How to hike the Te Araroa Q&A LIVE
Oh my goodness I am excited! We had an evening ALL about the Te Araroa! And luckily we filmed it!
The Te Araroa is New Zealand's longest trail spanning the length of the two islands, and if you have ever considered doing it, have done it or are just curious, then this is the video for you.
We were so lucky to have our friend and all-round mountain man Stefan Fairweather come to the shop and give us the low down on completing a self-supported trip, the length of New Zealand.
What through hikers do to make life a little more comfortable, and re purpose old gear.
Topics he covered include logistics around food and gear drops. What actually tastes good after 3000km? How to budget for a trip of this length. What gear works, what doesn’t. How fit or experienced should you be? How do you navigate the walk? And so much more.
Got questions? So did our guests... you can watch them here...
PLUS Stefan shared stories from his new book North to South. This is an award winning story all about his through hike on the Te Araroa, a FANTASTIC read for all would be through hikers.
A book launch and a great presention from Stefan about the Te Araroa. All proceeds from this night were donated to the Te Araroa Trust.
Our friends from the Comfort Theory made this wee clip about the trail... Great to get an idea of the landscape.
Stefan, is originally from Hamilton. His interest in hiking started on Mt Pirongia with boy scouts more than 30 years ago. He joined the Junior Naturalist (not naturist) Club and had further tramping experiences near Kawhia and the Coromandel. It was a one-week camp on Mt Taranaki and numerous hikes back to this iconic national park during his years at Waikato University that gave him his thirst for the mountains. For several of his university summer holidays, he hitchhiked around the South Island, hiking in Nelson Lakes, Kahurangi, Westland, Arthur’s Pass and Mt Cook National Parks. After graduating with a degree in biology, he departed NZ for nine-years overseas. Mountains and hiking were often the inspiration to visit places and consequently he has been hiking in Morocco, Nepal, Slovakia, Malaysia, Canada, Poland, India, USA and Japan.
Since returning to NZ and embarking upon a medical career, he has continued his adventures in the mountains as much as he can, including leading adventures with other mountain loving folk.
The Te Araroa is Stefan’s first long distance hike (but not his last) and North to South is his first book. He works as a GP and lives in Christchurch with his wife and an anxious cat.
