Straight Talk about Te Araroa Walk

Howdy! I'm considering walking TA North Island Mid October through December. I wanted to know what is the trail like? *Will I have to camp out every night or are there shelters? *Is the Path clearly marked? *Will I need to carry several days of Food? *Can all river crossings be done on foot? *How often will come across other people? *What are the dangers I need watch out for on the North Island? *Is it one long trail? I've walked the Camino de Santiago this Spring but there is so much infrastructure there you could practically walk it blind. I'd really like to walk the TA but I really have no clue what to expect. It'd be great if I could hear from someone who has walked it before but info from anyone would be great. Thanks! Arlen

Rather than hoping for us Kiwi 'regulars' to, yet again, respond to your questions, please do a search on this site and you will likely find all your answers already there. For instance another current thread is:- http://tramper.nz/?view=topic&id=8239 There's also heaps of info. out there on the Internet.

I would imagine that all of the answers to your questions - and much more - can be found here: http://www.teararoa.org.nz/ Plus there are quite a few blogs detailing various people's trips up now. But in short: 1. It's a mix of camping and huts. You'll need a tent, but you'll not have to use it most nights. 2. The path is fairly well marked- but it's not a flat open well benched track either. You'll still need a map and some route-finding ability. In some spots it's reasonably rough travelling. The character of the track varies a lot depending on the terrain and area you are in. 3. From memory most people carry no more than 5 - 7 days food, except in one section in the Richmonds where more like 10 day is necessary. Resupply is generally pretty easy. 4. Most streams are crossed by foot in normal weather. But the same little creek WILL become a dangerous torrent after heavy rain. Be prepared to wait for maybe a day or two at worst for the level to drop right back. Many rivers are bridged. There is one big, braided river in Canterbury (Rakaia) which can only be crossed on foot in the very best of conditions. 5. How many other people you meet will vary a lot according to area, some sections you will be on your own for days - then others you'll definitely have company. Especially in the huts. 6. Objectively NZ is neither safe nor dangerous. So far I've not heard of any TeAraroa hiker getting into trouble in the NI. The trail was designed to be reasonably safe. However there are a couple of sections - the Tararua's in the NI and the Richmonds in the SI which have sections definitely exposed to severe weather. 7. Yes it is one long trail. But there are some sections of road-walking in the NI for which better alternatives are still being worked on. Not all land-owners have been co-operative. Heaps more info on the net these days.