trip south. Planning to flaunt the splendour of Marlborough Sounds, my success depended on the weather and it didn't start out well. After a five-hour crossing that was featured on the six o'clock news we finally passed Motuara Island and entered the Sounds.

We awoke to a morning fresh from heaven. The sun shone and the day was clear and bright. The Queen Charlotte Track beckoned so we called and booked a water taxi up and sauntered over to the waterfront.

We jumped aboard, cast off and soon Picton was far behind us. The handsome skipper leant on the wheel and regaled us tales and history of the area as we moved up the Sound. While my friend, Donna joined assembly of female passengers hanging on his every word, my attention strayed to the spectacular views on either shore

Though we were unlucky not to see dolphin, seals, shags and a couple of penguins accompanied our progress; their appearance providing brief respite from the immense blue, green and grey of the land. The play of the light through the cloud provided the main drama that day, together with the reflections of the shifting sky in the water.

By the time we arrived at Ships Cove I was almost reluctant to leave the boat. We trotted down the jetty to the monument that marks Ships Cove as one of Captain Cook's favoured moorings and the start of the track. Donna turned to wave to the skipper and we set off towards Resolution Bay. Soon we were marching through a forest of pongas, tree ferns and nikau.

Little over half an hour later we reached a lookout platform with stunning views of the Sound. As I looked down from the ridge I could see a small boat on the water below. It could have been the handsome skipper but even Donna found it hard to judge the charms of that tiny speck. I was conscious of how we must have appeared an hour earlier. The thought gave me the strange sense of being both an observer and an element of the scene in front of me. It is easy to lose yourself in the majesty of the Sounds.

As we continued our march, bellbirds and tuis provided the accompanying music and fantails appeared to wave us on. We passed through stands of kamahi and beech trees until we reached the saddle between Resolution Bay and Endeavour. There we caught our breath Inlet only to lose it again to the view.

We descended and as the ground gradually levelled out we turned a bend to find a weka blocking our path. It that was not at all camera shy and clearly anxious to see what we had packed for lunch. We refused to feed it but took several snaps until it wised up and disappeared into the bush. We pushed on passed Tawa Bay and the jettys, boatsheds and closed holiday cottages of The Pines.

After four hours steady walking we reached Endeavour Inlet where we had arranged to be picked up. There was barely time to order tea before the handsome skipper appeared. He convinced us to take our time and we enjoyed our tea under trees by Furneaux Lodge looking out over the water. Then we were aboard once more and all too soon slipping back through Queen Charlotte Sound towards Picton.

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