Te Araroa Reflections

Now two years after completing New Zealand’s Te Araroa, I find I still have quite mixed feelings about the trail. Of course, I’m glad I hiked Te Araroa. After completing the Triple Crown of Hiking in the US, the TA was my first epic-length long-distance hike outside of the US. There’s definitely lots of amazing parts to Te Araroa, but also a lot of negatives. Especially after letting the trail sit in my mind after completing it, I’m still not sure how highly I would rate the trail. But I want to focus first on what I liked about Te Araroa, because criticism aside, there’s plenty of good things to highlight. The Highlights Although a lot of road walking was involved, the Far North District of the Northland Region had a combination of stunningly green scenery and rolling hills, and the somewhat inaccurately named Ninety Mile Beach that together were an incredible way to start Te Araroa.View North Towards Helena Bay × View North Towards Helena Bay While walking through cities is often…