I've thought for a while now that it would be great to walk the length of New Zealand. Last year I stumbled upon Te Araroa, which is a walking track going from the top of the North Island (Cape Reinga) to the bottom of the South Island (Bluff). Te Araroa is by no means the shortest way of getting from one end of the country to the other - it looks to be a connected mix of tramping tracks, farm crossings, and roads, going over a variety of terrain varying from flat to challenging, offering scenery covering native bush, rivers, lakes, sea, mountains, and volcanic areas, and which passes through both public and private land. In short, the Te Araroa Trust (TAT) look to have a done a great job at arranging a route that has plenty of variety, avoiding the boredom of road walks where possible.
So, I very much like the idea of walking the entire trail in order (or reverse order!). Obviously the practice is quite a different thing to the idea, given the time required, practicality of multiple trips for sectional walks with attendant transport difficulties, and disruption to family and work life. On balance, for me it makes more sense to do it in sections rather than attempting the entire length in one hit.
As of today, I haven't quite committed myself to doing the entire length. I also haven't committed to walking the sections in order. But unless I start in order, I won't have the option! So my intent is go south to north in the North Island, starting in Wellington. I'll aim to get at least to Palmerston North by a series of mostly one day walks, except for one significant tramping section (in the Tararuas). Since I live in Wellington, and we have a family bach at Himatangi Beach (on the coast west of Palmerston North), this makes the logistics on this part of the trail particularly easy. Then I will reassess whether I really want to do this! And if yes, consider how to organise sectional walks when further away from home.
