Greetings all! My brother and I will be starting in Picton in late November and will head south for 6 weeks. I’m hoping for input on layering while trying to cut weight. A few general debates:

Active layer:

Option 1: standard grid fleece hoody (11 ozs) Option 2: heavy weight Senchi hoody ( 7.5 ozs) + wind shirt (3.7 ozs)

I have always used a grid fleece and find them to be consistent and durable though not great when breezy and don’t layer as well as Alpha.

Pants:

Option 1: trekking pants only (Gamma LT) Option 2: rain pants only (zpacks rain pants) Option 3: both

Knowing it’ll rain and that the terrain can be gnarly, wondering if both trekking and rains pants are needed given how sensitive rain pants are when bushwhacking.

Puffy:

I have both a synthetic and down puffy and from what I have read, many go with synthetic given the rain. Is that the smart choice? Obviously give up both weight and pack ability with synthetic.

Gaiters:

I hike in trail runners and haven’t used gaiters historically. How necessary are they? Would something light like dirty girls work or do they need to be beefier?

I am from a shengen country and have right to stay in nz for 3 months visa-free. But the thing is that the thru-hike is most likely to take more than 3 months.. So have you just applied for a long tourist visa? Is that even a choice?

Hi there!

Me and a friend (both from Europe) are planning on doing the TA South island only, SOBO starting in January '25. Could use a few tips & advice, since it's our very first thru-hike. We do have experience in multi-day hikes with tent, but never to be fully self-relient for days at a time food wise.

First of all, is early january a good time to start SI going SoBo? Or should we go earlier or even later?

I have two plans in mind:

• Ship Cove to Bluff (whole TA SI in +- 60 days)
• Ship Cove to Queenstown (+-45 days) + a few great walks around Queenstown (Routeburn & milford track for example)

Or is the TA part after Queenstown to Bluff really worth it?

My biggest 'concern' are that the Richmond Ranges are quite in the beginning of the trekking and (for what I've read) are the hardest part of the trail. I read a lot of fear-mongering about it as well, so quite curious to hear whether it's actually that bad or not.

Also shoe-wise I read a lot of mixed opinions. Boots, trailrunners, gore-tex, no gore-tex,... I really like a shoe with some kind of ankle support, but would like some opinions on that as well from people who have done the TA.

Cheers!

Had a blast hiking across Aotearoa this past season! Would have loved to do more alternates but was pushed around a few due to bad weather.

I loved Sean Maskill's list of alternates and I was able to do each one of those but I quickly realized there were more possibilities after talking with locals. I've compiled a list of all the best trail alts I've heard about that can be linked into a continuous hike and a few more that are nearby. Enjoy!

LINK

I'm planning to hike southbound with my partner of 1 year starting this October. It will be our first overseas trip together and first time being together 24/7 for this long. We have a very good relationship, little to no fighting, and are emotionally intelligent people. I'm just wondering how other couples were on the trip. I'm expecting bumps on the road I'm not naive. I'm not hesitant to go with my partner, I've contemplated countless people over the last 10 years but finally feel like he is the right person to hike this with.

I'm planning a short 2-3 week trip starting the beginning of April with a friend. I've read historical weather reports as well as some other new zealand reddit posts but can't make up my mind if backpacking is a good/bad idea. Would hiking parts of the AT (plan to skip around a bit and also spend some time in towns) be okay? I have backpacking experience but am with a friend who does not, and I want to make sure it will be safe for us. Mild cold is fine but am just concerned about unpredictable weather.

Thank you for the help!

Just in Wellington after completing the North Island and I am anxious about the food carries and parcelling and was looking for some help.

Hello! Does anybody have a gpx for this alt, from/to Top Wairoa Hut? I'd be very appreciative if you could post it or PM it to me.

Cheers.

Is this entire hike possible with me (single mum) and my son, who will be 20 months at the start of this trip? We have up to 6 months to complete and will not be in any kind of rush.

Hi - I'm going nobo currently in Methven and doing some planning.

Does anybody have info on this alt heading nobo? I'm looking for info about the route (gpx would be lovely), resupply - eg if I need extra days of food how many and where would I get it? - and any other relevant info.

Feel free to pm me.

Cheers!

I want to do this trail either this year or next, but I am still in the very beginning of my research. Any tips on where to find more information about the trail? Right now I’m still trying to figure out what direction is most popular and when, information on resupplying and if I need to send myself packages, and other general information. If you could point me in the right direction that would be greatly appreciated.

Hi,

I have about 6 weeks from Feb 20 - April 7 to hike the TA. I'm not planning on doing the whole thing of course

I'd like to meet people while I'm on the TA. I've really enjoyed the people I have met on previous long hikes. Both one off conversations in campsites/huts or spending days together walking

I was planning to go SoBo on the South Island because I've heard SoBo is the more common direction and it's late in the season so South Island should have more hikers on it finishing up.

Is that correct? Or is North Island more social since it is more in civilization?

Also is there a whatsapp group I can join?

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I’m planning to embark SOBO from Ships Cove on the South Island in a week, and trying to use TA as an intro to the backcountry in my new home (I’m moving to Dunedin with my wife from the PNW). I’m not a fan of road walking and not a purist at all, just want to see some of the best the south has to offer, ideally by foot as much as possible.

Do experienced TA hikers and/or S. Islanders have any suggestions on alts? Or, if not, resources on good alts on TA? Detours, even long ones, to great areas welcome.

Commented on another post, but wanted to open the question up to a wider group, if possible!

Where is the best place to send a resupply in Arthur's Pass, now that The Sanctuary has closed?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! I'm Alex, and my girlfriend and I are gearing up for a fantastic adventure on the Te Araroa trail in February. Our plan is to tackle a 4-week section, starting at Arthur's Pass and ending in Picton.

Our journey begins and ends in Christchurch, but we're facing a bit of a transport dilemma. We don't have a car, so we're relying on public transportation. While we know there's a bus route from Picton back to Christchurch, getting to Arthur's Pass is proving to be a challenge.

Initially, we thought of taking the train from Christchurch to Arthur's Pass, but unfortunately, it's all booked out until the end of March. We then looked into shuttle services, like Atomic Travel and East West Coaches, but it seems there are no scheduled bus connections from at least Atomic Travel anymore.

So, we're reaching out for some advice. How can we get to Arthur's Pass without a car? We've considered options like hitchhiking or taking a taxi, but we're unsure about their viability or cost.

If anyone has experience with this section of the trail or advice on transportation, we would greatly appreciate your insights. Alternative transport suggestions, tips on hitchhiking in the area, or any other helpful information would be incredibly valuable to us.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Cheers, Alex

Hey everyone, starting off SOBO on the South Island Tuesday and was hoping to find somewhere cheap to pitch my tent tomorrow night. Anyone have suggestions?

Hey guys, I posted on here a few weeks ago about a book I wrote about my adventures on the Te Aroroa during the 2019- 2020 period. I then got really embarrassed and scared and removed the post. I worked so hard on it and didn't even know if it was any good. After Christmas I gave a copy to my girlfriend and her sister who expressed there admiration and praised my work. Thanks to there support I have gotten a bit braver and am posting again!

The book was written completely by memory while on breaks at a factory Job. Its about me leaving my Job as a Tesco trolly boy to try and walk the trail. Its a first hand account of the trials and tribunalations of the trail and the bonds we make with people along the way.

Anyway just wanted to ask if anyone would actually be interested in reading it? I've never written a book before so was just going to self publish and post in this sub and Facebook. What do you guys think of the entire idea? Thank you!

Edit: Thank you everyone for you're lovely messages, means a lot to me. I am just going back through the entire book now to check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. About 40% of the way through. Hopefully by next week I will have finished and can finally release the book for everyone here. Thank you again for your support.

Edit 2: 02/02/24 Sorry for such a late update, I had a bad few weeks since last posting on here. I have finished another run through of my book and corrected spelling errors and a few grammar mistakes. My friend said he is currently reading through to give any feedback and has informed me its all looking good. Sorry its taken so long, I want it out as much as anyone else, I'm very nervous about it and I just want to make sure its the best I can make it before its out. Also having no idea what I'm doing and it being my first ever book means the progress was slower then I'd hoped. I'm sorry for disappointing anyone. I'm spending all my free time while at home on it and working into the night. Thank you all much love

Edit 3: 07/02/24 Sorry again for lack of update. Still working on the book, only get an hour a night to do anything. Only getting a fee hours sleep a night so I have time time work on it. Just want to make sure it's perfect, just checking all the indentations are correct and double checking any other potential issues. I think I've decided not to sell the book. I don't think I could mentally handle really harsh criticism. I know you can't please everyone but some people are just so mean, and I don't want to put myself out there and have to deal with them. It can be unrentleing and I can't take it back once its out. I think I will give anyone that's wants a copy a free version once I'm finished, I'm sorry.

I'm hiking the South Island solo so the boxes would be rather small. Places that hold boxes for you seem to charge hefty fees (15-35 NZD) plus there's postage, plus the hassle of making sure you arrive when they're open.

So given all that, I'm planning on just shopping at the overpriced convenience stores. I'm comfortable with doing 7 day food carries. Reasonable?

I found it invaluable on the PCT for both routing and comments on water sources, etc. Is it very good for TA as well?

Hi,

I'm thinking of just doing the South Island and going SoBo. I'm wondering what is the latest I can start it?

The website says "You should not risk being in the South Island high country later than early-to-mid April." I'm not sure which part of the South Island is the "high country", how far south has areas I need to be out of by mid April?

What is your solution to keeping stuff dry? This has been puzzling me as there are two big challenges: heavy heavy extended rain + real risk of having entire pack submerged in a river, potentially up to ten minutes if you need to swim out (if you're in the water more than ten minutes, you probably have bigger problems than wet gear)

Common solutions:

• Garbage bags. How do you make the opening water tight? (serious question - I've read that people just twist the ends and put a rubber band around the end, but that just doesn't seem that water tight to me, but I've yet to test it) They'd easily get holes in them after a few days, rendering them useless if submerged. Plus they are really fiddly and not well fitted to packs.
• "nylofume" bags. Maybe a bit more heavy duty than garbage bags, but how would you know if you had a hole in one two weeks in before attempting a serious river crossing? Again, how do you keep the top watertight when submerged. Extremely hard to buy in NZ/Australia.
• "compactor bags". These don't exist in NZ/Australia as far as I'm aware.
• "ultralight pack liner" I have a Macpac Ultralight Pack 50L liner. Only 3000mm hydrostatic head. I tested it in a bathtub. It started seeping a bit of water after one minute. After ten minutes everything was half wet. Seems like a worse option than an intact garbage bags or nylofume bags for submersion (plus it was expensive), but maybe better for rain as it would probably last longer before getting holes in it (perhaps 3000mm is good enough for rain)
• put important things in separate "dry bags" (sleeping bag, spare clothes, electronics). Heavy. Expensive. Your "dry bag" may not actually be watertight. Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Bag is only 2000mm hydrostatic head, no way waterproof enough for a dunking. Sea to Summit Lightweight Dry Bag is 10000mm - is this enough for a river dunking? Maybe?
• "waterproof backpack". No such thing.
• "double/triple bagging". Either neither of the two or three bags in the onion are completely waterproof, what's the point?
• ziploc bags (particulary freezer bags with double zips). After a little experiment these are indeed 100% waterproof, but they easily get holes and it's hard to tell whether there are holes. Not sure if you can get more heavy duty ones in the US or NZ, but the only ones I can find in Aus supermarkets (Hercules brand) are extremely flimsy.

Perhaps I'm being too paranoid, but I'm leaning towards getting a few S2S Lightweight Dry Bags in different sizes, unfortunately adding another ~200g of weight and another ~$100, and very inefficient use of pack space (much better to stuff everything into a single bag), but seems best for peace of mind to me. I guess another advantage is more baggies to keep stuff organised in when you're hanging out in your tent/hut. Or am I overthinking this and garbage bags and ziploc bags are fine? What is the actual likelihood of actually getting dunked in a river? Anyone have any stories, and did your gear stay dry? Do 3000mm pack liners even hold up to heavy NZ rains?

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Kia Ora, and thanks in advance to anyone who shares their time and knowledge in a reply.

I will arrive in Queenstown later this month with roughly 26 days the spend hiking on Te Araroa. I'll need to get to Auckland at the end of the hike for my flight home, but I've already budgeted a few extra days for that. I'm seeking recommendations on starting point and section(s) of the TA in order to maximize my limited time on trail by seeing some of its most scenic stretches, enjoying some of the more interesting town stops on the South Island, and keeping travel/logistics fairly simple.

I've found in my research that the top half of the South Island is generally cited as the most scenic part of the trail, so that's where I'm primarily focused. I'm currently thinking of hiking Northbound, but would be open to flipping that if it made more logistical sense.

One option I have in mind is taking a bus from Queenstown to Tekapo, and hopping on the TA there, with the intention of reaching Ship Cove and Picton ~26 days later. It looks like this might be just a hair tight on timing, but would allow me to see some great trail and then take the ferry across to Wellington at the end, which seems like an appealing finish to me.

Another idea is getting on trail in Queenstown or Frankton, while still hiking north with the intention of reaching Ship Cove/Picton ~26 days later. This definitely wouldn't be enough time to hike every mile, so I would need to skip ahead at least once. Thus, one of my primary questions for those with trail knowledge is, are there any sections between Frankton and Ship Cove that you would consider "skippable", ie wouldn't cut out any spectacular sections of trail and would be feasible to get around logistically?

For background, I'm a fairly experienced hiker with several US thrus hiked over the past 8 years. I'm comfortable with 17-25 mile days depending on terrain. It's my first time in New Zealand and I'm excited to see/learn how tramping here will differ from my previous trips.

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Many thanks!!

-McLovin

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Hey there, Does anyone know where you can get Leukotape P (or classic) in NZ? I can find Leukoplast tapes in various colours but I’m not sure that they are the same? This is for blister prevention, btw. Chur

Hey people, I'm starting my walk on TA on the 8th of January from cape Rienga. I'm getting a lift up to the cape with a taxi service run by a guy called Dan. He charges $180 for the car, but the payment is split, so 4 people would be $45 each. If anybody else is planning on heading up there and needs transport I'd be pleased to share the ride up and split the cost. Dan's number is +64226990738

Are you allowed to camp in a tent along the trail? I’m confused some say you’re allowed and some say it’s not allowed to wild camp.

I was told north and South Island have different rules.

I know there are huts but I prefer to sleep in my own tent in my own space away from other people.

Potential TA thru hiker here. Actually tossing up between the TA or the PCT. I did a search of the sub and saw a few videos mentioned, but can anyone recommend any vlogs? I did some searching on youtube and saw a few, but wondering what people's favourites are. If there is already a posting for this I apologize but didn't see it. Thanks in advance.

Hey everybody! I'll be heading to NZ mid Jan to hike SOBO through the south island and I have a gear question. My current sleeping bag is the NEMO Disco 15F and I was hoping to use it on this trip to save myself from buying a new one - will I be too warm at night or will it be ok? Thanks!

hello, I'm a 22 yo who is planning to walk Te Araroa. I would like to start by the end of January. I've found this subreddit and I thought that maybe some of my questions could be answered. Do you recommend to go with some high ankle trekking shoes or could I use some trail running (non goretex) shoes? Also, considering my late start, what do you think about my plan to start south in Bluff? are there people who do this? I have read that the South Island is the colder one so I thought that starting there would avoid me to be there too late when it is more cold. Hoping that this is the right place to ask these kind of questions, I thank you all.