Te Araroa Trail

Te Araroa (The Long Pathway) is New Zealand's long distance tramping route, stretching the length of the country from Cape Reinga to Bluff. It is made up of a mixture of existing tracks and walkways, new tracks and link sections alongside roads,[1] and tramping the full length of the trail generally takes three to six months.

History

The idea of a national walkway goes back to the 1970s, and in 1975 the New Zealand Walkways Commission was established,[2] but in 15 years made little progress.[3] In 1994, journalist Geoff Chapple, wrote in favour of putting in place a New Zealand-long walking track, and founded Te Araroa Trust.[3][4] Advocacy and negotiations for access continued, and by 2006 plans for the trail began being part of local government plans.[5] The 3000 km (1864 miles) route officially opened on December 3, 2011 after 10 years of work by hundreds of volunteers.[6] Construction coordinated by the trust is ongoing.

The trail has approximately 300 sections ranging from walks of 1–2 hours through to a 9-day route in the South Island where full equipment must be carried. 40% of the trail crosses conservation land and the Government allocated $NZ3.8 million for development of new sections of the trail on conservation land in 2007.[7]

Walking the trail

The straight-line distance from Cape Reinga to Bluff is 1475 km, but Te Araroa covers a longer nominal distance of 3000 km. and has since been adjusted with upgraded sections. Several portions of the trail are challenging, and trip planning, navigation, and river crossing skills as well as a good level of fitness are requirements.[8]

The normal times are between 100 – 160 days for the complete trip,[9] but the full trail has been done in 53 days, by British ultra-marathoner Jez Bragg with a dedicated support crew during the 2012-13 season.[10][11]

With the exception of short section of the Queen Charlotte Track at the very top of the South Island,[9] no permit nor fee is required to walk Te Araroa, but the Te Araroa Trust suggests a donation of NZ$500pp for those walking the length of Te Araroa, NZ$250 for those walking one island only - and smaller amounts for more specific tracks/distances.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Breast Hill track open for trampers". Otago Daily Times. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  2. ↑ "New Zealand Walkways Act 1975 (1975 No 31)". Nzlii.org. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  3. 1 2 "Te Araroa - The Long Pathway opening | The Governor-General of New Zealand Te Kawana Tianara o Aotearoa". Gg.govt.nz. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  4. ↑ New Zealand Herald (2001-09-06). "Te Araroa: Take a very long hike". M.nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  5. ↑ "New Zealand's Trail - Overview & History". Te Araroa. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  6. ↑ "New Zealand's Trail - Home". Te Araroa. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  7. ↑ "Up to 150km to be added to Te Araroa Walkway". Scoop.co.nz. 27 May 2007. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  8. ↑ "The first man to die on the Te Araroa Trail", Charles Anderson, December 25, 2015, Stuff.co.nz
  9. 1 2 3 "New Zealand's Trail - FAQ". Te Araroa. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  10. ↑ Winner of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in 2010
  11. ↑ "Record run". Wildernessmag.co.nz. 8 February 2013.

External links

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