Visions of a Long White Cloud...my Te Araroa Trail blog

Te Araroa...or how I learnt to love the walking!

I have decided to start a section hike of the Te Araroa Trail (TA or TaT), and will be spending a lot of my tramping time over the next couple of years working on that project.

What is the Te Araroa Trail?

Te Araroa is a long distance trail which stretches all the way from Cape Reinga in the north to Bluff...a distance of over 3000 kilometres. You basically walk from the top too the bottom of New Zealand!

This puts it into the same class as classics such as the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Bibbulman in Australia, Wales Coast Pathway and the GR routes in France and Spain. The latest long trail is the proposed Great Himalaya Trail which at 4500 km's will be the longest in the world.

Lagoon Saddle Shelter on the Te Araroa Trail

Through Hike or Section Hike?

Most long distance hikers will walk a long trail in one go; this is known as 'through hiking'. A through hike usually takes from 3-6 months depending on the trail. You walk every day until you reach the end of that trail.

As I have work and family commitments I cannot do this. Instead I will work my way along the Te Araroa, walking sections of it as family, time and finances allow. Section hiking will take me longer to complete the TA but the end result is the same.

Travers River swing bridge, Nelson Lakes NP

As a result I have set up a companion blog to showcase my journey, it is called Visions of a Long White Cloud. I have added it to my featured sites list on the tool bar to the right.

Queen Charlotte Sound from the Queen Charlotte Track

The blog will have trip reports, posts about my gear, trail information and anything I think might be useful to those contemplating a trek of the Te Araroa.

On the Tongariro Crossing back in the early 1990's

Not much content yet, but it will grow as I walk various parts of the trail.