Te Araroa in 7 Minutes - An Overview
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- • Te Araroa Trail - New ...
🥾 The complete series of my 90 day trek
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• Te Araroa Gear List: W...
🍪 What food to eat on Te Araroa:
• Te Araroa - What to Ea...
For future hikers, here's a little taste of what it's like on the New Zealand's Te Araroa trail. I completed my trek in 90 days starting in Cape Reinga in Nov 2019 hiking southbound to finish in Bluff in Jan 2020. The North Island is a bit underrepresented as I didn’t record many POV shots until Auckland. For more info, photos, and daily journal entries from my hike, check out my blog:
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#teararoa #thruhike #newzealand
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From a Kiwi, this is brilliant!!
I felt excited inside as I watched it, because it is my goal to do TA as a thru hike in the summer season of 22-23, when I turn 65 and get the pension! 😊
I love your videography of our stunning little country. 👌🏿
Thank you! I really appreciate that! You’ll love it! I’d recommend hitching all the road walks, though!
@@aStrayLife lol, I was thinking about that yesterday as I was walking my dog. 😁
I have never had a car, so have walked and cycled all my life. I am very accustomed to pounding the pavement and walking on roads as well as walking in the bush etc.
I have carried heavy loads of groceries home in my backpack for the past 40 years.
I therefore wonder how I will find the road compared with other thru hikers. 🤔😁
If I do find it too tedious I will hitch - my cousin and I did that when we were young, back in the 70s.
I am continuing to train consistently, and I am looking forward to seeing what my capabilities will be by then! 👌🏿😍😊
Oh believe me you do not want to walk on roads for tens of km at a time. It’s not fun! Ninety Mile Beach will give you a good taste of how roads will be. The hard sand ensures blisters for everyone!
@@aStrayLife thanks for the info. ❤️ 👐🏿 😊
It's going to be interesting for sure, and I will certainly be prepared to hitch! 😁👍🏾🙋♀️
So you done the T.A yet ? 🤔
This is an excellent composition of segments of the trail!
You have clearly shown some of the interesting mountain passes, for which I still have some trepidation as we prepare for TA commencing this year in October! 😅😅⛰️🏞️🌄
Watching your footage gives me a solid understanding of what preparation I need to do.
Thanks for sharing your experience, I enjoy your videos.
As a Kiwi Nana of British and French descent I really enjoy the camaraderie and the banter between you and Tom.
You guys are cool! 😁
EDIT: LoL 😂 I've just spotted my previous comment three years ago!
Everything is working out and it's a definite plan now. So excited!
Aww, thank you so much! I really appreciate it.
And I do miss hiking with Tom...I think we make a hilarious duo. The Yank and the Brit!
And don't worry too much about the big mountains...they aren't so bad. The Tararua and Richmond Range are the only really difficult parts (and Waiau Pass but that's just one climb). There are ample huts to stop along. I think I just plowed on too fast which was quite grueling. Most don't follow my crazy pace!
I'm excited for your journey this year! You'll love it. Just hitch all the road walks, unlike me, and consider biking the stretch between Tekapo and Lake Ohau. I wish I had!
@@aStrayLife thanks for your reply.
Yes, the Yank and the Pom makes a fantastic combo. You two are great together.
I'll be turning 67 soon after we start, and my tramping buddy will be 63 so we'll be doing Grandma pacing. 😂
She's English and I'm a true blue down home Kiwi so it's interesting and funny too. 🙆🏻♀️
Sounds like it’ll be a hoot! Take your time and also take advantage of all the kiwi hospitality I’m sure you’re familiar with. There’s a Facebook group devoted just to trail angels and there are heaps of people willing to let you crash at their home.
The color difference in your pack from beginning to end is amazing.
I never noticed! But the sun surely beats down on New Zealand!
Beautiful. 90 days! Well done. I'm surprised at how worn the paths are, it must be a well walked/travelled route. Here in Wales we have some amazing mountain routes, definitely a navigational nightmare in places though. :)
Yeah, it’s pretty well maintained. There were only a few spots that were rough. As for markings. There are definitely some places I got lost and had to consult the GPS haha. Nothing too difficult though! But the challenge makes it fun!
What's the community like? Do you meet a lot of other fellow thru-hikers, or are you pretty much on your own the whole time?
There were a lot of hikers we met along the way. It seemed that this was their first thru-hike for many of them. Tons of trail angels but it’s more Kiwi in that it’s subdued. There was a Facebook group for trail angels that offered to help or you could ask for it but not so much just food/water offered along the trail like on the Appalachian Trail. It’s a young trail so there are definitely remote parts and sections where I was along. But overall, quite social and very multinational in terms of hikers. Not many kiwis.
The great thing about hiking in New Zealand is that there are no wild animals that can kill you.
A terrible thing about being from New Zealand and then going hiking in other countries is you forget there are animals that can kill you! (but awesome here)
The only thing I had to worry about were the white tail spiders! But not much of a worry!
Wow!!! So beautiful! I am a new zealander but I've been living in the southwestern USA now for almost a decade. There are great hikes here, but I am so scared of bears, mountain lions and rattlesnakes. I want to come back to NZ and do this hike. I have 3 kids though. Has anyone completed this with children? They would be aged 8-11 by then, and used to long walks and overnight camping but I still worry it might be too hefty of a goal 😄😄 I know kids have done the AT but taking 3 kids is very different than taking 1.
What beautiful places you’ve gotten to live! I wouldn’t be so scared of all the North American creatures. They mostly leave people alone. As for the TA, there are definitely sections where I wouldn’t recommend young children. Your feet are wet a lot so blisters and other issues may arise and there are som difficult climbs. But I think there are plenty of sections, especially on the beautiful South Island that can be done with young ones!
young children in some area's...no. If the wind and cold gets up on some of the exposed tops you will be in extreme danger. Just not strong enough physically and mentally.
Wiki said the youngest kids to complete it were 6 and 7 with their parents, I imagine food carriage for a family would be the main issue, maybe look into section hiking and having friends to follow and meet you, or go along and distribute the load for carrying for yourselves +the little ones? In the south island you go up to 9 days food to carry, in the north up to 6
Don't be scared of bears, mountain lions, or rattlesnakes. If you're smart and respectful, there's no need for any fear. -AT NOBO '21
Your kids need several experiences of carrying a moderate pack for up to eight hours and will cross relentless tricky exposed sections - Waiau Pass and Richmond Ranges. These places can blow hard and cold for hours and there is no respite or bush shelter. No place for a tent either. People die in these places (sorry) and being popular doesn't make it easy, and YOU have to be an exceptional mum to coax your kids to keep moving constantly let alone finish this. I suggest that you do this in sections as there are loooong boring highway/road/4wd parts that can be pretty daunting. I haven't heard of a solo parent with three kids doing this.
Amazing effort boys. I have done a few trails in my time, but never this one. Awesome.
Thank you! It was tough at times but worth every step!
Hi! Compared to USA thru hikes was the TA too hit & miss with the amount of actual hiking trail? I've heard (unlike PCT for eg) there's ALOT of road/ATV/farm trail involved which is concerning, what are you thoughts?
Cheers! Greg
I think comparatively, yes, it is very different. There is about 20% or something that is road walking which I recommend hitching. Some farm tracks as well and urban areas. It’s like a sample slice of the country as a whole with a mix of very remote to very populated sections. If you want just the best bits, I’d recommend the South Island. That was my favorite part and more remote overall. Just go into it with a different mindset than US thru-hikes. It’s a different beast, and easier I would say. Check out my individual videos for each section of the trail for a more detailed sampling of the trail!
@@aStrayLife I'll do that, thanks! Yeah I was thinking of just doing the South Island and maybe hitching as much road as possible. I might do it this nz summer. Thanks!
Yeah, I recommend the South Island if you don’t have the time or desire to do the entire trail. Northbound would be even better since you end with the best parts. And if only doing the south, you can start even later than the standard Oct/Nov and even stretch it to Jan or Feb I’d imagine. Also, take time on the trail to get off and visit places nearby. Milford Sound and the rest of Fiordland National Park offer some of the best scenery and some great multi-day hikes that are very remote. The TA doesn’t even get into the park but gets real close near Te Anau
@@aStrayLife being from Australia I've been to New Zealand a bunch but mostly for mountain biking, although I have done the tongariro area, so yeah basically exactly what you said I am thinking of January /feb doing the South. Northbound is a great tip! I will watch your videos but how was the resupply in the South? I be curious to know the distance mix of hitchable road V hikeable trail. I'll maybe buy the far out maps while they're on sale..
@Greghikes1 I didn’t use FarOut since the TA organization has a free app. That’s what I used. It might not have every feature of FarOut but it was all I needed and has all the trail notes. As for resupply this guy made an awesome list:
bikehikesafari.com/te-araroa-resupply/
There were a few sections you could mail food to yourself on the South Island maybe between Arthur’s pass and Nelson lakes. I knew many kiwis since I lived on the South Island for a year prior to the hike so resupply was easy for me
This is the best video I've seen so far of Te Araroa 🍃 thank you for all these impressions of the trail 🙂 I hope it will be possible to hike it in 2020/21, it's been my big dream since 2014 🙊
Thank you! I hope you get to hike, too! My biggest piece of advice would be to hitch the road walks! Will make it much more enjoyable!
@@aStrayLife thank you 😀 but I think I am too obsessed with walking completely from North to South to be able to skip anything 🍃🙊
At least bike the section from Lake Tekapo to Lake Ohau! I wish I had but I’d walked every bit thus far!
Alright, I might do that :) thank you for your recommendations!
Stay tuned. I’m gonna make a video or two about my tips and advice for the TA in the future
Warms my heart to come back to these views. I was there too just when the pandemic hit.
Such great memories! I was lucky to finish before the torrential rains and then Covid hit just a few weeks after.
Watched all your TA vids, and now I head to NZ in October to have my own TA adventure. Do you have any advice? I know as an obese person physically it's going to be a challenge, but how do you deal with it mentally and spiritually?
I think for anyone starting off with thru-hiking it’s important to take it easy in the beginning. You have to find the balance of pushing yourself a bit but also listening to your body. After a few weeks you will be able to go further than you thought each day. Find what works for you and your body as well as mental health. If having shorter days so you can relax more and enjoy the evenings works for you, great! If you’d rather hike until sunset, go for it! Figure out what works for you and remember to take zero days (rest days). It’s so important for your mental health to take days off in town. And if you’re visiting NZ, make sure you take time to visit tourist sites off the trail! Maybe take a trip to Hobbiton. Spend some time in Auckland. Definitely go to Milford Sound! Maybe bungee jump in queenstown. It’s more about your journey rather than the trail! And kiwis are super friendly and it’s easy to hitchhike. Take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. Hope that helps!
Wow what a trip!! How often did you see other thru hikers on the trail?
Thanks, it was an awesome journey! I saw at least a few hikers every day. I was never completely alone.
@@aStrayLife Well then... Social aspect confirmed, I shall commence!
You’ll love it! Just hitch all the road walks
@@aStrayLife I have a hardon for having that continuous footpath like I did on the PCT... I'm sure I'll love it though:)
Great video, thanks for showing us your experience :) It'd be great to watch a video from you giving tips to first time long-distance hikers :)
Thank you! I appreciate that! That’s a good idea! I’ll have to make a video for tips for beginners. In the meantime, I did make a video of my entire gear list which does cover some of the basics:
th-cam.com/video/FJNg66Oubdo/w-d-xo.html
What were the area's where you had to carry the most food due to being in hills, and did you think you took to much or to little? especially first half of South Island.
I found that the area through Nelson Lakes to Arthur’s Pass was the longest I had to go without a resupply. There was one outfitter along the way but it was very expensive. I chose not to mail any resupply to myself. I hike long distances compared to most so was able to avoid mailing any food. The Richmond Range can be a troublesome spot as well but I went through pretty quickly.
Overall you can’t really take too much food. Because if you do, you just get to reward yourself with a feast at night. Hiker hunger is real and you’ll find the ability to eat as much as you want!
@@aStrayLife how many days worth of food?
Seven days I think was the longest I carried. But most people would have mailed food to the Boyle Outdoors center. I just bought a few things there but was able to manage to my next resupply.
looks great! what was that song towards the end?
Stardrive was the second song. I don’t remember the artist. It’s DRM-free music from the TH-cam music library.
Great video, it's my dream to walk it. Which island did you like the most?
By far the South Island was my favorite! The landscape is absolutely stunning! If you only have time to walk part of the trail, do the South Island!
@@aStrayLife Thanks for your opinion
That must have been incredibly challenging. Everything else in life will be easy.
For sure it was a challenge. Kind of a metaphor for life. Just keep walking and overcome whatever obstacle the trail throws at ya!
@@aStrayLife exactly - one day at a time, and live in the moment huh. 😊
I conquered a double cancer (at the same time!) journey with that attitude of positivity and strength, and I plan to do the TA with the same thing. 😊
"Jesus Christ" great comment - I agree with you, when we can conquer something this challenging, life becomes easy. ❤️
Congrats on beating cancer! If you can handle that you can handle anything! Absolutely just taking it one day at a time and one km at a time on the trail!
How did you get the kayak there?
There is a kayak/canoe rental for the Puhoi River. Alternatively one can road walk or hitch around that section. The canoe for the Whanganui River was also a rental and there are many rental companies that drop of the canoe and pick it up when you’re finished.
Check out my blog at www.astraylife.com/te-araroa for details about every day on the trail!
Thank you. I enjoyed the vid. The trail is still in it’s infancy, ninety days is impressive. Every person I’ve met walking the trail say that it is “challenging “.
Thank you! Yes it is challenging in a few ways. At times physically and at times mentally! But a great experience nonetheless!
makes me even more sure I made the right decision to hike it with a start in November 2020!
November is a great time! I started on Nov 1st!
I want to go too, corona might just ruin it :(
I'm starting in 7 weeks (late Oct '20)
That should be fine! I started the beginning of November. The weather will be great for you! Enjoy every moment!
Is there too much road walking?
It’s about 30% road walking. Maybe less as they keep improving the trail. But you can hitch a lot of the roads
Well done mate. Now you need to come back and go to Slope Point, the geographical southernmost land in the South Island (not Bluff.) No-one can take away your achievement - not even a smarty-pants like me. I biked to Slope Point from Motueka (Tasman Bay/Nelson) and its pretty, but the wind and steep gravel road were the pits.
I'd love to come back to NZ to see all the things I've missed, There are some great backcountry tracks I really want to check out too!
Just amazing......Thank you for the beautiful videos and for all the information provided in the comments. You have a new subscriber😊.
Thank you I really appreciate that! Happy trails!
You are Amazing people at Amazing place....but Lockdown everywhere right now...😢...so upset..😢
Yes it’s such a shame no one can visit beautiful New Zealand right now
Love this! Great tunes and clip durations 👏👍
Thank you! I really appreciate it!
Thank you for the beautiful videos and inspirations!!!!!
You’re very welcome! Thank you!
Hi my new friends
Oh how I miss it
It’s a great trail!
Incredible! Amazing amazing job done!
Thank you! It was such an adventure!
90 days... damn you are fast 😂
Ha thanks!
Great wee compilation mate, telling about the track a bit that the North Island was under 2.5 minutes, haha. Well done
Yeah I didn’t start recording walking shots until halfway through the North Island, unfortunately. It’s a bit underrepresented
Do you rent the kayaks and are there people there to give them?
There are several operators that rent canoes and kayaks. I recommend getting the official TA app and it has all the trail notes for each section and lists the canoe operators in the Whanganui section.
Well done. Great video.Is it well signed posted ? How many times did you get lost?
Thank you! It’s not as well marked as other trails but it’s on par for NZ standards. There is a free app for the trail so I could always check the GPS map on the app if I wasn’t sure where to go. The app has the official trail notes as well. So never really lost!
Hiked it in the same saison and thankful for your video 👍❤️
Thanks! I hope you avoided all the flooding that happened that year! I was lucky enough to finish just before it happened!
Only served to heighten our excitement for Oct 2022. Thanks for sharing 😀 90 days is impressive. Setting a goal of 120 days.
Of course! You’re gonna have a blast! 120 is a good pace for sure!
Hi Sherril. My good wishes for your trip. Tips: Polypro long johns for harder wearing, merino tops for warmth and smell . Soak rice, brown lentils (25% protein) etc in a plastic bag or two while you're walking. You'll save gas, and once it's boiling you can simmer it with a tea light candle or stub lying around the hut. You can cook without wasting hut firewood by lighting a small fire in the fire box and sit the billy on three 100mm high stones. Ear plugs.
Have you done the AT or PCT? How does it compare in terms of difficulty? Also, from the video, it looks like you kept super dry, or did you just not record during poor weather?
I have done the AT. You can check out my videos of that hike on here as well! I thought the TA was much easier than the AT. The terrain isn’t as difficult and the weather in NZ is usually very nice. There were definitely rainy days in NZ but I wasn’t able to film them as much since water makes it impossible to use the touch screen of my phone. But overall it was mostly sunny and dry in NZ. I was lucky with great weather most days!
@@aStrayLife dope! I'm doing it. Don't know exactly when, but im doing it!
Yeah! You won’t regret it! Even if you just pick sections and do the best parts! There’s no right or wrong way to hike!
Is 7 minutes the current FKT?
I’m a winner, baby
please tell me the outro song
@@aStrayLife thank you
VERY GOD
Thank you!
90 days. That's fast.
Yeah it was maybe a bit too fast but definitely doable for average hikers skipping the road walks.
What was your favorite day/place on the trail?
By far my favorite day/section was Waiau Pass. Hiking up from Blue Lake and Lake Constance to the pass was insanely beautiful! Just amazing!
@@aStrayLife awesome!! And roughly how many kg's/pounds were you carrying? I'll check out your blog!
Just seeing this. I carried about 16kg with water and food. My complete gear list is on my blog
Great video. Remove that drum beat. Awful.
Thanks! There’s always the mute button