Hi all! I’m trying to plan a long trip for next year. I have a fairly clear image of what i want to do… now I just need to turn the dream into reality! The plan is firstly to hike the Te Araroa trail from the North to South tip of NZ. Questions: 1) Does [...]

29.2 km – 5.25 hours The next section of Te Araroa involves some walking on a busy stretch of SH1, waiting for a walkway to be built along the south bank of the Waikato River. My scout had been sent out earlier to check out the new walkway, but nothing much happening, so my alternative [...]

Wenderholm to Redvale (just north of Auckland) 28.5 km – 6.8 hours A later start than usual to ensure the tide was OK – so left Wenderholm at the canoe landing place at 9.40 heading up a much improved track around the Wenderholm peninsula, with great views down to the river mouth, out to sea, [...]

Not long ago, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key, held a “job summit” to try to find ways to save jobs during this global recession. He gathered together a bunch of business and labour leaders to see if a day of brainstorming could produce a miracle solution. While many ideas were bounced around, one of [...]

Sunday 7th March Near to and over Kauri Mountain – Ocean Beach – along the tops at Whangarei Heads then around the foreshore to near Little Munro Bay – 29 km – 8.75 hrs An early morning walk along a quiet rural road, then up and up a private road (with some misleading markings), but [...]

Saturday 6th March near Ngunguru to near Kauri Mountain – 35.7 km – 8 hours Today was mostly a road walk day, starting from 2.3 km west of Ngunguru (near Tutukaka), with 10 km on the road to Whangarei to get to the head of the Ngunguru estuary, and then head back along a minor [...]

The Wellington branch of the Te Araroa Trust have forged a path through the Tararua Ranges. Read their comments as reported by the Kapiti Independant News and those of David Somerset – have you tramped in this area? I so what are your thoughts? Suitable hike or a dumb idea

Reproduced – an article by Brenda Ann Burke Te Araroa is a walking path that will provide access to Aotearoa’s history and natural heritage from the top of the North to the bottom of the South Island. The ambition to establish, by 2010, a hiking trail from the northern to the southern tip of New [...]

I see that two “adventure athletes” – Darren Blackhurst and Chris Dagg – covered the 49Km from Wanaka to Macetown along the Te Araroa trail in 7hrs 25minutes.  That is an amazing effort, and it was not just them that were impressive – they only won by a couple of minutes, and about 34 teams [...]

Why are Cycleways getting so much Government support compared to walking trails? I am not against Cycleways, or the Government funding of them – but why cycling and not walking?  Is it just because cycling is more “trendy”? The stated reasons for the funding of Cycleways go something like this: Attract tourists.  But for every [...]

I thought I had. In fact I was sure I had been there. I checked the AA map and sure enough there it was – nestled on the East Cape – I had stopped in for a coke many years ago as I toured in that area on my bike. But Te Araroa – The [...]