Te Araroa Tips and Tricks.

However, you plan to tackle the TA, we’ve put together advice and ideas from friends, athletes, adventurers and the team’s knowledge of gear to bring you these TA tips and tricks.

What is Te Araroa?

Te Araroa is New Zealand’s only thru hike, that spans the entire length of the country, from Cape Reinga to Bluff for 3000km. It covers all of Aotearoa's vast terrain, from beaches and farmland to beech forests and alpine passes - it is an excellent way to explore all that the country has to offer. It normally takes several months (I’m talking 4-5) to walk the whole thing in one go (but the fastest time was just over a month!), and there are locals who “section walk” the TA, doing small portions or individual trails at a time whenever they can. 

Te Araroa Top 5 Tips:

1. Are Shoes or boots better for the TA?

Let's start with our feet in general. You’re gonna be on your them for A LONG TIME, so sorting out shoes, socks and foot care is a top priority - you don’t want four months on the trail with mega blisters and corpse feet! 

Trail shoes vs boots? The age-old question! (Check out this blog for a more detailed look into which is best for you!)

Boots made for hiking with a heavy pack will last longer than trail shoes, but you may want the lightness and breathability of trail shoes. You’ll be walking on mixed terrain from sand to sharp mountain rocks for potentially 150 days, and no shoe or boot is going to last 3000km (if you get 3000km out of your shoe or boot, please get in touch and let us know about this magical unicorn footwear!) so keep in mind that you'll need to either have a second (or even third) pair of shoes or boots ready to go at some point or find a location along the way to get a new pair. 

Socks are going to be really important here too, finding a pair that fits right, doesn’t rub and is the right thickness for your shoes. Injinji toe socks are a favourite of the team here at Further Faster. Reducing rubbing and blisters between the toes, and they’re also made from sweat-wicking material to keep your feet drier. 

Caring for your feet is also really important. Make sure your feet get nice and dry at least once a day, your toenails are kept trimmed and that you’re changing socks too! A layer of Gurney Goo or strapping your feet can help prevent blisters if needed too!

2. What Pack should I use for Te Araroa?

Aside from your footwear, your pack choice will make a huge difference on the trail. No matter what brand or type of pack you pick, make sure it fits you well. Getting it fitted in-store before you buy is a great idea, the shop crew here are pros at finding the right pack for you! 

A pack of around 40-50L will be what most TA walkers take on trail, with resupplies in mind and being able to carry enough for the longest points between resupplies. Pack size will vary from person to person, depending on the space they need and how much they need to carry. 

Aarn Packs are a Te Araroa favourite, with pack sizes from 20L to over 70L. With their lightweight design and option for Balance Pockets, which attach to the front of the packs for easy gear access and help spread the pack weight around your body, reducing forces on the spine. So, you can see why they are a favourite!  

No matter what pack you choose, how you pack it will also be helpful for your comfort on the trail. The rule of thumb is to pack your light items at the top and bottom of your pack and near the outside, and your heavy items in the middle of the pack, close to your spine. This great blog from Aarn Packs has more details on packing!

I also really love this quote from Stefan Fairweather (who wrote a book on his TA experience and a blog for us about the TA here): “Your bag will feel heavier than you think it should, no matter what you have - or don't have - in it.”

3. Can I hike the TA with my children? 

YES! You sure can! 

You could be section hiking or hiking the full 3000kms, but hiking with kids is going to bring its own set of challenges and also very big rewards - from having to carry extra weight and gear, to managaing expectations and understanding, but on the flipside of that having an insane bonding experience and watching your children grow through something that pushes and challenges them both mentally and physically. 

Victoria Bruce and her daughter Emilie completed the whole TA when Emilie was only 7, writing two books in the process - one for adults and one for kids. So, she knows a little something about how to tailor the TA to kids: “Children don’t walk for the same reasons adults do. Tune into what lights them up.

Is it wētā? River crossings? Ridgelines? Fairy stories in the bush? Build the journey around their curiosity. Tell stories together while you walk. Let them choose trail treats. Celebrate small milestones.

When children feel ownership of the adventure — when it’s something you’re creating together — the hard days become part of the shared story, not a battle to endure.

Te Araroa with kids isn’t about pace. It’s about partnership.”

One of our team, Chelle, wrote an excellent blog about buying gear for your kids' school camps, which can also apply to kids and Te Araroa or kids and hiking in general. There’s a lot of really good advice around kids and hiking food in there! 

4. How do I look after my mental health on the TA?  

When musicians Mickey and Michelle were on the TA, they made some really interesting observations about physical and mental health and why people would stop their TA journey:

“For the first few months, it's physical injuries that'll stop your hike; after that, it's mental. Around month 3, we noticed some people were leaving because of mental health, whereas before that, it was always injuries. The repetitiveness of the trail had gotten to them, or they no longer knew why they were there.” 

For them, they never had an issue, to the point where they wanted to leave the trail, and link this to having their passion for music to sustain them, as they were playing shows along the way. 

So, while taking care of your physical health, think about what will help your mental health along the trail when the repetitiveness gets a bit much. Maybe it's taking more time off trail, creative pursuits like painting, drawing and writing, or even taking an e-reader or a physical book along for the trip. Emilie kept a “trail diary with drawings, little stories, and things I noticed — birds, funny moments, tough days, magical forests. It made the walk feel like an adventure story that was unfolding every day.”

It could even be making sure you always have company to keep away the lonely trail blues (or making sure to spend time alone on the trail too). 

Or an idea from Mickey: “My real biggest tip is to eat as much Real Fruit Ice Cream as you possibly can.” Ice Cream makes everything better, right!? 

5. Should I plan out my whole TA trip in advance? 

Yes and No. It depends on the type of hiker and planner you are, but you can't always plan for every scenario, so it pays to be a little flexible. 

Sometimes the weather won’t play ball - you may miss out on a view because there is too much cloud cover (for Brook van Reenen it was the hardest thing about his 90-day trail running of the TA), or there may be more significant weather events like floods, excessive snow fall or natural disasters. You may have to miss out on sections because of this (again, Brett missed about 420km of the TA because of floods). And Mickey and Michelle had to pause their TA and finish the second half 3 years later because of the Covid pandemic. 

You also don’t have to have the whole 4-5 months planned out in advance. Mickey and Michelle found that talking to people gave them a lot of insight and different ways of thinking about the trail, which helped them plan for the legs ahead. 

“If there's one thing long-distance hiking continues to teach us, it's that plans are just a starting point. Being flexible, open, and kind to yourself when things shift makes all the difference. In my experience, you never hike the trail the way you imagined - but sometimes, that's where the real magic is.” - Michelle.

So, if you’re section hiking, taking it slow and steady or running the whole TA, there is no right or wrong way to go about it, as long as you make the most of your time on the trail and learn something along the way. As Stefan Fairweather said in his blog: “Enjoy. You will never do this walk again.”  

If you liked this blog, here's another one you might like too: Hiking Food 101 – Further Faster