Te Araroa: The Long Pathway

The overnight hike that lead to hiking a country

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It was on one of my first overnight tramps in New Zealand in 2015 that I learnt of Te Araroa. A hike with my friends Laura and Scott to a hut called Hope Kiwi in the Lewis Pass, tired after a days hike we arrived at the hut and were greeted by three other hikers, who without trying to be insulting looked exhausted, hungry and pretty well worn. One girl was sitting at the wooden hut table sewing a rip in her pants together with a needle and thread. Surprised at someone having a needle and thread on a hike, I inquisitively asked where had they hiked from? 'We're hiking Te Araroa, the length of New Zealand'. I was stunned.

What? The entire length? 'Yep from Cape Reinga to Bluff'. Those three went to bed pretty early and were up and out by dawn so I never got to ask many questions but it was here at Hope Kiwi Hut that the idea was planted in my head - 'I'll do that one day. I'm going to hike the entire South Island.' I just didnt know when.

It took quitting a job, selling everything and leaving New Zealand, walking across Spain, travelling across Europe, living and establishing a tour business in Morocco, a pandemic, a stint as a woodworker and back to working in planning for that time to finally come.

Laura and I had toyed with the idea of hiking Te Araroa in 2021 but unfortunately the Australian and New Zealand borders were just not playing ball. 2022 was to be the year!

In July, I decided that it was now or never. I was in a good position to take leave from work with a secondment ending and I surprisingly felt fitter than I have ever been at 36 years old.

I felt excited, determined and naively optimistic. I can do this!

I started reading articles, books, blogs from previous hikers, Facebook posts with the hope to soak up as much information as I could. Vividly imagining just what life would be like on the trail. Three months living in a tent or a hut in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. It was 10 year old Renays dream - the childhood years of running amuck, getting lost in the bush every afternoon after school were finally going to come in handy. The difference being I won't be able to make a mad dash for home when the kookaburra sings at dusk to be greeted with a home cooked meal. I probably got so immersed in the wonder of it all, I put the 1400 kilometers I have to hike, deep in the back of my mind.

Like with every big decision the scariest part is making the commitment. So if you're thinking about this walk and can afford to do it, do it! Without even having walked it, I know that Te Araroa is going to be one hell of a great adventure.