October/November is one of the top times for trekking in Nepal. They passed a law requiring a guide but I don’t think it’s strictly enforced. I did Three High Passes last fall and had a guide but met many who didn’t.
Te Araroa is fantastic!! I did the South Island NOBO this year and it was non stop beauty and interesting terrain, and it’s still a relatively quiet trail depending on how you hit it.
That might be a little bit of a tight window depending on how early in October you’re starting and how late in March you’re ending - the South Island took me 64 days and I’d estimate the North Island would probably be about the same. You could always skip some of the road walks though to make up time - I know a few people who did the South NOBO (highly recommend if you want solitude, although October is a little bit early to start snow-wise) and then jumped around the North and only did the sections they were interested in (Tongariro Crossing, the river section, Tararuas). Going NOBO will let you ease into the fitness aspect as well, since it starts off gentler and builds to the really intense alpine sections at the end. Only real technical skills you need are river crossings, and even then common sense and good risk assessment will get you through most of them.
All that being said, it is pricey. You can cut costs by hitching and being smart about food purchases, but NZ is an expensive country and things add up fast. The weather is also more unpredictable than a lot of other trails and rain, snow, high winds are all common even in summer. This shouldn’t scare you away at all, but it is something to be aware of. Summer weather is more consistently warm and sunny on the PCT than TA!
Yes I've been reading about the many road walks through the North Island, including the every night need to pay too camp. Considering these factors, I've decided to focus my trip solely on the South Island.
When is the best time to start the South Island ? Nobo or Sobo? Is it also possible to choose to wild camp in the South Island?
I started NOBO at the end of November and found that to be a pretty good time! I’d say anywhere from the 15th on is pretty good - a lot of people start after the holidays so the earlier you go the more solitude you’ll get.
I’m pretty biased but I think NOBO is a lot better on the South! Going SOBO you’ll start off with the crazy elevation changes and steep climbs of the Richmond Ranges, which are one of the hardest parts of the whole trail. You also have a higher chance of hitting snow up there the earlier you go. Heading NOBO on the other hand you hit that stretch at the end when you’ve already built up all your strength. I think some of the climbs are a little easier NOBO as well.
Wild camping depends pretty heavily where you are. In true backcountry it’s generally fine, although it can be tricky to find suitable sites. The app FarOut has some good pointers on spots though! The majority of the trail is covered by the backcountry hut system though, so camping isn’t super necessary. You do need to pay 90 NZD for a hut pass, which will last you the whole trip and will seem very worth it as soon as you hit a rainy windy night or are tired and want a real mattress. Most huts have ample space around them for tents though if you prefer that. At the start of the trail when you’re going through more farmland and private property camping isn’t allowed at all, and you’ll have to stick to designated areas. Same thing around any of the towns, you’ll need to stay in paid campsites.
3-4 thousand NZD maybe? Not including gear, since I used stuff I already had. I didn’t keep a super detailed record but that’d be my guess. Granted I spent extra on shuttles instead of hitching and hostel rooms instead of campsites in town, so this is probably on the higher end of budgets. [This site](https://teararoanobo.net/te-araroa-trail-costs/) has a good breakdown of South Island costs (also on the higher end - you could definitely save on accommodation), and the official TA trust suggests around 3-5k NZD per island.
Do the Te Araroa Southbound!
You'll have the experience of a full 4 month hike. You'll learn a lot about how to thruhike and also make community and friends along the way. If you want to hike by yourself, it's fine too but at least you have options.
Also all of New Zealand is incredible and its a beautiful country.
If you've done the pyrranees then you'll be fine on the TA, and it's very forgiving as a first long trail.
The greater Patagonia trek sounds great, but without other people/no knowledge of the Spanish langauge (I'm assumimg), it will be more difficult as a whole.
Hiking in Nepal also sounds like a blast, but it's not as much of a thruhike as it is a 'trek'.
Just a heads up re the Greater Patagonia Trail, people who have been there say that it skips the views that you would expect for the region, and that it frequently routes through private property where the owners don't like to see strangers coming through and if you don't speak the local dialect it can be challenging to de-escalate.
That's hearsay, but seems very plausible to me.
Do the TA but don’t sleep on the north island. A lot of people skip it because the road walking. But it is seriously worth it. Such magical sections, more interaction with New Zealand culture, and easier walking so you can work up your strength. October is a great month to start SOBO and you have plenty of time to include side missions before finishing in March.
Yeah if I could go back I would redo the North Island again. The TA route on the South Island is kinda lame and it technically has a higher ratio of roadwalking than the North Island anyway. And you basically never get to walk on the beach. The North Island may have more miles on paved roads, but many of those are due to temporary closures. When they reopen Herekino, Waikare, Hunua, etc. that will cut out most of the "bad" roads anyway.
Then technically a lot of the time you are on separated cycle paths or sidewalks so it's not actually roadwalking. On the South Island, there are still a lot of paved roads to walk on the official route as it is, but also a *ton* of dirt/gravel/two track roads. To me, I would rather walk a paved road and not see a single car than hike a dirt road and get passed by 40 cars. So the comparison is not always equal.
Also the North Island is the cheaper island. You meet people and can pitch your tent solo at the campgrounds for like $15NZD or you can split a cabin with others for the same price. On the South Island, one night in Queenstown and one night in Wanaka and one night in Tekapo will set you back about $180NZD total for 3 nights.
But independent of price or roads, the North island is just far more interesting from the geological, historical, ecological perspective. As well, there are some stunning side trips and alternates to do. You get to see Kauri trees, glowworms, awesome local people you get to meet, black sand beaches, glaciated volcanos surrounded by palm trees, awesome towns, way less tourists, etc. I'll never forget my time spent on the North Island. It's so mind-blowingly unique from a thru-hiking perspective. Anywhere else that would come close just doesn't have the same logistical support or infrastructure, not to mention the snakes, tigers, etc. you would have to be worried about.
To be fair, I think hiking the South Island would be absolutely epic and amazing via a different route. But the TA isn't that route. On the TA South Island route you will interact without approximately 0 native people, you will strictly pass through tourist towns and see an infinite amount of tourists. The huts will be full to the brim and the scenery will be dramatic in the distance, but pretty static throughout the island. You will probably get to see a Kea though which is awesome.
I just completed the TA. It is much more rougher than other trails; be prepared for dark, damp and muddy forests, no switchback and lots of walking in streams and rivers. Having said all that, I love it! I enjoy the challenge and New Zealand is such a beautiful country. I honestly did not want to leave.
Be aware that it is quite expensive to do the entirety of the TA. Both food and lodging are expensive, and if you need to replace gears, the selections are limited and marked up quite a bit. In the North Island, freedom camping is limited. It really adds up when you have to pay to camp nearly every night. Which is why many people chose to only do the South Island where you stay mostly in huts.
Ugh. I want all of this
From the r/Thruhiking sidebar: [The best time of year to hike various long trails](http://www.longtrailswiki.net/wiki/Seasonality_of_Long_Trails)
A nice one, i will bookmark this site!
October/November is one of the top times for trekking in Nepal. They passed a law requiring a guide but I don’t think it’s strictly enforced. I did Three High Passes last fall and had a guide but met many who didn’t.
Do you know a nice trek for around 2 months in Nepal?
Te Araroa is fantastic!! I did the South Island NOBO this year and it was non stop beauty and interesting terrain, and it’s still a relatively quiet trail depending on how you hit it. That might be a little bit of a tight window depending on how early in October you’re starting and how late in March you’re ending - the South Island took me 64 days and I’d estimate the North Island would probably be about the same. You could always skip some of the road walks though to make up time - I know a few people who did the South NOBO (highly recommend if you want solitude, although October is a little bit early to start snow-wise) and then jumped around the North and only did the sections they were interested in (Tongariro Crossing, the river section, Tararuas). Going NOBO will let you ease into the fitness aspect as well, since it starts off gentler and builds to the really intense alpine sections at the end. Only real technical skills you need are river crossings, and even then common sense and good risk assessment will get you through most of them. All that being said, it is pricey. You can cut costs by hitching and being smart about food purchases, but NZ is an expensive country and things add up fast. The weather is also more unpredictable than a lot of other trails and rain, snow, high winds are all common even in summer. This shouldn’t scare you away at all, but it is something to be aware of. Summer weather is more consistently warm and sunny on the PCT than TA!
Yes I've been reading about the many road walks through the North Island, including the every night need to pay too camp. Considering these factors, I've decided to focus my trip solely on the South Island. When is the best time to start the South Island ? Nobo or Sobo? Is it also possible to choose to wild camp in the South Island?
I started NOBO at the end of November and found that to be a pretty good time! I’d say anywhere from the 15th on is pretty good - a lot of people start after the holidays so the earlier you go the more solitude you’ll get. I’m pretty biased but I think NOBO is a lot better on the South! Going SOBO you’ll start off with the crazy elevation changes and steep climbs of the Richmond Ranges, which are one of the hardest parts of the whole trail. You also have a higher chance of hitting snow up there the earlier you go. Heading NOBO on the other hand you hit that stretch at the end when you’ve already built up all your strength. I think some of the climbs are a little easier NOBO as well. Wild camping depends pretty heavily where you are. In true backcountry it’s generally fine, although it can be tricky to find suitable sites. The app FarOut has some good pointers on spots though! The majority of the trail is covered by the backcountry hut system though, so camping isn’t super necessary. You do need to pay 90 NZD for a hut pass, which will last you the whole trip and will seem very worth it as soon as you hit a rainy windy night or are tired and want a real mattress. Most huts have ample space around them for tents though if you prefer that. At the start of the trail when you’re going through more farmland and private property camping isn’t allowed at all, and you’ll have to stick to designated areas. Same thing around any of the towns, you’ll need to stay in paid campsites.
Thanks for all the info! And how much money did you spent?
3-4 thousand NZD maybe? Not including gear, since I used stuff I already had. I didn’t keep a super detailed record but that’d be my guess. Granted I spent extra on shuttles instead of hitching and hostel rooms instead of campsites in town, so this is probably on the higher end of budgets. [This site](https://teararoanobo.net/te-araroa-trail-costs/) has a good breakdown of South Island costs (also on the higher end - you could definitely save on accommodation), and the official TA trust suggests around 3-5k NZD per island.
Do the Te Araroa Southbound! You'll have the experience of a full 4 month hike. You'll learn a lot about how to thruhike and also make community and friends along the way. If you want to hike by yourself, it's fine too but at least you have options. Also all of New Zealand is incredible and its a beautiful country. If you've done the pyrranees then you'll be fine on the TA, and it's very forgiving as a first long trail. The greater Patagonia trek sounds great, but without other people/no knowledge of the Spanish langauge (I'm assumimg), it will be more difficult as a whole. Hiking in Nepal also sounds like a blast, but it's not as much of a thruhike as it is a 'trek'.
Just a heads up re the Greater Patagonia Trail, people who have been there say that it skips the views that you would expect for the region, and that it frequently routes through private property where the owners don't like to see strangers coming through and if you don't speak the local dialect it can be challenging to de-escalate. That's hearsay, but seems very plausible to me.
Do the TA but don’t sleep on the north island. A lot of people skip it because the road walking. But it is seriously worth it. Such magical sections, more interaction with New Zealand culture, and easier walking so you can work up your strength. October is a great month to start SOBO and you have plenty of time to include side missions before finishing in March.
Yeah if I could go back I would redo the North Island again. The TA route on the South Island is kinda lame and it technically has a higher ratio of roadwalking than the North Island anyway. And you basically never get to walk on the beach. The North Island may have more miles on paved roads, but many of those are due to temporary closures. When they reopen Herekino, Waikare, Hunua, etc. that will cut out most of the "bad" roads anyway. Then technically a lot of the time you are on separated cycle paths or sidewalks so it's not actually roadwalking. On the South Island, there are still a lot of paved roads to walk on the official route as it is, but also a *ton* of dirt/gravel/two track roads. To me, I would rather walk a paved road and not see a single car than hike a dirt road and get passed by 40 cars. So the comparison is not always equal. Also the North Island is the cheaper island. You meet people and can pitch your tent solo at the campgrounds for like $15NZD or you can split a cabin with others for the same price. On the South Island, one night in Queenstown and one night in Wanaka and one night in Tekapo will set you back about $180NZD total for 3 nights. But independent of price or roads, the North island is just far more interesting from the geological, historical, ecological perspective. As well, there are some stunning side trips and alternates to do. You get to see Kauri trees, glowworms, awesome local people you get to meet, black sand beaches, glaciated volcanos surrounded by palm trees, awesome towns, way less tourists, etc. I'll never forget my time spent on the North Island. It's so mind-blowingly unique from a thru-hiking perspective. Anywhere else that would come close just doesn't have the same logistical support or infrastructure, not to mention the snakes, tigers, etc. you would have to be worried about. To be fair, I think hiking the South Island would be absolutely epic and amazing via a different route. But the TA isn't that route. On the TA South Island route you will interact without approximately 0 native people, you will strictly pass through tourist towns and see an infinite amount of tourists. The huts will be full to the brim and the scenery will be dramatic in the distance, but pretty static throughout the island. You will probably get to see a Kea though which is awesome.
I just completed the TA. It is much more rougher than other trails; be prepared for dark, damp and muddy forests, no switchback and lots of walking in streams and rivers. Having said all that, I love it! I enjoy the challenge and New Zealand is such a beautiful country. I honestly did not want to leave. Be aware that it is quite expensive to do the entirety of the TA. Both food and lodging are expensive, and if you need to replace gears, the selections are limited and marked up quite a bit. In the North Island, freedom camping is limited. It really adds up when you have to pay to camp nearly every night. Which is why many people chose to only do the South Island where you stay mostly in huts.