Te Araroa

New Zealand’s North Island

12/10/23—02/01/2024

Between December 10, 2023 and March 22, 2024, I tramped the length of New Zealand's 3033km long trail, Te Araroa, from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

My first 54 days on Te Araroa involved hiking and canoeing 1133.4 miles across the North Island to the monument at Island Bay, south of Wellington. The trail on the North Island was frequently a verge-less road, occasionally a highway, and when it was neither of those things, it was a beach.

I forded the mouths of many rivers at low tide where they poured into the ocean, I walked across estuaries waist deep in opaque, brackish water as stingrays darted around my feet. I fell into the bloated, brown Mangatāwhiri River in the middle of a cow farm when it was in flood, and was forced to swim to the opposite shore with my pack.

Beyond beaches, roads and river crossings, I walked muddy farm tracks, I stumbled through dense jungles with floors of slick clay and squelching mud, I was beaten in the face by countless ferns—usually in the rain—and I crashed through a million spider webs. The wildly varied terrain of the North Island made navigating the trail all the more challenging, I rarely knew what to expect from any given day.

When I reached the tiny town—population 8—Whakahoro, I began paddling down the Whanganui River for the next 108 miles in a canoe with a group of other hikers.

After the Whanganui River, the final challenge of the North Island was to hike through the Tararua Ranges, which proved steep, densely forested, and, overall, quite breathtaking—both from the relentless climbs and the staggering beauty.

The North Island as a whole was marked by wonderful interactions with New Zealand locals; I learned so much about native ecology and Maori culture. I also learned that a New Zealand-sized helping of bacon is the perfect amount of bacon.

Shoe cleaning station to prevent Kauri Dieback Disease

New Zealand's DOC knows how to build a staircase

The ferry ride from Paihia to Russell in the Bay of Islands

After picking us up in his boat, James walked us through how to ford the Horahora and Taiharuru Rivers at low tide

Confounding power plant with 6ft barbed wire fencing I may, or may not have climbed over

Proper sunscreen application is of the utmost importance

The endemic New Zealand Fairy Terns; there are only about 40 individuals left in the wild

The Pohutukawa, New Zealand's Christmas Tree

Julie and Gary hosted me in Botany Downs

The crossing that quickly turned into a swim

This was the most painful 3km of the whole trail

Leigh hosted me in her home in Cambridge and took me on a field trip to Raglan

"Don't sh*t on our land" feat. dead possum art

"Trust yourself, be confident" Lynn's ring

Epic suspension bridges on the Timber Trail

Huhu, New Zealand's largest beetle (they fly)

Classic "1100km" timer photo for Taki's kilometer photo series

Cream cheese and olive on brioche, fine dining on trail

Packing the canoes for a 4 day river trip

Leo lounging and Taki and Peter paddling nearby

Treats outside the Four Square in Bulls on a very hot day

The start of the Makahika Track alternate, along the Mangahao River

Tom hiking up a root system in the Tararua Ranges

Kez climbing up boulders to finish off the Makahika alternate

Kez, Tom, Ralf, Eva and I on Mt. Crawford

The southern monument on the North Island

Te Araroa

New Zealand’s North Island

12/10/23—02/01/2024

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