Hiking adventures in New Zealand
Hiking adventures in New Zealand
New Zealand – Te Araroa Trail
Below is my Te Araroa trail gear list, which I've combined a little with my South West Coast path gear list (slight differences between the two). It would be a useful guide for any summer multiday tramping/hiking. You may also want to check out my planning page for Te Araroa trail.
When I returned from hiking Te Araroa trail 3000kms the length of New Zealand, I entered an essay into the NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival for their NZ mountain writing competition.
I wanted to use the opportunity to capture my thoughts and feelings, in the couple of weeks immediately after returning from the trail.
Whilst I was under no illusion that I might win, Wilderlife Magazine published the entrant's efforts in their Lifestyle Section recently.
If you're considering a thru hike...
Mine was a gloriously leisurely thru hike :-) and below is my Te Araroa Trail itinerary. My full Te Araroa Trail experience on and off trail totalled 146 amazing days. I started the trail on 14th October 2017 and finished on 02nd March 2018. Finally, I came back to hike the Richmond Ranges in December 2018.
There were plenty of rest days - 29 to be exact, with 12 on the North island and 17 on the South island. I took rest days for rest, injury, fun,...
I did a lot of reading, research, preparation and planning for my Te Araroa trail hike 2017/18 season. I love preparing for a trip (any trip!) It's half the fun of the journey for me. Other people simply throw some things in a pack and go for it.
I started with reading many other peoples Te Araroa trail blogs, and watching Youtube videos. It's a really useful way to get a feel for the trail. Next I downloaded the previous...
1. Where there are no sandflies, there are mosquitoes.
2. There will be a river crossing (and wet feet) ten mins after you set off in the morning and ten mins before arriving at camp for the night.
3. Where there is a shortcut, there will be thorny bushes.
4. The ‘flat’ part of the trail will hide large ruts, holes, bogs, streams or boulders.
5. Injuries will only be sustained on the ‘easy’ sections, tripping over your own feet or checking your phone.
6. If your camp has a toilet, you will need to go approximately 15 mins after hitting the trail that day.
7. You haven’t washed properly for weeks, but your skin looks amazing.
8. When you skinnydip in a river, four more TA hikers will arrive at that very moment.
9. Mice are rampant in the hut where you forgot to hang up your food bag.
10. You’ll find that the luxury lodge offers cheap camping & free hot tubs, the day after you wild camped next to it.
It took a few months to walk from the Waikato to Canterbury, and it’ll take 1.5 hrs to fly back. It’s a sunny day ?? so I’m hoping for some great views of the mountains!
The end of an adventure is bittersweet. I’ll miss life on the trail, and my buddies Mike and Phil, as they carry on their journeys – but I’m super excited to spend my birthday with my friends this weekend!
I’ll be checking out these tips from adventurer Anna McNuff on how to handle the next few weeks, and the post-adventure blues.