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Te Araroa (South Island)

“Not all who wander are lost.” - J.R.R Tolkien


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Trail Stats


  • Distance: ~1380km (~855 miles)
  • Elevation gain: ~31K metres (~100K ft)
  • Highest point: 1925 metres (6316 ft)
  • Lowest point: Sea Level
  • Starting point: Bluff, New Zealand
  • Finishing point: Ship Cove, New Zealand
  • Scrambling level: 2/5
  • Bushwalking Level: 2/5

Description


This long-distance was officially opened in 2011. It runs for about 3000km from Cape Reing to Bluff, crossing both islands in length. I have only done the South Island for its mountains and wilder side.
​The Te Araroa has it all, you will walk on beaches, farmland, forest, marsh areas, volcanoes, and exposed ridges. The multiple river crossings, strong wind, unpredictable weather, will keep you on your toes. With over 1000 huts all over the country, New Zealand is a wonderful place to explore. Make your conquest of the Lord of the Ring land. In the end, the journey might take you somewhere you wouldn't have imagined.

Highlights


  • Some amazing sections: Waiau Pass, Blue Lake, Richmond Range, and Queen Charlotte Track or among my very best.
  • Change: You will see the vegetation change multiple times along your hike.
  • Company: I usually do my trips alone but I had a hiking partner on this one, it presented its challenges but overall it was a great experience.
  • Lights: In the summer, you will have 15 hours of daylight which is great for hiking.
  • Alternatives: Routeburn, Cascade Saddle, and Rees Glacier were some alternative routes and they shouldn't be missed!
  • Peace of mind: New Zealand is one of the places in the world where you can hike without worrying about wildlife, no bears, scorpions, snakes, or ticks... A paradise!

Challenges


  • People: The number of hikers attempting this hike every year keeps growing, now we are talking over a thousand people. For some, that will be great, but I am the type that likes to be completely alone. 
  • Wind: Wind gusts above 100km/h are not uncommon, and the wind can change direction suddenly.
  • Treeless sections: Some section won't have trees for days, it makes it hard to find good sheltered spots, especially when strong wind or nasty weather are around.​ 
  • River Crossing: Plenty of river crossing

When to go


Summer in New Zealand is December to February. I have chosen January and February to hike. Spring and Fall can offer great hiking conditions as well. Just be aware of lingering snow up passes and snowmelt flooding river if you hike in the spring.

Resupplies


There are plenty of towns on the trail or close by for resupplying. I only sent one food box. Please visit resupply plan for further information.

GPS


Te Araroa website has all the extra information needed for some good planning and they update their GPS file. That being said, the TA is a well-marked trail. I barely used my GPS and maps. They have as well a very useful free app.

My Stats


Trail stats of me and my hiking partner. For reference only, as they say: "Hike your own hike."
  • Distance walked: ~1425km (~885 miles) with alternatives
  • Average distance: ~30 km/day (~19 miles)
  • Average climb: ~635 m/day  (~2080 ft)
  • Average hours: ~10h/day
  • Days on the trail: 48 days
  • Days off the trail: 9 days (includes days of very minimal distance)
  • Number of blisters: 2 (only on the first day)
  • Total bars I ate: Over 500 for sure

Extra Information


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Resupply Plan

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Alternative Routes

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Challenges

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Daily Journal

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Cost Breakdown

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Other & FAQs


Pictures


Day 1: Our little detour brought us up a hill overlooking a nice bay close to Bluff.
Day 3: Looking back into Riverton.
Day 3: Heading on the right of the far hill.
Day 4: A part of the beautiful rainforest
Day 6: The beautiful valley on our way into Otautau.
Day 7: The nice view we had for a good part of the day.
Day 7: Sheep will always be around staring at you... whether you eat, camp, drink or simply go to the bathroom.
Day 7: The lovely pond where we camped.
Day 8: A huge sheep horde
Day 8: The view from the second climb
Day 9: The grassland
Day 10: The beautiful valley it opened into on the other side.
Day 12: Mavora Upper Lake
Day 14: Earland Falls (174m)
Day 14: Overview over Lake Mackenzie
Day 14: The view from Conical Hill (1515m)
Day 14: Lake Harris
Day 14: Beautiful...
Day 15: The last valley before the car park.
A part of the road on the way to Glenorchy
Day 16: A part of the gravel road
Day 16: The view right beside Shelter Rock Hut.
Day 17: One of the valley
Day 17: Dart glacier
Day 17: The last two detours were paradise for waterfall lovers. I saw so many that I lost count.
Day 17: Even if you have to be on one of the world’s most dangerous trail, the view makes it worth your while!
Day 17: The same viewpoint just taken a bit more on the right
Day 18: Keas (world’s only alpine bird) is an endangered species, not because some hikes strangled them after being kept awake all night (sounds familiar?). It was actually hunted down before 1970 because it preyed upon livestock, mainly sheep.
Day 19: On the way to Wanaka
Day 21: Sunset over the Hawea Lake
Day 22: The view from the top (Breast Hill, 1578m)
Day 23: Part of the valley after the saddle
Day 25: Last view of Lake Ohau before heading to Twizel.
Day 27: Tekapo Canal
Day 28: The view from Stag Saddle
Day 29: We can see Rangitata River and valley in the far back.
Day 31: Looking at Manuka Range
Day 33: Seeing the Rakaia River valley in the far back.
Day 35: Close to Lake Coleridge
Day 36: Chilly morning where Avoca River meets Harper River
Day 36: The view from Lagoon Saddle over Arthur Pass Range
Day 38: Cold morning crossing Deception River
Day 38: On especially one type of flower we could see a dozen caterpillars hanging out. When we walked in a field full of those flowers and saw that almost every single one of them had a family living on it, we realized just how much we were surrounded.
Day 39: Looking back from Harper Pass
Day 40: Close to Kiwi Saddle
Day 40: Boyle River
Day 44: The beautiful view from Maling Pass, down in the valley is where my shortcut ends and where we meet our trail again.
Day 45: Almost up Waiau Pass... we see Waiau River in the valley
Day 45: On the way down from the other side, the clouds opened up shortly to give us a view of Lake Constance.
Day 45: Looking down over Blue Lake
Day 47: On the shores of Lake Rotoiti just before the town of St Arnaud.
Day 48: View from our first climb towards Richmond Range
Day 52: View up Mount Rintoul over Tasman Bay
Day 52: The awesome (and fun!) ridge between Mount Rintoul and Little Rintoul
Day 52: How can you not enjoy hiking when these scenery come along?
Day 53: Part of the creek we followed
Day 54: A glimpse at some of the road walk
Day 56: A view on the left side of a ridge
Day 56: By now I am sure you understand why I was looking forward to that part of the trail.
Day 57: Every views left you stunned
Day 58: This adventure might be over, but the journey never ends, it only transforms... Now we have to swim to the North Island... just kidding waiting for our ferry.
For more pictures visit Daily Journal.
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