{{Short description|Hiking trail in New Zealand}} {{For|the town|Te Araroa (town)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=February 2024}} {{Infobox hiking trail |name = Te Araroa |photo = Te Araroa logo sign.jpg |caption = Te Araroa sign in front of Telegraph Hut |location = New Zealand |designation = |length = {{convert|3000|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} |trailheads = [[Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua|Cape Reinga]] <br />[[Bluff, New Zealand|Bluff]] |use = [[Hiking]] |elev_change = <!-- {{convert|420880|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} --> |highest = |lowest = |months = |sights = |hazards = }} '''Te Araroa''' (The Long Pathway) is New Zealand's [[Long distance footpath|long distance]] [[Tramping in New Zealand|tramping]] route, stretching circa {{convert|3000|km}} along the length of the country's two main islands from [[Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua|Cape Reinga]] to [[Bluff, New Zealand|Bluff]]. Officially opened in 2011, it is made up of a mixture of previously made tracks and walkways, new tracks, and link sections alongside roads.<ref name="Otago">{{cite web|url=http://www.odt.co.nz/your-town/hawea/154074/breast-hill-track-open-trampers|work=[[Otago Daily Times]]|date= 31 March 2011|title=Breast Hill track open for trampers|access-date= 17 February 2016}}</ref> [[Tramping in New Zealand|Tramping]] the full length of the trail generally takes three to six months.
==History== The idea of a national walkway goes back to the 1970s, when it was first advocated for by the [[Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand]]. In 1975 the New Zealand Walkways Commission was established, but in 15 years made little progress.<ref name=opening>{{cite web|url=https://gg.govt.nz/content/te-araroa-long-pathway-opening |title=Te Araroa – The Long Pathway opening | The Governor-General of New Zealand Te Kawana Tianara o Aotearoa |website=Gg.govt.nz |date=3 December 2011 |access-date=17 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=|title=New Zealand Walkways Act 1975 (1975 No 31)|url=http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/nzwa19751975n31250|website=Nzlii.org|access-date=17 February 2016}}</ref> In 1994, journalist [[Geoff Chapple (writer)|Geoff Chapple]] advocated for a New Zealand-long walking track, and founded [[Te Araroa Trust]].<ref name=opening/><ref>{{cite news | work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |url= http://m.nzherald.co.nz/new-zealand-walks/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503290&objectid=215219 |title=Te Araroa: Take a very long hike |date= 6 September 2001 |access-date=17 February 2016}}</ref> Advocacy and negotiations for access continued, and by 2006 plans for the trail began being part of local government plans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.teararoa.org.nz/overviewhistory/ |title=New Zealand's Trail – Overview & History |publisher=Te Araroa |date=3 December 2011 |access-date=17 February 2016 |archive-date=25 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225032331/http://www.teararoa.org.nz/overviewhistory/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Government allocated $3.8 million for development of new sections of the trail on conservation land in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|date=27 May 2007|title=Up to 150km to be added to Te Araroa Walkway|url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0705/S00547.htm|website=Scoop.co.nz|access-date=17 February 2016}}</ref> The {{convert|3000|km}} route officially opened on 3 December 2011 after 10 years of work by hundreds of volunteers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teararoa.org.nz/ |title=New Zealand's Trail – Home |publisher=Te Araroa |date= |access-date=17 February 2016}}</ref>
Since opening, new tracks have been created to alter the route, particularly to avoid road walking. These include the 10 km [[Escarpment Track]], which opened in 2016,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Walker|first=Randall|date=2016-03-24|title=New leg of Te Araroa trail will be one of Wellington's finest walks|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/nz/78170486/new-leg-of-te-araroa-trail-one-of-wellingtons-finest-walks|access-date=2021-10-10|website=Stuff|language=en}}</ref> and a sealed track from [[Invercargill]] to [[Bluff, New Zealand|Bluff]] is under construction.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Harding|first=Evan|date=2020-10-01|title=End in sight for construction of southern-most Te Araroa Trail leg|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/122945690/end-in-sight-for-construction-of-southernmost-te-araroa-trail-leg|access-date=2021-10-10|website=Stuff|language=en}}</ref> In its 2019 Strategic Plan, Te Araroa Trust said it intended to reduce the amount of road walking to 10% of the trail by 2022 and set a long-term goal to reduce it to under 5%.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|year=2019|title=Te Araroa Trust Strategic Plan 2019–2022|url=https://www.teararoa.org.nz/userfiles/file/Te%20Araroa%20Trust%20Strategic%20Plan%202019-2022(2).pdf|access-date=6 September 2019|website=Te Araroa|archive-date=18 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218203934/https://www.teararoa.org.nz/userfiles/file/Te%20Araroa%20Trust%20Strategic%20Plan%202019-2022(2).pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="nzgeo" /> Parts have also been closed with detours set up, such as a section in the [[Bay of Islands]] which was closed due to erosion in 2019.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2019-12-10|title=Danger of Bay of Islands walkway 'won't stop' Te Araroa trekkers|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/nz/118087211/danger-of-bay-of-islands-walkway-wont-stop-te-araroa-trekkers|access-date=2021-10-10|website=Stuff|language=en}}</ref>
== The trail == Te Araroa stretches roughly {{convert|3000|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}, varying in distance when sections are upgraded or otherwise changed. This is almost twice the straight-line distance from Cape Reinga to Bluff {{convert|1475|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}. Tracks that cross privately owned land may be closed during [[Domestic sheep reproduction|lambing]] season, while others have been closed to people to protect [[Agathis|kauri trees]] from [[kauri dieback]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2019-01-05|title=Concerns world-famous Te Araroa Trail cannot be sustained on locals' goodwill|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/109746289/concerns-worldfamous-te-araroa-trail-cannot-be-sustained-on-locals-good-will|access-date=2021-10-10|website=Stuff|language=en}}</ref>
The trail is a mix of tracks, including wilderness tracks, paths through paddocks, beaches, roads, and highways, as well as a section which is a river and must be kayaked.<ref name="nzgeo" /> Many parts of the trail are challenging. In these sections, trip planning, river crossing and navigation skills are recommended, as well as a good level of fitness and heavy boots.<ref>{{cite web|last=Anderson|first=Charles|date=25 December 2015|title=The first man to die on the Te Araroa Trail|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/75401882/The-long-pathway-of-Andy-Wyatt-The-first-man-to-die-on-the-Te-Araroa-Trail|work=Stuff.co.nz}}</ref> Most [[Thru-hiking|through-hikers]] take between three and six months for a complete trip and 90% of those travel from north to south.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="FAQ">{{cite web|date=|title=New Zealand's Trail – FAQ|url=http://www.teararoa.org.nz/faq/|publisher=Te Araroa|access-date=17 February 2016|archive-date=25 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225045324/http://www.teararoa.org.nz/faq/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The trail has approximately 300 sections ranging from walks of one to two hours through to an approximately nine-day route in the South Island where most trampers haul large amounts of food and gear. About 60% of the trail crosses conservation land managed by the [[Department of Conservation (New Zealand)|Department of Conservation]].<ref name="nzgeo">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-longest-walk/|title=The longest walk|website=New Zealand Geographic|language=en-NZ|access-date=26 July 2019}}</ref> The remainder is mostly on privately owned land. There have been reports that some landowners have grown frustrated with the number of walkers, while many see it as a chance "be good neighbours and to bridge that rural-urban divide".<ref name=":1" />
With the exception of a short section of the [[Queen Charlotte Track]] at the trail's northern terminus in the South Island,<ref name="FAQ" /> neither permit nor fee is required to walk Te Araroa. However, Te Araroa Trust requests a donation of $750 per person tramping the full trail, $400 for those walking one island only, and smaller amounts for section hikers.<ref name="FAQ" /> Through-hikers will also pay $118 for a six-month Department of Conservation Backcountry Hut Pass if they wish to sleep in New Zealand's extensive network of [[Wilderness hut#New Zealand|back-country huts]].
==Usage== Hundreds of thousands of people walk some part of Te Araroa each year,<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=12197118 |title=Conservation Comment: Te Araroa Trail concerns|last=Scoullar|first=Dave|date=27 January 2019|access-date=26 July 2019|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777}}</ref> and in the 2018/19 summer the Te Araroa Trust counted 1200 through-walkers.<ref name="nzgeo" /> This was up from 550 people attempting a through-hike in 2016–17, and 350 the year before.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Record numbers take to Te Araroa, New Zealand's Trail|url=https://www.teararoa.org.nz/news/fullarticle/227/|last=|first=|date=15 May 2017|website=www.teararoa.org.nz|access-date=29 May 2020|archive-date=17 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617113758/https://www.teararoa.org.nz/news/fullarticle/227/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Sections of the track can see more traffic; for example, one section is seeing 70,000 to 80,000 people each year.<ref name="nzgeo" /> In that example, the section is on private land.
Walkers often receive support from "Trail Angels" – volunteers living near the track who can provide places to sleep, showers, and food.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-08|title=The mum who quit her job to heal from trauma on the Te Araroa Trail with her daughter|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/kiwi-traveller/300426174/the-mum-who-quit-her-job-to-heal-from-trauma-on-the-te-araroa-trail-with-her-daughter|access-date=2021-10-10|website=Stuff|language=en}}</ref>
=== Unofficial record completions === {{maplink|type=line|frame=yes|zoom=4|frame-width=200|frame-height=290|frame-long=170.330667|frame-lat=-43.976833}} The unofficial claimed record time for completing Te Araroa supported is 31 days, 19 hours, and 41 minutes, by ultrarunner [[Karel Sabbe]] from [[Belgium]] in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horanyi |first=Eszter |date=2025-02-16 |title=Karel Sabbe Sets Massive FKT on New Zealand's Te Araroa Trail |url=https://www.irunfar.com/karel-sabbe-te-araroa-trail-fkt-2025 |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=iRunFar |language=en}}</ref> Karel broke the previous claimed record by 18 days. The claimed self-supported record time by a woman was set by Paulina Zäck from Germany in 2025, at fifty-four days and ten hours.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-16 |title=Te Araroa |url=https://fastestknowntime.com/route/te-araroa |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=[[Fastest Known Time]] |language=en}}</ref> The claimed youngest person to walk the trail was Jonathan Rapsey, who finished it at the age of seven with his sister Elizabeth aged nine and their parents.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=12 March 2019|title=NZ's youngest Te Araroa Trail walkers reach Bluff|url=https://www.wildernessmag.co.nz/nzs-youngest-te-araroa-trail-walkers-reach-bluff/|magazine=Wilderness Magazine|access-date=26 July 2019}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Stirling Point sign.jpg|[[Stirling Point]], Te Araroa's southern terminus in [[Bluff, New Zealand|Bluff]] File:Te Araroa Trail sign.jpg|Te Araroa Trail sign </gallery>
==See also== *[[Harper Pass]] *[[Tour Aotearoa]] a cycling route from Cape Reinga to Bluff
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Te Araroa}} {{Wikivoyage|Te Araroa Trail}} *{{Official website|https://www.teararoa.org.nz/}} * {{cite web |url= http://www.trailjournals.com/journals/te_araroa_-_the_new_zealand_trail | title = Trail Journals: Te Araroa – the New Zealand Trail}} * {{cite web |url= http://www.teararoa.org.nz/trailstories |title= Te Araroa Trail Stories |access-date= 11 August 2014 |archive-date= 7 August 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200807012947/https://www.teararoa.org.nz/trailstories/ |url-status= dead }} * {{cite web |url= http://tawiki.org/wiki/Main_Page |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150103065732/http://tawiki.org/wiki/Main_Page |url-status= usurped |archive-date= 3 January 2015 | title = Te Araroa Trail Wiki}} * {{cite web |url= https://trailangel.co.nz | title = Te Araroa Trail Angels}} * {{cite web |url= http://www.tramping.net.nz/te-araroa | title = Tramping New Zealand – Te Araroa Trail, South Island}} * {{cite web |url= https://teararoasite.wordpress.com | title = Te Araroa Trail Northbound Guide}}
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[[Category:Hiking and tramping tracks in New Zealand]]