As New Zealand’s mildest winter on record continues, the team behind Te Araroa has been busy behind the scenes getting ready for the 2023-24 walking season.
Investigating new routes as part of our plan to take more of the walk off-road, repairing sections impacted by spring storm damage and general restoration have of course been on the agenda. And you can read more about this work below.
But we’ve also been doing some big thinking.
And we’ve made a commitment to reimagining Te Araroa as the world’s first regenerative trail — a trail that enhances and contributes to the places it passes through.
Conservation partners, walker activity and sustainable infrastructure are just a few of the initiatives on our list. Watch this space for more details as we firm up our plans.
As always, we love to connect with the global Te Araroa community, so don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @teararoanztrail.
To those that have recently donated to Te Araroa — thank you. We couldn’t do the work we do without you.
And with every dollar donated going directly back into the trails, the more funds raised, the more kilometres of trail.
If you’d like to make a donation to support our work, click here.
Updated trail app coming soon
The app is also receiving a lot of care and attention, with effort aimed at providing walkers with the best available information in real-time, along with access to more offers and discounts from our trail partners.
Register to walk
If you’re walking Te Araroa this upcoming season, please don’t forget to register. Understanding who is on the trail and when, helps us do our job better and supports our bid to add and upgrade huts and other trail infrastructure.
As part of our website upgrade, we’re improving our registration process. Once registered, you will receive an information pack and Te Araroa merchandise so you can identify and connect with other through-walkers on the trail. In the interim, until the new process is launched in September, we ask that all walkers continue to use the current registration process.
New Trail Sections
Tekapo-Twizel (South Canterbury South Island) A new route across a block of Public Conservation Land will remove 10km of road walking and replace it with 11km using an old farm track and some cross-country travel. This new section offers fantastic views out to Aoraki and Lake Pukaki while walking through unique glacial landscapes and retired high-country farmland.
Serpell-Dobson Rd (Waikato North Island)
For this coming season, we’ve formalised a route across private land that some were already using (at the invitation of the farmers) to avoid SH2 and get down to the Mangatāwhiri stopbank. This is a win for walker safety as it removes 4km of some of the most dangerous road walking on Te Araroa. Many thanks to Te Araroa Waikato Trust for putting this together.
Walker Survey
This past season was our busiest on record, and we want to know what you think. We’ve teamed up with the Department of Conservation to conduct a post-walk survey.
Please give your feedback here before 15 August 2023.
See you on the trails!
Matt Claridge
Executive Director, Te Araroa Trust
