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Te Araroa Trail

Hakatere Conservation Park, Ruataniwha Conservation Park, Lake Sumner Conservation Park, Pureora Forest Park, St James Conservation Area, Hunua Ranges Regional Park, Mount Richmond Forest Park, Arthur's Pass National Park, Lewis Pass National Reserve, Te Kahui Kaupeka Conservation Park, Craigieburn Forest Park, Pirongia Forest Park, Nelson Lakes National Park, Tongariro National Park, Whanganui National Park, Tongariro National Park World Heritage Area

95 days one way

Medium

Bookings required

Te Araroa is a walking trail running the entire length of the North and South Islands. The trail opened 3 December 2011.

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Te Araroa Trail: Key information
Walking time	95 days
Distance	3,000.0km
Type	One way One way
Grade	Medium Alpine passes with alpine weather conditions, several rivers that should be bypassed using transport. Grade reflects the Tararua Ranges and Waiau Pass. Grades explained
Bookings	Bookings required Required Huts, campsites, and transport must be booked in advance at various points.

Te Araroa Trail: Find it
Starts	Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua, Cape Reinga Road SH1 ()
Ends	Stirling Point, Marine Parade, Bluff
Maps	NZTopo50-CC09 NZTopo50-AZ31 NZTopo50-CG09 NZTopo50-BN32 NZTopo50-BY17 NZTopo50-CE08 NZTopo50-BQ28 NZTopo50-BC33 NZTopo50-BD33 NZTopo50-BP31 NZTopo50-AY32 NZTopo50-BR24 NZTopo50-BU23 NZTopo50-CB12 NZTopo50-BM34 NZTopo50-CH10 NZTopo50-BQ27 NZTopo50-BL32 NZTopo50-BH34 NZTopo50-BX18 NZTopo50-BP29 NZTopo50-BQ31 NZTopo50-CF09 NZTopo50-BA32 NZTopo50-BZ15 NZTopo50-AV29 NZTopo50-BF33 NZTopo50-AV25 NZTopo50-CC11 NZTopo50-AX30 NZTopo50-BL33 NZTopo50-AT24 NZTopo50-CG10 NZTopo50-CA13 NZTopo50-BX21 NZTopo50-BV20 NZTopo50-BJ32 NZTopo50-BX20 View points
Altitude	Sea level – 1,870m Altitude change 1,870m

Te Araroa Trail: More information
Link	www.teararoa.org.nz/http://www.teararoa.org.nz/

The idea of a walk the length of New Zealand has been circulating since the 1970s, when the New Zealand Walkway Commission was established. It soon abandoned the goal of producing a single trail, and opted to establish shorter trails throughout the country. These trails still exist today, often near urban centres, and commonly crossing private land.

Waiau Pass towards Thompson Pass • By apurdam. Licence: cc by.

The Te Araroa Trust was founded in 1994 to revisit the original idea, and it is working with local organisations and land owners to incorporate existing tracks and establish new tracks as needed.

The best source of information about this trail at present is the Te Araroa Trust website, where there are guides and maps, as well as reports from people who have walked the trail.

The trail is divided into a series of shorter tracks that may be walked individually or as a whole. Individual tracks are closed or rerouted from time to time: the Te Araroa website shows which tracks are open. The tracks are as follows:

Northland