The year to walk our national trail
Thanks to Covid, we have Te Araroa trail to ourselves, says MarkWeatherall.
Walking in the backcountry this summer will bring back memories of years gone by for many Kiwi fans of the outdoors. With travel between Aotearoa and the rest of the world heavily restricted by Covid-19, many of our huts and campsites are again ringing with the sounds of ‘‘Kia ora’’, ‘‘Yeah, nah’’ and small talk about the All Blacks.
In my role managing our national 3000-kilometre Te Araroa trail, I’ve been pondering the impact of the sudden shift in walker demographics brought about by the international travel restrictions.
New Zealanders have always outnumbered walkers from overseas on day walks and multi-day tramps on the trail, but internationals have traditionally made up about 80 per cent of those walking the full length of the country from Cape Reinga to Bluff. Of the 1200 people who walked the whole trail in 2019, about 950 were from overseas.
It’s sad to see our beautiful national trail cut off from the rest of the world, but there’s no doubt 2020’s unusual context creates some unique opportunities for New Zealanders looking to explore their own backyard.
There’s a real buzz among New
Zealand walkers for a trail experience that will this year be marked by a uniquely Kiwi appreciation of the outdoors. Walkers will be discovering Te Araroa’s mix of rugged backcountry tramping, historic and cultural sites, and small-town charm side by side with other Kiwis, with a shared awareness of our history and whenua.
Our registration numbers for the 2020-21 season suggest that the number of Kiwis walking the trail’s full length will more than triple this summer, and many more than usual will lace up their boots for section and day walks.
Overall, huts, campsites and remote sections of the trail will be quieter. However, those registration numbers make it clear that many New Zealanders are drawn to the idea of a summer holiday walking in the hills, bush and along our beautiful rivers and coast, so we may see a bit of a spike in numbers over the peak holiday weeks.
More New Zealanders walking the trail is positive, and has long been an ambition of Te Araroa Trust. It also comes at a good time for the many businesses along the length of the trail that rely on the custom of walkers to survive. Accommodation providers, supermarkets, cafes, outdoor gear providers and many other businesses benefit from Te Araroa walkers, and we need these facilities to thrive to ensure a high-quality walking experience in years to come.
With that in mind, this year’s walkers
aren’t just getting a quintessentially Kiwi experience, they are playing a vital role in ensuring the businesses and infrastructure that support the trail continue for future generations.
Next summer the trail may well be open again to walkers from some other countries, and we look forward to the vibrancy and energy they bring. The trail has been created for all, and Te Araroa Trust has worked hard with central and local government, iwi and private landholders to build up the infrastructure to sustain the larger numbers we’ve seen in recent years.
We will continue working to re-route parts of the trail that take walkers alongside major highways, and it has been fantastic to see progress made on replacement off-road routes for stretches of the trail between Feilding and Palmerston North, as well as south of
Kaitaia, where we will look to move the trail back through the Herekino Forest.
We are also making good progress on moving the roadside stretch of trail between Invercargill and Bluff. This is the first or last impression through-walkers get of the trail, and it will be outstanding to see it re-routed away from the highway and through some stunning Southland scenery.
But right now – as many of us make the most of awell-deserved holiday – it’s this summer that matters. There really is no better time for New Zealanders to enjoy a slice of the trail and perhaps to experience a bit of that nostalgia for what tramping in the outdoors was like a decade or more ago. This will be a year to remember for the Kiwi outdoorsperson.