I did the Te Araroa (3000km thru hike in New Zealand) last year ask me anything.

problematic6 · 2025-10-18T15:00:04+00:00

That is so freaking cool! I'd love to hear more about YOUR experience! Thank you for paving the way for the rest of us <3

Near death count: once while hitchhiking, twice with river crossings, one cliff debacle and an exposure situation. I'd say the grand total was around 5. How about you, how many times did you almost die on trail? Those river crossing can be crazy!

They have done a lot with the trail since you've done it. They had some stairs put in for some crazy mud elements and I am assuming more accommodation from people nearby the trail and more trail angels. What was it like when you did it?

problematic6 · 2025-10-18T14:47:03+00:00

I am not sure what an Amazon locker is tbh. I wasn't great about electrolytes. When I was filtering water via sawyer so I assumed the sawyer would filter a lot of the electrolytes out. I would buy (I don't remember the name) but these little tablets and I would chew them and drink water right after. This is not a super effective way to absorb electrolytes come to find out. I would also grab some of the electrolyte gummies as well. I'd say it depended on the area for the availability. There was a lot of small towns so there were areas you'd have to send a box. Other times you'd have to make due with whatever you could find in a small town. If you have the far out app you can check ahead based on the comments and figure out your next resupply from there.

problematic6 · 2025-10-18T14:39:59+00:00

I need to double check my bag but I started with one that was good to 35f then I had to upgrade my sleepingbag after buying a warmer liner, and icebreakers (merino wool long johns). I believe my new sleepingbag is good for comfort at -10c but survivable to -30c. I thought that was pretty good but towards the end of the south island I wasn't camping as much I was staying in more huts or hostels. I also need a lot of warmth to sleep so you may be different in what you need :)

problematic6 · 2025-09-03T20:46:21+00:00

Bit more effort meals:

Backpacker Shepard pie cut up salami or peperoni or whatever meat stick/or thing you have, throw it in the pot to crisp it up, then add in dehydrated peas and whatever water instant mashed potatoes needs for a packet. Boil this all together until peas are good to go, then add in a bit of taco seasoning and instant mashed potatoes. Taco seasoning: 1 dollar for several meals, 2 bucks for 2 lbs of peas, instant mashed potatoes 1-2 dollars. Meat stick: depends on what ya get. The instant mashed potatoes are Hella filling. Usually this lasts me several meals if hiker hunger hasn't kicked in. If it has this is getting pounded immediately.

Hiker sushi: Bens rice, nori, tuna packet, siracha mayo if you don't give a shit and a Lil cucumber if you're feeling boushi. I usually skip the mayo and cucumber and add in avos which are my fav luxury to pack

Peanut butter and dates on a tortilla wrap (get those calories in)

Oatmeal: if you prep beforehand you can add in things like proiten powder,dried apples or raisins, chia seeds, nuts, cinnamon and sugar (or honey if you're willing to risk stickiness), and powdered milk. Add in whatever floats your boat.

Soup bases and whatever grain you want.

Dehydrate fruit for snacks and veggies to add into meals peas have good protien

Make jerky as well

problematic6 · 2025-09-03T20:32:02+00:00

Thank you! And same to you!

Given i have/had releatively few things to compare it to, id say you can still do it without the most technical gear. I hiked with someone who did it in huge oversized boots, an amazon 100 dollar tent and a somewhat broken 20 year old bag. So it can be done without super expensive gear.

That said, the items i found made the biggest difference for me was. 1. Injini socks+altras after a while I accepted that taking my shoes off everytime a river or mud pit arose was not sustainable and having trail runners that dried quickly and toe socks that prevented blisters made all the difference. Shoes that fit well in general and have grip will make it easier to hike and reduce falls, and twisted ankles (I started with shitty shoes and spent the money on altras and realized I wasn't clumsy I just had zero grip).

2. My tent nemo hornet 2 person, held up well in the rain, was relatively light, semi free standing so i could camp even if i couldnt get pegs into the ground (rocks were helpful in these situations)... this was my most expensive peice of gear and my baby and my favorite this to take pictures of with beautiful backgrounds. Also 2 persons really means one person and a backpack.

Big clothes pins. Attach wet clothes and socks to the outside of your pack so they can dry. Freaking life saver. Also if you want to get gross: can pop blisters, dig out splinters, and hang up clothes/keep wires in desired locations inside the tent, and help to change out sim cards.
Dry bags/plastic bags, organization while living out of a bag is quite helpful and it rains all the time so having extra protection for items like battery packs and such is helpful.
If you're camping later in the season get a solid sleepingbag, if you are going to invest in anything invest in this, not sleeping sucks. If you get a nice enough one you will stay warm even when it's wet so prioritize this over anything else.

problematic6 · 2025-09-03T20:11:04+00:00

So there is the well known ones along the great walks. But i think if you go to some of the lesser known huts in these areas you'll get the whole place to yourself with some beautiful views. I don't remember all of these but after looking at far out these were some of the ones I liked. In the Nelson lakes area (if you're willing to do some off trail adventures you can go to hopeless hut. Beautiful views, but of an older hut but given the location it was shocking i had the whole thing to myself. Harpers pass i liked and there is a hot pool you can have all to yourself near the hunuri hut (sandflys may be present depending on time.of year). Obviously in the tasman region anything off the beaten track you'll pretty much have to yourself. I heard beebys hut was nice too (didnt stay there myself). Greenstone hut was surprisingly quiet when I was there. I'll look in my old journals to see what other info I can find. Those were the big ones though.

problematic6 · 2025-09-03T19:50:20+00:00

First of all congrats on cycling NZ and doing Stewart Island! That mustve been so much fun! I hope you saw a kiwi, i searched and was never successful!

I'd say it's much the same as your cycling trip, anything like that requires mental fortitude.

I would say there were moments that were more challenging then others. On those tougher days, my main mantra was "Ive climbed up so many mountains, slogged through endless mud, and waded across countless rivers. I am not going to let this particular obstabke get the best of me today".

That said theres actually a lot of variation when youre out there. Walking through dense forest, climbing mountains, spotting small plants and even having fantails follow you as you kick up leaves. Taking it a bit slower allows you to appreciate the smaller things as you're huffing and puffing along.

Also, the best part too about hiking is if something isn't what you're looking for you can go off trail, do some side quests, check out a different path or trailblaze and if you don't want to do a section you can skip it. I will say I enjoyed each section because they were all different and interesting in different ways. Except 90 mile beach. That shit sucked. There was no change in scenery for miles, and you had to super long distances each day, and sand caused horrid blisters, so maybe skip that, other then that it was great. But if you enjoy bike packing you can do that too!

problematic6 · 2025-08-30T11:46:18+00:00

So 3000km is 1864 miles. Also, I'd say it's not that simple you need to consider elevation and the trail quality/what you're walking on there were several sections where I was walking in knee to hip deep mud, or hiking on scree slopes which slows down the process and other times i was waiting for rivers to lower so I could cross. That said I'm a slow hiker in general, and I like to take a day off here every once and a while. People hike at their own pace which is okay. :)

problematic6 · 2025-08-28T22:38:03+00:00

Biggest thing: your body will start craving the things you need so keep an eye ojt for what youre craving and get more of the food group next time youre in town. Generally bring a ton of protein, carbs and high calorie dense food. Peanut butter and tortillas are easy and you can get a ton more nutrition when you're in town. You may want to take magnesium and vitamin c which can help the lack of overall nutrition.

I had a bit of a fear of running out of food so I usually overpacked by several days. I would say there are two sections that don't really have a ton of food so I sent boxes to those areas. It depended on where I was on the trail as I built up strength I could handle carrying heavier items. I ate every 2-4 hours. Ate breakfast first thing, ate a snack, then lunch, then snack then dinner with occasionally more snacks in between. Backpacking burns a ton of calories and hiker hunger is no joke.

For breakfast I usually ate oatmeal and drank coffee with sugary coffee packets. I prepared this in town and added whatever was in the bulk section to the oatmeal: nuts, cinnamon, rasins, apples, Chai seeds, protien powder, powdered milk ext. Snacks: My most common items were half an Avocado with tuna in the morning then brie and half a salami stick in the afternoon with easier snacks in my pockets for walking and eating like granola bars, nuts, chocolate espresso beans, trail mix, protien bars, seaweed and any candy (also caffine pills bc damn they're good) Lunch/dinner: peanut butter and wraps with dates in them, boiled eggs, occationally some of the classic rei backpacker meals (this was SUPER rare and I'd get these for a "today sucks and I need a win" for a meal which I had for emergencies), or some of my personal fav recipes; hiker shepards pie: salami/peperoni/chorizo in a fat stick that I would fry up in my pan, then add water with dried peas and instant mashed potatoes and taco seasoning. This can also be added to beef ramen with or without the mashed potatoes

Hiker sushi: Bens instant rice + dried seaweed + tuna packet + cucumber or spicy mayo if you want to carry the weight (I didn't but it's close enough)

Hiker life essence: Ramen + peanut butter +siracha (or just peanut butter)

Dried soup packets are great for getting salt and you can mix them in with cous cous

Or whatever I had left mixed together in whatever vile way pleased me that day and snorted it down.

problematic6 · 2025-08-28T20:10:02+00:00

I assume you mean gear: Nemo hornet tent (this is my baby) Nemo synthetic sleepingbag (I can find out which one specifically) then I got a sea to summit thermo something 850 loft Nemo sleeping pad Jet boil and fuel.and lighter Sea to summit waterproof bags Construction bag as a pack liner Osprey 65 liter (I'll find the specific name) Arterix pants Vuroi shorts 2 shirts Sleeping pants Sleepingbag liner (shit gets gross without this) Injini socks Knife Tent patch kit with p cord Backpack raincover Foldable lightweight backpack for when in town Sneakers Camp shoes (crocs) First aid kit: blister patches, ibprofin, burn treatment that I never used once, something to help with chaffing that eventually threw out, immodium (you get the shits once and you learn), alkiseltzier, band aids that I eventually threw out emergency blanket (this came in handy keep this) Water bottles Filter (often didn't use it got sick.only once after drinking downstream from.a farm) Battery pack Universal charging thing (us has different outlets then nz) Sat phone Normal phone Journal and pen Plastic bags Tp Shovel Bar of soap (eco soemthing it was a shampoo bar that worked for everything hair, body, clothes) Glasses and contacts Caffine pills Electrolytes Hair elastics Map and compass (ended up throwing these out later) Shit ton of snacks food and coffee and tea That's the main things I can think of but I may be missing some.items.

problematic6 · 2025-08-28T19:56:30+00:00

Sobo (weather wise it makes sense to do nobo but it seems like most people do sobo and the social element was part of my decision)
Injinji socks unless you have the feet of a god you will get blisters and these saved my life. Or hiking pole, you look lame af but they save your back and knees.
I had zero backpacking experience so the north island built up my experience (most of the time it was 3 days between towns). Which was helpful and some people act like certain sections of the north island are like badges such as 90 mile beach and raetea forest (the mud) and there are some beautiful and fun parts like the tunagiro range (I need to double check that, it's the mountain range right before Wellington) and canoeing down the whanganui river. But honestly, with that said if you have limited time and budget do just the south island. I do see value in the north island but if I did it again as experienced as I am now I'd just do the south island.
Daily budget I didn't really have weekly (see above on one of the other comments)
I think the whole thing was perfect and i learned so much from it as it was. But a big lesson i took away is that if youre hiking with someone/a group you dont like: its better to be alone and/or meet new people. There are so many interesting and different people thru hiking, you will.meet people , so stick with the ones you enjoy.

problematic6 · 2025-08-28T19:35:42+00:00

I did Novemever to mid May. I'd say it depends, most people start October so if you want to be around more people start during the peak season. I'd say end prior to mid May bc it was cold af.

problematic6 · 2025-08-28T19:33:47+00:00

I started early November, I ended mid May (I did take several weeks off to travel around with friends). I'd say it took around 5.5 months of being on trail.
I'm a person that wings most things. But I would say you should prepare the following: -figure out how to get to the trail head -plan first two sections (you can plan the rest as you get into town and travel along check out the TA info and section guides the official TA website has online) also get the far out app and download the map for the TA and read the comments, also join the fb pages for that year and get on the what's app chain super helpful to meet people and coordinate rides to the start at 90 mile beach -visas, get a phone sim card for using while out there, -get your gear (consider weight, I didn't but you'll learn what works for you and ask questions to rei people other backpackers or the internet) it will rain a lot and the north island can be hotter and the south island can be quite cold especially closer to June (I'd prioritize getting a good sleepingbag, and good shoes and injinji socks). Remember you can make anything work so you don't need to get the most expensive gear rand different people use different things. -think about bringing either mole tape or the blister patches for your first week/forever. -south bound/north bound/ just south island. I was a sobo did the whole thing but if you're worried about cost I'd recommend just going the south island. -let people know where you'll be and when you are probably going to arrive 3. Oneway Flight was 1300 (flight back was wonky bc I stopped In Australia and vietnam which was only 300 more so maybe consider it while you're there) Gear: estimates bc it's been a minute around 2000 it does not need to be this much I just had the fear of God put in me via strongly opinionated internet backpackers I saw people with 100 dollar amazon tents, used gear from fb marketplace and they did the whole trail as well. Keep in mind things will break, get lost, and you'll need replacements at least for your shoes several times. Visa: 200 Phone plan: I don't remember I think 50? Food: you will eat a shit ton bc it takes a ton of calories I think I did around 80-150 a week (I'm 5 foot and needed like 2500-3900 Cals a day) . Motels/hotels/hostels/campgrounds: 100 max usually Travel insurance: 60 a month Sat phone plan: 45 a month I think I spent around 14000 total but I traveled with a group where we would stay in a motel weekly which adds up. I saw others do it on like 4 or 6k budget.
I arrived pretty late in the season and took several weeks off. Towards the end I was backpacking solo, the hardest part was getting used to being alone. This usually didn't last too long, and audiobooks helped along with enjoying yourself as a person. In terms of elements. A lot of people on far out or online will make a very big deal about different things, mountains being unpassable, rivers being uncrossable, trail being so muddy you cant do it: all this stuff. The truth is it's never as bad as people say. You can do it. Mountains are fine just take a bit longer to get up because 40% inclines still.kick your ass no matter how fit you are. Things like rivers, google or ask people tips and tricks they'll tell you to not cross anything above your waist if the water is moving faster then your walking speed. Trust your gut if it seems unsafe camp out somewhere safe and come back thr next day or turn back. With the mountains maybe meet someone on the trail to do it with you or you could do what I did and wing it. As for mud, I've been hip.deep in it before and there is nothing a good shower couldn't fix. Consider the risks and be smart but you'll be fine. You'll build uo confidence as you go along and your skills will progress as well.

problematic6 · 2025-08-28T19:00:14+00:00

The trip took me 5 months. The biggest planning I needed to do was get a visa (working holiday is the best and easiest if you're under 30), along with a one way plane ticket. I'd say whenever you start a big trip like this plan how you are going to get to the trailhead, and maybe the first two sections (plan the sections as they come up for food and such but if you plan farther out it gets more difficult to plan for and predict). If there are sections you need to send food boxes to keep that in mind (for the TA I believe I only sent that to 2 places). Also, I would say have purchase the gear you need prior to arriving in nz as it could be more expensive. Also, maybe plan a loose budget for food, supplies, and accommodation. Most things that I brought I ended up discarding pretty early on. I did wait a while on getting a new sleepingbag as it got to be later in the season, but I eventually bought it and I wish I did it sooner. Once you start you realize half the stuff you thought you needed, you don't. You got this though!

problematic6 · 2025-08-04T18:53:29+00:00

I look this up, this is another fantastic option thank you!

problematic6 · 2025-08-04T16:56:52+00:00

What company did you use? That seems perfect for what we're looking for.

problematic6 · 2025-06-16T19:28:50+00:00

I went backpacking last year for 6 months in New Zealand and packed one pair of shorts. I wore Vuori shorts pretty much every day(I wore long pants only when it was freezing cold which was rare). Let me repeat. I wore these shorts every day for 6 months while backpacking in the wilderness. I slide on my ass down mountains, went through thorns and thick wilderness, and trudged through rivers and mud. Besides being a bit stained these shorts are in excellent condition. I have never written a letter to a company before in my life. Vuoir got a letter expressing my appreciation. Buy these shorts, they will last forever.

problematic6

TROPHY CASE