The addition of two tracks to the Department of Conservation's Great Walk series is exciting news for the team behind the Queen Charlotte Track.

Could a trek through the Marlborough Sounds to one of Captain Cook's favourite bays be the next Great Walk?

The trust behind the Queen Charlotte Track certainly hope so.

The first major expansion to the Department of Conservation's Great Walk series in more than 25 years will add two walking tracks to the national circuit, and the group behind the 71-kilometre track in Marlborough is prepared for a tilt at the title.

Queen Charlotte Track Trust chairman Rob Burn said his team was ready to push hard for consideration in the selection process, which he described as a fantastic opportunity for the region.

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"We have all-year weather, we have iconic history and it's not rough alpine conditions," he said.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/FAIRFAX NZ The Queen Charlotte Track: Combining the best of New Zealand walking and biking, resorts and lodges and great food and wine along the way.

"We're perfectly positioned for this, it makes so much sense.

"I hesitate to say we deserve to be a Great Walk, but I think we have the basis for a Great Walk."

The Great Walks are a collection of nine premier tracks maintained by DOC that pass through diverse scenery. They attracted 118,000 people last year.

RICKY WILSON/STUFF The beach at Anakiwa in Totaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound.

The Government announced $78 million for DOC earlier in the month to upgrade and develop tourist facilities, including the addition of two new Great Walks.

The Queen Charlotte Track was already listed as a Great Ride, while the walk from Ship Cove to Anakiwa was popular among trampers.

"It's the combination of the stunning views, mix of flora and fauna and we have the history too," Burn said.

RICKY WILSON/STUFF Queen Charlotte Track Trust chairman Rob Burn is hopeful the track will be considered as one of the two new Great Walk additions.

"This would be a massive coup for Marlborough. I'm incredibly excited about it."

The first significant long-term contact between Maori and Europeans took place at Totaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound in the 1770s.

Cook spent more than 100 days at Ship Cove on five separate occasions.

FAIRFAX NZ The combination of panoramic views, native bush and rich history could make the Queen Charlotte Track a Great Walk contender.

Ship Cove gave the Queen Charlotte Track an historical edge which was especially important with the 250th anniversary of Cook's arrival in 2019, Burn said.

In the DOC funding, $5.7m would also be put forward to develop 20 Great Short Walks and 10 Great Day Walks.

It meant Marlborough could have three bites at the cherry to see its tramping tracks recognised nationally, Burn said.

RICKY WILSON/FAIRFAX NZ The Queen Charlotte Track Trust, from right, chairman Rob Burn, committee chair Anne Brooker, committee members Nat Price and Tanya Jacks and deputy chairperson Rick Edmonds.

"If we could turn Ship Cove to Picton into a Great Ride and Great Walk, throw in some Great Short Walks to Karaka Point, I think we're onto a winner," he said.

The track was overseen by DOC, the Marlborough District Council and private landowners, with 20 per cent of the track crossing private land.

It remained to be seen how this might impact the track's viability as a Great Walk, Burn said.

DOC director of recreation, tourism and heritage Gavin Walker said the details and criteria were yet to be finalised, but a new Great Walk needed to provide a spectacular multi-day tramping experience.

"It will need to appeal to those less experienced in the outdoors and offer a distinctive experience that adds value to the existing Great Walks, rather than simply replicating an experience that is already available," he said.

Increasing use of multi-day tracks meant within the next few years there would be little capacity to accommodate further growth within the existing Great Walks network, Walker said.

This trend was expected to continue, and the development of two new walks rather than increasing capacity of the existing tracks was seen as the right move for what walkers wanted, Walker said.

Huts were provided on the existing Great Walks to provide an all-weather option for users. Whether huts were required would be determined by the location and experience to be offered at any new Great Walk, Walker said.

Marlborough District Council spokesman Glyn Walters said it was important to hear more from DOC and it was too early to speculate on what council's involvement might be.

"It could be an exciting opportunity for Marlborough," he said.

The process and timeframe for selecting the new Great Walks would be confirmed over the coming weeks, Walker said.