Te Araroa Trail section breakdown: North Island
This is my personalised section breakdown, comprising walks from 3 to 30
days.
The majority of these sections will be completed individually, while I intend
to tramp the section from Cape Reinga to Auckland in a longer "thru hike" style.
Section which I have completed are marked in RED, there will also be a Blog post about that section.
Section which I have completed are marked in RED, there will also be a Blog post about that section.
Section 1 – Tapotupoto to
Ahipara (5 Days)
Cape Reinga, Te Paki Coastal Track, Ninety Mile Beach
Day 1: Tapotupotu
Bay Campsite-Te Paki Stream, 25.0 kms, 8 hrs
Day 2: Te Paki
Stream-the Bluff campsite, 19.0 kms, 6 hrs
Day 3: The Bluff to Hukatere, 26.0 kms, 9 hrs
Day 4: Hukatere toWaipapakauri
Beach, 18.0 kms, 6 hrs
Day 5: Waipapakauri
Beach to Ahipara, 17.0 kms, 6 hrs
Day 6: Rest
Day in Ahipara
Section 2 – Ahipara to
Helena Bay (7 Days)
Herekino Forest, Raetea Forest, Omahuta Forest, Kerikeri Track, Waitangi
Track, Paihia-Opua Coastal Track & Russell Forest Track
Day 7: Ahipara to Herekino
Saddle, 15.0 kms, 5 hrs
Day 8: Herekino
Saddle to Takahue Saddle, 18.5 kms, 7.5 hrs
Day 9: From
Takahue Saddle to Mangamuka, 26.0 kms, 9-10hrs
Day 10: Mangamuka to Apple
Dam, 15.0 kms, 6 hrs
Day 11: Apple Dam to
Puketi Forest HQ, 26.0 kms, 9 hrs
Day 12: Kerikeri to Opua, 20.0 kms, 7 hrs
Day 14: Opua to Helena Bay, 25.0 kms, 8 hrs
Day 15: Rest
day in Helena Bay
Section 3 – Helena Bay to Whangerei Heads (5 Days)
Morepork Track, OnekaingaTrack, Whananaki Coastal Walk, Matapori bush
track, Ngunuru connection, Macerel forest Track, Taiharuru Estuary, Kauri
Mountain Track & Bream head track
Day 16: Helena Bay
to Whananaki , 22.0 kms, 7 hrs
Day 17: Whananaki to
Ngunguru Road, 17.5 kms, 6 hrs
Day 18: Ngunguru to
Patua, 22.0 kms, 7 hrs
Day 19: Patua to
Whangarei Heads, 29.5 kms, 6 hrs
Day 20: Rest
Day
Section 4 – Marsden Point –
Devonport (8 Days)
Bream Bay Walk, Brynderwyn Track, Manawhai Coastal Walk, Te Arai Beach
Walk, Te Hikoi O Te Kiri, Dome Forest Track, Moirs Hill Track, Dunns Track,
Puhoi Track, Hibiscous Coast Walk & Akarana Trail
The section between Sheepworld and Puhoi needs to be
finessed a bit.
Day 19: Marsden
Point to Waipu Cove, 23.0 kms, 8 hrs
Day 20: Waipu Cove to Mangawhai, 27.0 kms,8 hrs
Day 20: Mangawhai to Pakiri Campsite, 23.0 kms, 7
hrs
Day 21: Te
Hikoi O Te Kiri to Sheepworld caravan park (near Warkworth), 25.5 kms, 8 hrs
Day 22: Sheepworld
to Puhoi (?), 45.5 kms, 13 hrs
Day 23: Puhoi to Waiwera via Puhoi River, 7.0 kms, 2
hrs
Day 24: Waiwera to Okura Estuary, 23.0 kms, 7 hrs
Day 25: Okura Estuary to Devonport, 23.0 kms, 7 hrs
Day 26: Rest
Day
Section
5 – Devonport to Hamilton (7 Days)
Akarana Trail, Hunuas Track, Mangatawhiri
Track, Waikato River Track, Hakarimata Track, Te Awa & Hamilton City
Traverse
Day 1: Devonport to Onehunga Bay, 16.0 kms, 5 hrs
Day 2: Onehunga to Puhunui Reserve, 25.0 kms, 6-7
hrs
Day 3: Puhinui Reserve to Waikere Rd Totora
Park, 9.5 kms, 3
hrs
Day 4: Waikere Rd, Totara Park to
Clevedon, 26.0 kms, 7-8 hrs
Day 5: Rest Day in Clevedon
Day 6: Clevedon
to Upper Mangatawhiri
Campsite, 16.0 kms, 6
hrs
Day 7: Upper
Managatawhiri Campsite Mangatawhiri, 12.0 kms, 5 hrs
Day 8: Mangatawhiri
to Merce, 17.0 kms, 6 hrs
Day 9: Mercer
to Rangiiri, 26.0 kms, 7
hrs
Day 10: Rangiriri
to Huntly, 22. kms, 6
hrs
Day 11: Huntly to Hamilton, 27.0 kms, 10
hrs
Section
6: Hamilton to Taumarunui
City to Mountain Trail, Hihikiwi
Track, Pehitawa track, Mangaokewa Reserve Track + Mangaokewa River Track, Hauhungaroa
Track
The walk between Mangaokewa and
Pureora HQ needs to be finessed a bit.
Day 1: Hamilton to Taitua
Aboretum, 28.0 kms, 8
hrs
Day 2: Taitua to Whatawhata, 18.0 kms, 6
hrs
Day 3: Whatwhata to Pahautea Hut, 30.0 kms, 9 hrs
Day 4: Pahautea
Hut to Waitomo, 32.0 kms, 10
hrs
Day 5: Rest Day in Waitomo
Day 6: Waitomo
to Te Kuiti, 18.0 kms, 6
hrs
Day 7: Mangaokewa
Reserve to Mangaokewa
North Rd (?), 20.0 kms, 6
hrs
Day 8: Mangaokewa
North Rd to Pureora (?), 37.0 kms, 10
hrs
Day 9: Pureora
Forest Park HQ to Bog Inn, 15.0 kms, 5
hrs
Day 10: Waihaha
Hut to Hauhungaroa Hut, 13.0 kms, 6
hrs
Day 11: Hauhungaroa
Hut to Taumarunui (?), 39.0 kms, 10
hrs
Section
7: Taurumanui to Tongariro Holiday Park (2-3 Days)
Taumarunui to Owhango Village, Modified
42 Traverse
There are plans afoot to re-route
this section of the Te Araroa potentially cutting much of the road walking out
of this section. Watch this space…
Day 1: Taumarunui
to Owhango (?), 20.0 kms, 6
hrs
Day 2: Owhango
to Tongariro Holiday Park (?), 40.0 kms, 12 hrs
Section: Tongariro
Alpine Crossing (2 Day)
Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Mangatepopo track
Day 1: Tongariro
Holiday Park to Mangatepopo Hut, 18.0 kms, 6 hrs
Day 2: Mangatepopo
Hut to Whakapapa Village, 9.0 kms, 4 hrs
(Section completed in 1990’s as part
of the Tongariro Northern Circuit Track)
Section 8:
Whakapappa to Taihape (5 Days)
Whakapapaiti Track, Whakapapaiti-Manghuia Track, road connectors
to Taihape
I have previously rafted the Whanganui River Journey in the
early 1990’s. Rather than doing this again I intend to either road walk or bike
from National Park to Taihape as an alternate. Taihape is a transport nexus so
it should be relatively easy to get from there to Palmerston north and hence to
Christchurch.
Split times are for walking/biking depending on which option I
choose.
Day 1: Whakapapa
Village to National Par, 20.0 km, 7-8 hrs
Day
2: National Park to Ohakune
(Bike), 38.0 kms, 10/5 hrs
Day 3: Ohakune
to Waiouru (Bike, 28.0 kms, 7/3 hrs
Day 4: Rest
Day to visit Army Museum Waiouru
Day 5: Waiouru
to Taihape (Bike), 28.0 kms, 7/3 hrs
Section: Whanganui River Journey & Mangapurua Landing to
Whanganui (4 Days)
Whanganui River Journey
Day 1: Rafting from Mangapurua Landing to
Pipiriki
Day 2: Rafting
from Pipiriki to Jerusalem to Koroniti
Pa
Day 3: Rafting from Koroniti Pa to Pungarehu
Day 4: Rafting
from Pungarehu to Whanganui
Total 117 kms from Mangapurua to Whanganui
Total 117 kms from Mangapurua to Whanganui
(Whanganui River Journey section
completed in early 1990’s)
Section 9: Whanganui
to Palmerston North (4 Days)
Ratana Track, Santoft Track, Feilding Route, Bunnythorpe Route
Day
1: Whanganui to Koitiata, 30.0kms, 8 hrs
Day
2: Koitiata to Bulls, 28.0 kms, 8 hrs
Day 3: Bulls to Fielding, 9.0 kms, 5-6 hrs
Day 4: Fielding
to Palmerston North, 22.0 kms, 7 hrs
Section 10:
Palmerston North to Waikanae (7 Days)
Turitea Route, Burttons Track, Mangahao-Makahika Track, various
Tararua tracks, Pukeatua Track
Day
1: Fitzherbert Bridge to Gordon
Kear Forest, 26.0 kms, 9
hrs
Day 2: Gordon Kear Forest to Mangahao Rd, 17.0 kms, 6 hrs
Day 3: Mangahao
Rd to Poads Road, 17.0 kms, 4
hrs
Day 4: Poads Rd
to Te Matawai Hut, 16.0 kms,, 8
hrs
Day 5: Te
Matawai Hut to Nichols Hut, 13.0 kms, 8
hrs
Day 6: Nichols
Hut to Otaki Forks, 18.0 kms, 8
hrs
Day 7: Fenceline
Carpark to Waikanae, 14.0 kms, 4
hrs
Section 11:
Waikanae to Wellington (4 Days)
Kapiti Coast Track, Centennial Highway
Footpath, Paekakairiki Escarpment Track, Ara Harakeke Walkway, Raiha Walk, Walk
into Wellington
Day 1: Waikanae
River Bridge to Paekakariki, 22.0 kms, 7hrs
Day 2: Paekakariki
to Porirua, 18.5 kms, 6
hrs
Day
3: Porirua to Wellington CBD, 16.0 kms, 7
hrs
Day
4: Wellington CBD-Island Bay, 12.0 kms, 4 hrs
End of the North Island TaT Sections!
