Rivers rose, roads flooded. I tackled the Two Thumb Range by myself and ran along the most beautiful single track which had views over the crystal blue Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook. We were on track. It took us over 3 hrs to get through a section which would normally take 1.5hrs. The trail is a mix of tracks, including wilderness tracks, paths through paddocks, beaches, roads, and highways, as well as a section which is a river and must be kayaked. Also, wearing toesocks means you can protect your feet from sandflies in the evenings and plod around camp with your flipflops. (What the Trip is Like) REQUEST CATALOG ENEWS CONTACT US 1-800-368-2794 I stripped off my pack and sat on the river bank for about five minutes, completely shaken. Let's go on an adventure together. What’s Te Araroa? Monday, 21 December 2020. The North Island route is just over 1,600 km long, and the South Island just under 1,400 km. This went on for 18kms. Walk it all, walk it in your lifetime, walk New Zealand - walk Te Araroa! Finally, Melissa flew in from NYC as a surprise. Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. South Island vs North Island? I will be posting my full food and resupply strategy on Te Araroa once I’ve completed the South Island section in the 2020/21 season. All the same you obviously need to take a tent. Her only regret was that she didn’t have the time to see more of this wonderful country which is now our home. Our route largely follows the spine of the Southern Alps, crossing skyline ridges to alpine lakes and through native forests, farmlands, and tussock country. Traditional tour companies may charge thousands of dollars for a two week tour in Te Araroa Trail (South Island). A Trail Angel is someone who provides an awesome service to a weary hiker, whether it be a spot to camp for the night, a hot drink, a shower or a lift in their car. It was a pretty good tonic for my nerves and another great unplanned fun memory. Friends had laid out signs for me with silly quotes which made me laugh. This area is a fine introduction to the richness of New Zealand’s lush native forest. Gradually, things got better. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Bliss. Miserable. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. Really hard. It is situated 175 km north of Gisborne city, along State Highway 35 between Tokata and Awatere. Huge chunks of the track had collapsed into the river which sent us bush bashing around them. TE ARAROA The Te Araroa is New Zealand's newest and longest footpath. One of the world’s truly great long walks. Phew! Nicki and I were on a mission. These were slow but the views made up for it. We boarded the Interisland Ferry a few hours after I completed the North Island. This is where I began to unravel – getting super stressed out about the next section. As I went to take a step forward, I lost my footing and before I knew it, I was fully submerged in the river. In the north huts are way more common than found in the North Island section. This long route goes from North to South and gives you, excited hikers, a ve Hike the best sections on the South Island of New Zealand’s long-distance trail, the Te Araroa, from Queen Charlotte Sound to Fiordland National Park. From January to March 2017 I walked the South Island part of Te Araroa, New Zealand’s walking trail from Ship Cove to Bluff. Te Araroa is the birthplace of Sir Apirana Ngata, who made it his life’s goal to uplift the Māori race spiritually, culturally and economically. I was completely drenched and frustrated. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. They are known for very steep and technical terrain – arguably the hardest in the whole country. It traverses the entire country; beaches, forests, mountains, volcanoes and cities and should likely take me four to five months to finish. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests. About the mountains. We also covered some of the most beautiful sections of the trail – Breast Hill, Montotapu Ranges, Arrowtown. New Zealand's Te Araroa: The North Island, Some trips with minimal hiking but rugged travel conditions or long drives, such as. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. Doing the North Island, Te Araroa doesn't hold all that much appeal. It starts on a historic crossing of the Main Divide via the Harper Pass Track. Find a Trail Angel on Te Araroa – New Zealand’s Trail. I'm Lucy and I like to go on epic adventures. In the final weeks we also had an influx of friends and family join. We just wanted to get to the van. Tommy joined me for the day and we had a ball – jumping over puddles and traversing our way around muddy pits. There is a Four Square and Fresh Choice Grocery Store but most people resupply in … In these sections, trip planning, river crossing and navigation skills are recommended, as w… A 22km, mostly unsealed, no-exit road from Te Araroa takes you to the most Easterly point on mainland New Zealand. It was like a game and I felt like a big kid. Day 63 was one of my favourite days. But Tommy joined me for the entire time. Even the 1309 km of the South Island part that this website concentrates on. A cup of tea has never tasted so good as it did when I finally got to the van! Finally, I came back to hike the Richmond Ranges in December 2018. Many parts of the trail are challenging. Stretching 3,000 km from Cape Reinga, at the top of the North Island, to Bluff, at the bottom of the South Island, the TA is defined by its challenging terrain, unpredictable weather and navigational obstacles, and just may be the toughest of the world’s major thru-hikes. Discover remote villages, magical kauri forests, breathtaking volcanic scenery and bustling cities on New Zealand’s Te Araroa trail. We walked about 1km up the river where we found a spot where we could see the bottom. The 3000km route stretching from Cape Reinga in the north of New Zealand to Bluff in the south. GAFFL can potentially save you 70-90% tour costs in Te Araroa Trail (South Island). North Island South Island Full Te Araroa; 18.2 mi/day: 19.2 mi/day: 18.4 mi/day: Conventional wisdom says that people cover less distance per day on the South Island, but I experienced the opposite. I hugged Tommy. I was a total mess. I was a total mess and on the verge to tears, which spilled over big time when we hit Picton. Wrong. New Zealand’s Te Araroa Trail is the world’s newest long-distance thru-hike. We slowly picked our way up and had some celebratory Whittakers at the top. We arrived at 4:30pm but the hut was already full. The 3000km pathway known as Te Araroa (‘The Long Pathway’) stretches across Te Ika-a-Māui/the North Island and Te Wai Pounamu/the South Island. In Nov 2019, I started running the Te Araroa Trail, from Cape Reinga to Bluff. The Te Araroa Trust does an amazing job of offering these on their site to be downloaded FOR FREE! At Wilderness Travel we never rent or sell our mailing list. First Things First You need to understand me and my particular way of hiking and resupplying before we go any further into my resupply strategy on Te Araroa. What Te Araroa offers is a snapshot view, at walking pace, of the best of New Zealand. Mat would stay with Tommy in the van. The views were particularly beautiful with horses running in the dying sunlight. Overall this deviation was small—about a mile per day. Then 10kms on a gravel walkway with our friend Laura, which was pleasant. We’ll hike along Lake Rotoiti, where dense beech forest towers over a carpet of mosses and ferns, keeping an eye out for the native forest birds such as the fantail, tomtit, and bush robin. The diversion west is brief as Te Araroa bounces east again over Goat Pass. You would think that after running the entire North Island in 34 days, I would have a little bit of confidence going into the South Island right? I didn’t want to go. I also ran what was possibly the worst trail of the trip - the Mararoa River Track. I was scared of being alone. Our options were to push on or sleep on the floor. In Nov 2019, I ran the Te Araroa Trail, from Cape Reinga to Bluff in New Zealand. We talked through what we should do – wait or go – but all agreed was a no brainer to wait. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category. The next day, we were knackered. We mark the end of the Te Araroa trail with a hike on the Foveaux Walkway along the coast, right along the edge of the Southern Ocean. Then we met Tommy’s brother, sister and her boyfriend in Twizel. Foot care is SO important. The Dusky Track perhaps, walking on Stewart Island down to see Gog and Magog. Oh, and it started pissing down rain. I also chatted to a friend back home to try, who pointed out that I seem to have these melt downs when I am stationary. The only resupplies needed on the South Island were to St Arnaud and Arthur’s Pass. We arrived at 2:30pm and had a beer in hand by 3:30pm at the campsite. New Zealand’s long-distance hiking trail, the Te Araroa, connects the North Island and South Island by way of spectacular parks and reserves. About the river crossings. Lucky for us, this terrain was similar to what we have back home – mountains, mountains and more mountains – so we felt like we were in our element. Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill Lucy. Unfortunately, Mat had succumbed to shin splints so it was just Nicki and I heading out for 2 nights in huts. I took rest days for rest, injury, fu… Tommy chaperoned me to a small tourist transfer boat which took me out to the start of the stunning Queen Charlotte Track. It was poorly marked so I was constantly second guessing if I was going the right way. To get to the next hut in would hopefully meet another hiker so I had someone to talk to. Read about my North Island experience, including my favourite sections and getting lost in the Tararua Ranges/ That said, before I could get too far into my own head, the first day of South Island started out with a bang. Day 1 was easy. Completed in 2011, it’s a 3000 kilometer trail extending from Cape Reinga in the North to Bluff in the south. It felt so fitting that he was by my side for the final day. I got some comfort in making a smart call and waiting another day to mentally prepare. Neil's got me interested in the Overland track across Tasmania. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet. Then Laura and Phil met us at Lake Hawea. It is an incredible gesture and quite a lot of work. If I end up doing it, it won't be walking every step of the island like with the South Island. Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. To be honest, the three days are a blur because I just put my foot down and legged it from hut to hut. With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. I started the trail on 14th October 2017 and finished on 02nd March 2018. We took our time, taking in the scenery, chatting about the trip, facetiming my parents. Day 2 was hard. 7 hours. Overview. I somehow managed to lunge forward onto a shallow bed of rocks about 1.5m in front of me. There are many restaurants, cafes and take away food options. This guide assumes a good level of familiarity with New Zealand tramping and conditions. It was through the Longwood Forest. South Island Te Araroa Trail In August 2019, my wife Jenny died a year after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. We reached Ada River at 8pm and started scoping out a safe place to cross. After we visit the historic gold-mining village of Arrowtown, taste some of the famous local pinot noir at a winery, we’ll hike the mountains, lakes, forests, and tussock grasslands of Mavora Lakes Conservation Park, with its Middle Earth scenery. We were literally crashing our way through a wall of trees and bushes. Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. The terrain wasn’t inspiring. T-12 months: persuade your work to … On our South Island journey, this famous trail brings us from the coastal forests of Queen Charlotte Sound to Fiordland National Park, where the Te Araroa meets the Southern Ocean. Most people hike Te Araroa from north to south, starting in Northland between September and December. Māori in the area are generally associated with the Ngāti Porou iwi. I hugged my crew. These crossings are really mentally taxing and we were all wrecked by the end of the day. But it was only 30kms to Boyle Village where the boys would meet us and we would have a rest day the next day – Christmas Day! We reached Anne Hut at 9:45pm, had a baby wipe shower and crept inside. Read about my South Island experience, including the Richmond Ranges, Nelson Lakes and … Day 2 featured three big climbs including going up the screen covered Little Rintoul (which was not little) and Mt Rintoul. This 3000.0 km route stretches from Cape Reinga in the North Island to Bluff, located on the tip of the South Island. The overnights were now something I looked forward to because I was sharing it with friends. Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Te Araroa means “the long pathway” in Maori. There was no room to get worried about anything. We decided to take a punt and keep going to Anne Hut, which was 22km away. It spans a distance of 3,000 km, or 1,900 miles. At an average of 25 kms a day, the trail takes 120 days to walk – four months. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. Te Araroa Resupply for the South Island 1689km Picton. First up was 9kms on a busy road. Days on the trail are rewarded by the natural showcase of New Zealand’s famously diverse landscapes, and we’ll stay in comfortable lodges en route, savoring the country’s world-class wines and fresh local cuisine every step of the way. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures. I was simply pushing my way through grass as high as my shoulders, falling into boggy marshes that went up to my thighs and bush bashing my way through gorse bushes, which are basically just super sturdy, giant prickle bushes. Basically, it wasn't a track. It is an astonishing route of 3,000 km across the country stretching from Cape Reinga to Bluff. I ate a sandwich, put my pack back on and went on to tackle the next four crossings. nzherald.co.nz. This website is a resource for trampers to find help along Te Araroa … The quality of the scenery is generally up there, plenty varied. Then it was a slow, boulder hopping descent back down to the river, which we followed all the way to Waiau Hut, which has only 6 beds. Finally, it was 7km across farmland onto a coastal track to the Bluff signpost. It is also here where I joyfully picked up our friends, Nicki and Mat. The following day we went for it. At 2996 km, stretching from Cape Reinga, the tip of the North Island to Bluff, the southern end of Highway 1, it rates in length. Usually the South Island Te Araroa takes the most obvious route, following a valley or ridge when it’s there to be followed and crossing over passes when necessary to reach the next valley, but this track was deliberately keeping us far above a very flat farm road just to our right. Tommy tried to console me without much luck. Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss. It was fun. I've run 3,000km across NZ in 66 days; cycled the length of the UK and travelled through Europe and the USA. It connects the dots between the northern tip of New Zealand (Camp Reinga) and the southern apex (Invercargill). We ran/hiked to Ada homestead, about 15kms along. We zoomed through the first 20kms which were flat. It passes through mesmerizing vistas, from oceanside to alpine… Then Alex joined us. It jumbles the bustling cities, sleepy beachside settlements, muddy forests and volcanic landscapes of the North Island with the remoteness, mountains and vast open spaces of the South Island. Super fun. I slept in to 10:30am and basically ate for the rest of the day. The schedule says four days but we agreed that we would try to finish in three so we could have Christmas Day off! I had my own little entourage and they made the whole experience super positive. We had conquered the Richmond Ranges and next up was Nelson Lakes, including the mighty Waiu Pass. Thankfully Tommy accompanied me for the first 12km, which included two river crossings, which were, of course, totally fine. Bad because we had to do 7 crossings of the Wairo River, which was flowing incredibly fast. We continued up, taking in Blue Lake and Lake Constance which have some of the purest water in the world. Again, it was totally fine. But it did further highlight one of my biggest fears - rising rivers. Every dollar makes a difference. Here are my top-tips for planning the hike. About what happens when our friends, who were joining for the next 10 days, leave. But that was a while off yet so I just got on with having as much fun as I could. I had run 20kms extra the penultimate day to make sure my last day was just a cruisey marathon. Te Araroa is a town in the Gisborne Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Then I was on my own. She was in reasonable health for most of her illness and we travelled when her treatment allowed. We explore the tide pools before climbing up Howell’s Hill to Mores Scenic Reserve, where the views are phenomenal, extending out to Stewart Island, the third largest island in New Zealand, and the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean. The trail encompasses the country’s two main islands. Around 5pm I started to get distracted – thinking about the days ahead. Then 16kms on a State Highway which was very popular with logging trucks. The track wasn’t very formed – we stumbled our way across tussock and up scree slops. This allows for cooler late spring and early summer temperatures in the North Island and means trekkers reach the colder, higher-altitude South Island in the mid-to-late summer, when there's less likely to be snow in the mountains, and the rivers will be lower. There’s plenty of huts on the South Island section of Te Araroa. We fly to Queenstown and head out for Te Araroa hikes above treeline in the Mototapu Valley, the perfect place for vistas across the snow-capped Southern Alps. A group of girl guides had lined up and I gave them all high fives. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking. Mine was a gloriously leisurely thru hike and below is my Te Araroa Trail itinerary. Te Araroa in Canterbury is about the mighty Southern Alps. Day 4 was a death march. We went up and over Travers Saddle and made it to the West Sabine Hut in good time. There were plenty of rest days – 29 to be exact, with 12 on the North island and 17 on the South island. Nicki and Mat left on Boxing Day and I headed out for 3 days by myself. We had a quick regroup at the bottom of the Pass. But sadly, at the very back of my mind, I just knew having them around would make it even harder when they left. Christmas Day was lovely. Support the trust today so that you can enjoy the trail tomorrow, either one day at … Tommy joined me for moral support for the final 7km, which made it a little better. Just as we were getting ready to tackle this section, the sky opened up and we got torrential rain. 66 days. The trail travels from Cape Reinga on the North Island to Bluff on the South Island, passing through 9 distinct regions on its way. I didn’t stop to enjoy the scenery or take anything in. We had to leap off the road ever few minutes to avoid being mown down. Our lodge, built at the turn of the century, is accessible only by boat. It is 100 metres from its local beach. My mind runs away when it has too much time to think. The trail is best tackled north to south, beginning from the top of the North Island at Cape Reinga in late spring. Also covered some of the best of New Zealand ( Camp Reinga ) and Mt Rintoul influx of friends family! 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