Hi All!

For reasons too long to explain, I'll either be in Nelson or Christchurch looking to start the TA for the SI SOBO. I'm curious what the best logistics are to get to the start of the Queen Charlotte Track.

Some options I'm considering are:

- Fly from Nelson or Christchurch to Wellington, resupply, take the ferry across and start walking

- Bus from Christchurch to Picton, boat to the top and start walking

Considerations:

- I have a place I could stay in Wellington or Nelson to prepare and send bounce boxes

- I'll be storing a bag wherever I leave from (likely either Nelson or Christchurch) - leaving a bag in Nelson will require a separate trip and hassle after the completion of the trail.

Are there any other options? Is one going to be more of a logistical challenge than the other?

Hi everyone,

I arrived in New Zealand a few weeks before. It was not in the planning but I think I would like to walk te araroa! However, I was wondering if it is too late to start at this point. Another option would be to go to the South Island in January and go NOBO.

Hi ! I'm a french traveler in NZ doing some workaway while getting to the south Island, with only my trek backpack.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to do the Te Araroa or not, especially in the north island, so I waited a bit to get some more intel, and I think I really want to do only the South Island SOBO now starting January, so I can get the Fiordland too and do some of the best greatwalks since I can sidetrack all I want, and work in fall afterwards !

I have 2 issues, kinda why I'm asking here haha :

• First I carry some nerdy stuff I don't really need for an adventure like this in my bag (a computer, some stuff related to it, a bit too much clothes like 3*each and a bit too much electronic), do you think I could put this in a box and send it to myself at the end, so I can have my optimum stuff? And where would be the best place to send some food ? (2-3max ?) Otherwise I got a blaze backpack from granit gear, sleeping stuff not too heavy, tent 1.9kg, I need to do the maths but even with my previous stuff I did walked a lot already.

• 2nd, I did some hiking (in Iceland's, Croatia, Albania, France..), freedom camping a lot, im good at improvising, but never did any thru hike like this over ~2 months, so a part of me is overly excited and the other bat shit scared, I'm 24, fit and feel like I can pull this off you know but I think that's the fact of going alone that scaring me a bit.

Does anyone want to be bat shit scared with me for the South Island ?

Here ! Sorry for the long blabla, btw do you think I should/could maybe catch de TA to Palmerston North to train a bit ? Taking any piece of advice you can have :D

Im 700km into the trail, headed SOBO. My partner and I are hiking every kilometer - no hitching. And... it's awful?

Its mostly been roads - and the highway sections are just dangerous. When it's not roads, I feel I'm on a tour of NZ's cow pastures. And those farmers pretty clearly don't want us around - so much trail is unavoidably close to electric fences and barbed wire, or dangerously skirts cliffs at the edge of someone's field. So much trail just to circumvent provate property.

Trail angels are all lovely people. But I already paid to do this hike, so it rubs me the wrong way to pay $20/night, every night, for grass patches in folks yards when I want to go pitch a tent in the woods.

And when we finally find those few sections of actual trail, they're only maintained where the kauri trees are - no consideration paid to the hikers at any point.

Yea, all this gets mentioned in blogs etc. But the extent of all these issues so far has been way WAY undersold.

So my questions are:

• does it get better? When?
• what was the creation of the trail like that it was made this bad or degraded to this point?
• why is everyone telling us no freedom camping?
• where does all the "donation" money we all send in go?

I don't need to hear about "not hacking it" or "not getting it". Have thru-hiked the PCT and just want a good trail experience. Is it gonna happen here?

My partner and I thought we were being clever booking a flight from Auckland up to Kaitaia (a one hour flight instead of hours on a packed and grimy Intercity bus). Instead our flight was cancelled at the last second (literally ten minutes before departure), leaving us stranded in Auckland.

Because it was cancelled due to weather, they refuse to refund us and I'm out over $450. They wouldn't even rebook us, as they predicted they would be cancelling all of the flights for the next few DAYS due to weather (though presumably not until the last minute, in order to fuck over their passengers as much as possible, I assume??)

We ended up getting a last minute bus to Kerikeri, had to pay for a new hotel put of pocket (as it was too late to cancel the one in Kaitaia and they insisted on charging us), now a SECOND bus to Kaitaia and a SECOND hotel.

All this to say -- DON'T TRY TO BE CLEVER LIKE US. Barrier Air is a terrible idea and a terrible company. Stick to the bus and suffer the 9 hour journey north.

ETA: Look, for all the Kiwis in this thread, you have to understand that giving no refund for a cancelled service is literally ILLEGAL in other parts of the world. It's great that you love Barrier Air, but until one of you offers to purchase this unusable flight credit from me, I'm going to keep warning international hikers to stay away from them.

Those who have hiked TA using a quilt - what do you do in huts on the beds?

I’m thinking of either brining a liner or an extra super thin sleeping mat to create a barrier between me and the mattress.

Hello I've seen some people put a down jacket on their pack lists while others seem to pass on it. What's the coldest temps people who have done the hike had? How cold should I be planning for?

I'm starting SOBO in a week. I'm sure timeframe matters.

Update: Thank you, everyone for the advice. I bought a packable puffy.

Hi to all,

I am planning the Queenstown to Picton section of the South Island in December/January and was wondering if, as an Australian citizen, I need some additional insurance to cover helicopter rescue.

I believe we are covered in New Zealand through Medicare. (?)

Does this include rescue?

What insurance would you suggest in general?

Do Australian PLBs work in New Zealand? Or should I get Garmin Inreach Mini 2?

Thank you in advance!

Hey all would anyone be able to recommend a phone plan for New Zealand not sure which one to go with

What size pack did you take on te araroa? When picking a pack how much space should I leave fora food bag?

Edit to clarify, I have a lightweight but not ultralight setup that takes about 30-35L of space. Can't decide between a 48 and 58, as I've never done a food carry of as long as needed on south island.

TIA

My partner and I hoping to hike the Te Araroa for our honeymoon! I have done some extensive thru hiking, but this will be a first for my partner, although he is an experienced backpacker. We are just beginning our planning but the hope is to leave around early December and spend about 3-4 months. We are relatively flexible and don’t want to rush our trip, but we do have a dog at home and the idea of the shorter end of this time is more appealing. 

I’ve heard some mixed reviews about the North Island and the amount of road walking that is involved. My partner is an avid bike packer and suggested that we bikepack the more monotonous road walking sections. And admittedly, I cringed at the idea. I am not a purist by any means (and I don’t think there is place for that culture on the TA), but I have taken pride in hiking all my experiences as a continuous footpath. My partner has never done a thru hike, so in my mind, even the crappy sections are all part of the experience. But upon reflecting more, I want to entertain the idea to make it the best experience for the both of us. SO I am asking you:

1. If you thru hiked the whole TA, would you have done the north island differently? Did you feel the hiking & experience on the North Island was essential to your thru hike journey?
2. Does it seem overly logistically complicated to fly to NZ with our bikes and backpacks, bike the North Island, ship our bikes home / retrieve our backpacks, and hike the south island?
3. Are there elements of the thru hike (social, etc.) that would be fundamentally missing if we were to begin the route on bikes? Maybe starting later on bikes would allow us to catch up to where other thru hikers are when we start on foot.

Thanks in advance!!

Hey guys, am starting next week and would be grateful if you are able to shakedown my pack

Goal Baseweight (BPW): Lighter the better

Budget: As necessary but I have already purchased most of my stuff

Non-negotiable Items: Osprey Talon 42 - I purchased a prototype Helium Pack previously but I found the capacity way too small for anything over a weekend so settled for the Osprey Talon, was looking at a Osprey Exos initially but Bivoac didn't have my size in stock - am aware I am slightly over the load range of 11KG (14 KG)

Additional Information: Will be my first ever thru hike but will be only doing the North island segment SOBO

Can I ditch my down jacket? I am doing the north island only from Nov - Jan

Appreciate any feedback!

Lighterpack Link: https://lighterpack.com/r/u9rhmd

Kia Ora,

Thank you in advance to anyone who shares their insights—I really appreciate your time and knowledge!

I’m a solo traveler in my late 20s from the US, planning a 2-3 month trip to NZ between January and March/April. I love meeting new people, shared experiences, and embracing spontaneity, but I'm equally drawn to nature, off-trail hikes, camping, solitude with small groups of people, and the wilderness. Ideally, I’d love a trip filled with 3-5 day hikes, some camping, and occasional hostel stays in cities for a social break, but worry about the constant logistical hassle of trying to figure out where to go, what to hike, whether I have the gear, the weather, and how to meet people.

Here's where I'm stuck:

1. Option 1: Te Araroa (SOBO) – I'm considering doing a SOBO hike of the South Island TA (from Wellington to Bluff) because it seems simpler day-to-day and good for meeting people and less hassle with planning each hike, checking weather, and figuring out gear (everything should be figured out before leaving for NZ). I’m not tied to completing the whole SI trail but like the idea of fewer logistics, having a built-in social aspect, and immersing myself in NZ’s nature. I could couple this with renting a car to explore North Island after the TA.
2. Option 2: Road Trip (Camper Van or Car) – Alternatively, I'm weighing the option of renting (or maybe buying) a camper van or car for 3 months, driving across NZ, and doing multi-day hikes along the way. This would give more freedom to explore off the trail, but I worry about the logistics of planning each hike, monitoring weather, and possibly feeling lonely or isolated.

My outdoor experience includes several multi-day, intense multi-sport trips (3-5 days) but usually with groups I know. I'm comfortable and enjoy mountains, forests, rivers, and love rock scrambling, but solo wilderness trips would be new for me.

Questions:

• For anyone who’s done a solo TA hike, did you find it more straightforward logistically than a solo van trip with frequent hikes? Would you recommend skipping any TA sections or adding others based on my preferences?
• If I do the TA, would renting a car for the North Island afterward (for 2-4 weeks) be a good way to balance things out? Are there must-see places on the North Island that complement a South Island TA experience?
• For people who have done several months in a car, tramping around, was it logistically painful? How isolating was it?
• Wondering if anyone has good advice on how to balance these options

My main goals are to connect with people, embrace spontaneity, keep logistics manageable, and experience NZ’s nature and culture—on a budget but without cutting corners. Any advice, experiences, or itinerary ideas are greatly appreciated!

Thanks heaps!

I hiked most of Te Araroa back in 2010/11, but skipped the 1200km between Marlborough Sound and Queenstown because of injuries.
I'm headed back this season to finish what I started. Back in the day the Rakaia & Rangitata river crossings were still part of the official route. I understand the bypass with the amount of hikers these days; dangerous stuff!

Anyway, I was googling to see if anybody had taken a packraft with them to cross these rivers. It's not very far across and being in a packraft would make things significantly easier and safer - and less dependent on river depth/rain/etc.
I was thinking of sending the packrafts to Lake Tekapo and sending them out again at Arthur's Pass (we're headed north).
I couldn't find anything about anybody packrafting to cross these rivers. Any input from anybody here perhaps? Great idea? Dumb idea? Know of anybody that has done it? Thanks a lot!

As a brutal introduction to mud, hills, forest and mud, the Herekino Forest was one of my favourite sections of the North Island.

When did the TA close that section and why?

Hi everyone!

Just wondering if anyone has looked into shortcutting across the farmland and forest to bypass ahipara and going straight to Kataia at the end of 90 mile beach as it seems to add quite a few kms to do this bit.

There's seems to be some tracks through the forest and farms to get across to kaitaia

Thanks!

My tramping group and I (3 of us total) have made it to Auckland heading South. We'd like to make a detour to see the Coromandel Peninsula while we're in the country, but aren't sure the best way to manage it.

We have InterCity bus passes so could catch a ride to Thames; would the road from there be walkable or hitchable to get up to the DOC sites on the Northern coast? Or are we better off just renting a car out of Auckland?

Relatedly, if there are particular bits of the peninsula that we should make a special effort to see we'd love to hear about them.

Wondering if it will be too snowy to cross the passes in the northern region of the SI if I start hiking around November 7th? I am from Alaska and hike in snow a lot , so a little bit of post holing isn’t a huge deal for me - but just wondering if it will be impassable this early in the season.

I've grown up camping in the northeast US. I switched from a tent to hammock camping a while back and find it much more comfortable and a lot lighter to carry. In this area you can always find 2 trees to string between. For those who've been, do you think it would be possible to do this trip with a hammock instead of a tent?

Got crazy expensive quotes from a couple of taxis from Kaitaia to cape Reinga so currently my plan is to hitch hike. Has anyone on here done that? And if so where would you recommend hitching from?

Hi everyone,

A couple of family members have expressed interest in following my progress on the TA. Just wondering if anyone has used a phone app or Google maps or something that shops where we are so people can track us. Doesn't have to be in real time, but maybe updates once a day or something?

Cheers!

I'm applying for a visitor visa and it's asking me to upload a document to prove what I'm planning on doing in new zealand. It says it can be a travel itinerary. Do you think I can just write "hike te araroa for 4-6 months" on a word doc and submit it?

so ya, I have the month of December to hike the trail. ive seen some recommendations to just start at top of South Island and go as far south as you can in a month. I think logistically this is the most simple. although, I have seen and heard amazing things about the Tararua Forest section ( also that its one of the hardest sections) and im wandering if it might be worth it to start at Palmerston North or levin and work my way south from there. but with this, I might not be able to get to some of the great spots in the central South Island.

so what would you recommend? there's also the idea of starting to officially hop on "the trail" at the top of the South Island and make my way down from Aukland on a hop on hop off bus and do some multi day hikes all around the north island. or even doing hop on hop off trips the whole trip and doing hikes that aren't on the trail. So many things to see, any help would be much appreciated!!!!

Kia ora,, I've chatted with a few people recently who have recommended a quilt instead of a sleeping bag for TA. Having always hiked with a sleeping bag, I am unsure but keen to look into it, especially if lighter! Any feedback on what to look out for or recommendations for quilts? Thanks heaps! Happy trails 🙂

No one is getting back to me for stays as I NOBO the north, so wondering if I should aim for public DOC land. As long as it's not a reserve and doesn't say no, you can freedom camp. That or I guess find holiday parks and be that loser in a tiny tent!

I tried posting on Facebook but since my account is so new (got Facebook explicitly to post on the TA groups) everything gets auto removed and no response from admins.

Hi guys,

I am planning my trip to New Zealand which starts from the very end of october and i plan to stay in New Zealand for around 2 month (28th of october to 29th of december or maybe 15th of janurary). In this timespan i want to visit the best bits of both islands. When i started my research i have come arcross the Te Araroa, which connects existing trails. In the period of 2 month you could hike maybe 1 island, but not both. But i want to get to know the north and the south island.

So i have to do a section hike, to get it in time. I will try to connect the bits which i really want to see, but i know not all might be possible. Maybe ill try to hike part Te Araroa, part Great Walks and part other, no so well known tracks.

What is on my bucketlist, sorted from North to South:

North Island:

Coast Hiking, maybe the section Ocean Beach (Whangarei Heads) to Cape Rodney /Warkworth (or is the 90 Miles Beach better?)

Tongariro Northern Circuit and Round the Mountain Track

Going further to Wakahoro , and then canoing to Whanganui

Mt Taranki Round the Mountain

Tarahua Range (worth doing?)

South Island:

Te Araroa From Picton to Lake Tekapo (Nelson Lakes and Richmond Ranges) -> i think that might take 30 to 40 days? so this would take too long?? Is there a reasonable way to shorten this section further more?

Abel Tasman Trail and then hiking the Heaphy Track

Connecting Mt. Aspiring, Cascade Saddle, Dart Track and the Routeburn Trail (Seems a bit a way remote, so resupply might be hard)

• Transport/Hitchhiking to Te Anau for Kepler Track?

I will travel by bus, so the section have to be at least a bit accessible, hitchhiking might be necessary. And yes i know that a good bunch of the huts/campsites on the Great Walks are already fully booked.

Any suggestions? I m open to to some advice. Although my focus is on hiking, i would like to visit some cultural highlight as well, if they are on the way (for example some maoiri culture). And I am a great Lord of the Rings fan, so if there are some filming locations that are not strongly changed in post process, i am happy to visit them too!

Thank you for your advice in advance!

hello everyone! Im planning on taking around 1 month trip to New Zealand (December) if I had enough time, I would love to do the whole the Te Araroa. But with one month, I would like to get good taste of the experience with the short time that I have. I was wandering if I could get some ideas of routes/sections that would be a good idea.

here is a list of things im looking to get out of this trip

• I love the idea of long continuous road to follow. id like to keep logistics of busses/ferries to a minimum. with that being said, I would like to avoid the long stretches of car trafficked roads. but I am open to hopping to different sections of the trail to see more of the highlights of the trail.

• I tend to like deep Forrest hiking.

• part of the reason I want to do parts of the araroa opposed to other hiking spots in the country, is that I like the social aspect, and I like the clear path and direction that you get from following a route.

any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Looking into doing TA and keep seeing that a couple of the food carries are pretty big. How do people on trail mange keeping these carries relatively light when they can't make it at home? (Would be flying in from Aus so can't really bring food with). Naturally just fronting up big $ to buy proper dehydrated meals and posting works but would be pricey. Curious if anyone can give insight on how its done?

Trying to understand if a week long carry on TA weighs a lot more than what you would take on something like the overland track, given you need to make do with places like four square. Bonus points if anyone actually knows how heavy the bigger food carries were

Thanks!

Not a glamorous subject, but one that needs an answer. I'm looking to hike the te araroa starting mid November. I'm applying for my visitor visa and it mentions that you need fully health coverage for the time you're in new zealand. I'm leaving my job to go do this hike. I'm wondering what other people have done or are doing for this? Can you get a plan in new zealand? Do you need to get travelers insurance?