Route, gear, food and training - Te Araroa Trail Planning 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…
Te Araroa Trail Planning

Tramping adventures in New Zealand
Tramping adventures in New Zealand
Te Araroa trail
Route, gear, food and training - Te Araroa Trail Planning 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…
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.
Today is my final day on Te Araroa Trail!! We all woke around 6.30am this morning. Laura was off first, heading NOBO up to Stag Saddle. The morning was fresh but not too cold, and…
I had a great night sleep and woke up bright & breezy at 6am. We got going at 7.30am and immediately had a stream crossing - wet feet again! We launched into a 650m climb…
Te Araroa Trail Forest Creek Track (off trail) We spent a wonderful night in the excellent accommodation at Mesopotamia Station. I spent the first couple of hours after lights out, sleeping on the sofa in…