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Te araroa trail highlight
Te Araroa (The Long Pathway) is New Zealand's long distance tramping route, stretching 3000km (1850 miles) along the length of the country's two main islands from Cape Reinga to Bluff. It is made up of a mixture of older tracks and walkways, new tracks and link sections alongside roads. Tramping the full length of the trail generally takes three to six months.
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History
The idea of a national walkway goes back to the 1970s, and in 1975 the New Zealand Walkways Commission was established, but in 15 years made little progress. In 1994, journalist Geoff Chapple advocated a New Zealand-long walking track, and founded Te Araroa Trust. Advocacy and negotiations for access continued, and by 2006 plans for the trail began being part of local government plans. The 3000 km (1864 mile) route officially opened on December 3, 2011 after 10 years of work by hundreds of volunteers. Construction coordinated by the trust is ongoing.
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. Forty per cent of the trail crosses conservation land, and the Government allocated $3.8 million for development of new sections of the trail on conservation land in 2007.
Walking the trail
The straight-line distance from Cape Reinga to Bluff is 1475 km, but the tortuous Te Araroa stretches roughly 3000 km, varying in distance when sections are upgraded or otherwise changed. 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.
Most through-hikers take between three and six months for a complete trip. The full trail was completed in 53 days by British ultra-marathoner Jez Bragg with a dedicated support crew during the 2012-13 season.
With the exception of short section of the Queen Charlotte Track at the trail's northern terminus in the South Island, no permit nor fee is required to walk Te Araroa. However, the Te Araroa Trust requests a donation of $500 per person tramping the full trail, $250 for those walking one island only, and smaller amounts for section hikers. Most through-hikers pay $92 for a six-month Department of Conservation Backcountry Hut Pass allowing them to sleep in New Zealand's extensive network of backcountry huts.
