The Te Araroa Project, 91 kaimango Road, Te Awamutu (2026)

30/12/2022

Welcome Marita 🇩🇪, we caught up with at Jo's funny farm.

On trail Marita can't go without "my kindle and tent chocolate combo, it's chocolate i eat in my tent to unwind in the evening."

When Marita finishes Te Araroa they are looking forward to "telling interesting stories, being back in real life and sharing my experiences with others."

The best part of Te Araroa so far for Marita has been "the north shore walking into Auckland, the days were so diverse in that areas as well, you would have trail, forest, road,beach all in a day."

Ahead on Te Araroa Marita is looking forward to "more sunshine and more wild camping, freedom camping in sunshine."

Marita is doing Te Araroa because "I always wanted to do a long hike that includes camping and i've never been to New Zealand so that's the perfect way to see this beautiful country, by walking it."

📷

29/12/2022

Welcome Stella 🇳🇿, we caught up with at Jo's funny farm.

On trail Stella can't go without "my beanie, love my beanie, my beanie is the bomb."

When Stella finishes Te Araroa she is looking forward to "earning money instead of spending it."

The best part of Te Araroa so far for Stella has been "meeting all the different people and sharing experiences, it's been really fun."

Ahead on Te Araroa Stella is looking forward to "lack of rain."

Stella is doing Te Araroa because "I always looked at it and we saw people doing it and thought this is cool, I could do it, may as well."

📷

28/12/2022

Welcome Leila🇨🇭, we caught up with at

On trail Leila can't go without "i hesitate between two items, my diary because i think it's precious in a way and the backpack hurts my hips quite a lot but i have these orange silicone pads for extra padding, a little bit of softness between you pack and bones."

When Leila finishes Te Araroa she is are looking forward to "my boyfriend is back home so i guess im looking forward to spending time with him, in a cozy place."

The best part of Te Araroa so far for Leila has been "definitely not the weather, i'd say walking in the river in the puketi forest, i loved that part."

Ahead on Te Araroa Leila is looking forward to "So many things, i came to New Zealand before a few times so i kind of know what landscape we are going to go through, it's definitely different because we are going to walk and i drove, but i'd say tongariro but also Lake Pukaki and Tekapo, they are blue but also milky blue, its very special, very unique. I have very good memories of these places and I really want to go back there, it's amazing to think I came here by walking."

Leila is doing Te Araroa because "i wanted to experience slow travel, because i feel like we always drive around, it's not eco friendly. I felt I wanted to experience slow travel, take the time to meet the people, see the nature, and I also wanted to prove to myself that I was able to do it, to do something big."

📷

21/12/2022

Welcome Taylar 🇦🇺, we caught up with at

On trail Taylar can't go without "the swiss army knife, its cut a lot of blisters off, i physically wouldn't be able to live without it, we've done a lot of surgery on my feet, it's disgusting i know but my feet have been in rack and ruin this whole entire trip."

When Taylar finishes Te Araroa she is looking forward to "cooking in our kitchen, just making food, nice food and then just having a cup of tea on the couch with Ric and our dog, just hanging out, you know, just cozy things."

The best part of Te Araroa so far for Taylar has been "the social aspect i think, i'm loving the nature and being outdoors, but everyone we meet on the trail is so lovely."

Ahead on Te Araroa Taylar is looking forward to "Mine is definitely the South island, I think I'm going to see nature and everything that I have never seen before, nothing like it. Then as well just experiencing places that a lot of people will never see, have never seen before, were seeing parts of New Zealand that maybe not even the locals have seen so it's very special."

Taylar is doing Te Araroa because "I've always wanted to do something very adventurous with Ric, i knew he was going to do something pretty crazy and I didnt want to just stay at home, I like getting out of my comfort zone and pushing myself, i just came for the adventure really."

📷

21/12/2022

Welcome Ric 🇦🇺 we caught up with at .

On trail Ric can't go without "my little bumbag, my pack doesn't have hip pockets, it has the belt but doesn't have hip pockets and then these pants only have a pocket at the back and when you have your pack on and you want to get your phone it's so awkward and now this solves the phone problem."

When Ric finishes Te Araroa he is looking forward to "our shower, we have a big double shower so we just sit in the shower and hang out all the time."

The best part of Te Araroa so far for Ric has been "the trail angels, actually meeting local people. interacting with real people and seeing real homes and eating their food just seeing the real side of New Zealand."

Ahead on Te Araroa Ric is looking forward to "im definitely excited to do the kayaking down the river, that's going to be a lot of fun and then i'm excited to get into the south island with the big mountains and be a bit more in the wild."

Ric is doing Te Araroa because "i think there is a lot of reasons, i've always wanted to do a long distance hike, i'd seen a lot of it on youtube, and then my dad has done the Camino and the Bibbulmun. I wanted to do something long distance. It didn't have to be a walk, I was keen to do a bike ride or something large and adventurous."

📷

20/12/2022

Welcome F***y🇨🇭, we caught up with at

On trail F***y can't go without "My compeeds (for blisters), ive been using them a lot"

When F***y finishes Te Araroa she is looking forward to "my bed, in Switzerland, with my cat, in my bed, with my blanket and pillows."

The best part of Te Araroa so far for F***y has been "the bay of islands i think, i really like the coast, beach and the ocean, so that's been my favourite part."

Ahead on Te Araroa F***y is looking forward to "Tongariro, I can't wait. it's going to be the highest climb so far, the landscape and stuff like that."

F***y is doing Te Araroa because "I was planning to have a year off, she (Leila) wanted to travel, she offered me to join her, generously, I said yes without checking anything. I'm here for the adventure that I get every day, and every day I have to remember I was looking for adventure and now I get it."

📷

17/12/2022

Welcome Simone 🇦🇹, we caught up with at

On trail Simone can't go without "I just started recently but what i can say is, because i forgot my rain jacket in the car, that a rain jacket is rather essential."

When Simone finishes Te Araroa she is looking forward to "the shop 200m away, that's what i need right now, you don't have to walk anywhere."

The best part of Te Araroa so far for Simone has been "I can't really answer that question, I haven't had much of a view these few days on trail, it's been fog, oh no we had a bit of a view for 2 mins every now and then and then it was gone."

Ahead on Te Araroa Simone is looking forward to "south island for me, very little roads, mountains, longer distances between actual towns."

Simone is doing Te Araroa because "I don't actually really know, i always wanted to do a long distance hike, because of the challenge as well doing something not many people have done, i thought about Australia but too many dangerous animals, i have family here so it fitted into my life plan right now, so i'm doing it."

📷

15/12/2022

Welcome Talulah 🇦🇺 we caught up with at

On trail Talulah can't go without "My book is a very impractical thing to carry around but i do like it on a rest day."

When Talulah finishes Te Araroa they are looking forward to "doing the normal backpacker thing and not walking."

The best part of Te Araroa so far for Talulah has been "I really liked Bream Head and the first part of the dome, everyone hyped it up and said its really muddy, it's terrible you'll have a horrible time and we had a good laugh the whole way."

Ahead on Te Araroa Talulah is looking forward to "I'm really excited for the south island, I have never been and its scenery that i've never really experienced, which is exciting but terrifying."

Talulah is doing Te Araroa because "I haven't got much experience camping or walking but i've always wanted to do a thru hike, my dads from New Zealand so i wanted to get to know my dads side of the family and see New Zealand and i thought what other way is to walk it and not bus it or van it, just destroy your body instead. i also like the idea of a challenge, you know it's a pretty big thing if you can accomplish this you can accomplish anything."

📷

15/12/2022

Welcome Lucy we caught up with at

On trail Lucy can't go without "Coffee, it shows what an addict i am but genuinely would not be here without it."

When Lucy finishes Te Araroa she is looking forward to "the things i miss, i miss cycling to work and i miss flat whites, so getting back to that."

The best part of Te Araroa so far for Lucy has been "i loved the campsites along 90 mile beach, we had such good weather, so all the sun rises and the sunsets, finishing early and swimming it was so nice, they were nice remote sites as well."

Ahead on Te Araroa Lucy is looking forward to "i don't want to wish away the north island but i am excited just to get to the South Island and see it"

Lucy is doing Te Araroa because "I have just always enjoyed doing smaller hikes and camps. I always wanted to see New Zealand and when I realised that Te Araroa existed I was like oh my gosh I just need to do it. It's everything I love in one and I get to see a country."

📷

14/12/2022

Welcome Samantha 🇳🇿, we caught up with at

On trail Samantha can't go without "my mum's film camera, .cameras trip 35, she passed away when I was a baby so it's a way to take her with me."

When Samantha finishes Te Araroa they are looking forward to "i don't really know to be honest, i haven't thought that far ahead i am just focusing on the walk"

The best part of Te Araroa so far for Samantha has been "i actually quite liked the first part of the dome forest because i was initially quite scared of that, but we did it, and it was actually a lot of fun, it was quite novel getting so muddy."

Ahead on Te Araroa Samantha is looking forward to "im torn im really looking forward to Tongariro as well because i've done it twice and loved it both times so i'll be keen to do it again, well be doing it slightly differently by doing it in reverse, but i am also super excited for the Tarauas, its where we go tramping all the time, i'm from the Kapiti coast originally and well be walking through there after that, it'll be cool, getting to see my family."

Samantha is doing Te Araroa because "it's his idea (gesturing to Justin) but it seemed like a pretty big adventure and i didnt want to miss out and I wanted to do it with him."

📷

14/12/2022

Welcome Justin 🇳🇿, we caught up with at

On trail Justin can't go without "I guess my poles, i really like my walking sticks, they have a go pro mount on the top, doubles as a selfie stick."

When Justin finishes Te Araroa they are looking forward to "having the ability to try something new after the end of this, it's kind of a good mark to try something different for a bit. not go back to work maybe, we'll see."

The best part of Te Araroa so far for Justin has been "the hakarimata ranges were i think my favourite so far, because we were able to slackpack that section. After 6 weeks of walking your fitness was actually useful at that point."

Ahead on Te Araroa Justin is looking forward to "i'm really looking forward to the Tararua's, being from Wellington its home backcountry kind thing, that's going to really feel like we are close to home. I don't know if it's going to feel amazing or horrible, even thinking of tacking on a couple of extra huts just to make the Taraua's that little bit longer."

Justin is doing Te Araroa because "working for 6 years in the same job kind of thing, and while it was a great job it was, I think, time for something new and exciting. I didn't really think I could do something like this, well that normal people could do something like this. A friend of mine, once his contract had finished, he walked home and i was like ooooh that's a cool idea, walking long distance and then i found Te Araroa, as soon as i saw that i was like, yeah that's cool i want to do that."

📷

13/12/2022

Welcome Riorden 🇳🇿, we caught up with at

On trail Riorden can't go without "My Hat, keeps the hair out of my eyes, i'm always wearing it."

When Riorden finishes Te Araroa he is looking forward to "going overseas, i'll work and then get out of here."

The best part of Te Araroa so far for Riorden has been "I quite enjoyed Bream Head, that was a nice section of the trail."

Ahead on Te Araroa Riorden is looking forward to "Tongariro coming up, that'll be my first proper mountain, this was a mountain, not a very cool mountain, it'll be nice to do a really famous walk."

Riorden is doing Te Araroa because "the simple answer is that it was fun, I finished up university and had an epiphany that I could do anything I wanted, go anywhere, choose whatever job, I thought I'd just walk instead."

📷

The Te Araroa Project

30/12/2022

29/12/2022

28/12/2022

21/12/2022

21/12/2022

20/12/2022

17/12/2022

15/12/2022

15/12/2022

14/12/2022

14/12/2022

13/12/2022

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share