Te Araroa specifics

Hi guys. Regardless of your personal sentiments as to the validity of the TAT, I'd like your help please. I'm only in the infancy of my planning; just decided last night, in fact, and will be hitting my boss up tomorrow to take 3-4 months off without pay in our quiet season. Fingers crossed! Specifics I would like to know either from those who have actually done the trail, and also opinions from the more seasoned trampers here in this forum, are as follows: What is the largest stretch between resup points? I will be hiking solo, and as I always carry a day or two extra rations for the sake of safety, the distance between resup points will largely determine the size/weight of my pack. Can anyone think of any pair of footwear for the entire 3000km journey?? Personally, I'm really struggling to come up with an optimal pair of boots/shoes for all the various sections. My personal thoughts are take a good pair of sturdy boots, as well as my Vibram Five Fingers. As far as boots go, I'm really open to suggestions on this one from the seasoned trampers. I live on the West Coast, which is usually, well, wet! Even just locally, the debate rages: try to keep your feet dry, or just taken it as a given they're gonna get soaked, so wear quick-draining/drying boots. Suggestions please! :) For comfort and ankle support, I really do love my Bates desert boots. They are not designed for the NZ climate, by any stretch, and having the hi-top version isn't really necessary here (got them for the ol' Joe Blake's back in Oz), but they're super comfy. Kind of funny that my two preferred styles of footwear are the ultra minimalist variety and the supertank version. :D My thoughts on footwear are to wear the boots in the alpine and rougher sections, and my Vibrams in the wetter and road sections. Whilst I don't really expect to ever have water problems hiking the TAT, does anyone have any info to the contrary? I should have stated that I plan to hike a bit off-season; start in the north in July/August, cover the trail in 120 days, arriving in Bluff end of October/November. I know I'll catch snow and of course, plenty of rain. But did I mention I live on the Coast? :D I expect rain pretty much every day anyway, even though it's been 7 weeks now with only one deluge. I'll have a pretty basic Kathmandu tent. It's super quick to put up, and does the job getting me out of the elements. That's all I need in a shelter. Whilst I'm not going to be dawdling, I'm not exactly going to be speed-hiking either, so I'm envisaging a fairly quick set up after a long day, but a pretty relaxed pack up each morning. I have a light Australian-esque sleeping bag. I learnt my lesson last winter when camping with the Scouts; it sucks balls at keeping me warm in the NZ winter! :D However, I remedied that perfectly by purchasing an arctic suit, rated down to minus 80 degrees. I've comfortably(ish) slept in a ditch wearing just this suit with boots and gloves. And a headsox over my nose/mouth. :) 3-4 months is a long time to be walking, no matter what the terrain. A few down-time days will be necessary. Any suggestions on where some of the better places might be to stop for a day or two? I won't be wanting too many of these, just a few scattered throughout the country. But not Auckland. I want to avoid the city as much as I can, so will be getting through Auckland pretty quickly. Might take the time for a shower though. :) Whilst I look forward to meeting people along the way, I don't want to spend any time in buzzing places. It's not what I'm looking to get out of it. I might have a beer here or there, but certainly not looking to really be around a drinking crowd. If people know of any little gems along the way - cool locals I should meet, hidden foodie havens, historically or culturally significant places that aren't listed on the trail, but are within a short side trip, I'd love to hear all about it. Thanks guys! Hey, if these questions have been asked (and answered) in another post, please feel free to just send me the link. I looked, but couldn't find these specific questions. Cheers in advance.

find a brand of footwear that actually fit your feet well and are comfortable.. different brands can fit quite differently... feet vary a lot. aa sturdy boot is a heavy boot, do you really want the weight for the long distance? a lot of long distance hikers go for something lighter because its less strain on the legs. i go for a mid height lightweight boot with reasonable tread depth and the sole is hard to corkscrew but has some forefoot flexibility... salomons work for me ssized up half a size , but they dont suit wide feet, i'm borderline for them and can only just fit them with thin socks and sizing up.. some people are prepared to put up with lighter footwear wearing out sooner and having to replace them. kathmandu tents are rickety and dont stand up to big storms well.

Cheers Wayne. Yeah, I've thought about the mid height lights. The only reason I still sort of veer towards highs is that just a year ago I completely shattered my fibula and very, very badly dislocated my ankle. I have a plate and 7 screws in, so it should be fine, but it's a bit of a psych thing, really. I've hike Croessus (heading UP the Barrytown side), and walked (via the road) from Greymouth to Christchurch, and the leg has held up well, but 3000km is a slightly different prospect. ;)

I'm trying to remember exactly what footwear I wore throughout SE Asia. I'm pretty sure I mostly wore VFFs. I'm pretty used to wearing them in just about any terrain. The reason I wouldn't want to rely on these solely is the cold. I do like Salomon. I've worn their Speed Cross 2s (not my choice for the TAT though), and before they discontinued the model, their trail shorts were the ONLY shorts I wore on the trail. I think as far as Salomon boots and width go, I'd be similar to you. Just fit....

they have sales. http://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/SNBWHN5Q4/title/salomon-2015-quest-4d-2-gtx-boots

As far as a tent goes, I've looked at many different brands, models and price points. Personally, I'm not overly fussed if/when my tent cops a floggin' in a big storm. I always carry a redundancy, and am happy to purchase a new one as the need arises. I struggle to justify $700 or more for a decent single-person tent, when my Kathmandu one has held me in good stead thus far. Personally, I think the sleeping mat is far more important, and as mentioned, I think I'm got the sleeping bag/arctic suit arrangement sorted. :)

Good looking boots!

i've got the cosmics, similar but less leather. but ace boots bear in mind nylon and thinner leather dont last with south island scree and rock. these are lighter but the soles are soft rubber and don't last. http://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/SNBWHN5CG/title/salomon-2015-men-s-conquest-gtx-boots

I expect that I'll need at least two pairs of boots anyway. It is a bloody long way! :D

I do like the sound of Lowa boots, but considering I expect to go through at least two pairs, quite pricey....