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] 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 an approximately 9-day route in the South Island where full equipment must be carried and proper footwear must be worn. 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. In these sections, trip planning, navigation, and river crossing skills are recommended, as well as a good level of fitness.[8]
Most Thru-hikers take between 3 - 6 months for a complete trip.[9] The full trail was completed 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
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- ↑ "The first man to die on the Te Araroa Trail", Charles Anderson, December 25, 2015, Stuff.co.nz
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- ↑ Winner of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in 2010
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