How to get out and hike Te Araroa in sections, Puhoi to Wenderholm

Over the past six months, Auckland outdoorsman Robert Bruce from adventure group Got To Get Out has been taking novice hikers on increasingly difficult sections of Te Araroa, to show what is possible with a bit of training, determination and the right nutrition. The objective of the project was to change myths about who this 3000km trail from top to bottom of the country is for, by profiling weekend-long sections that locals can enjoy without doing it ‘all in one hit’. This video is the last in our NZHerald Travel series showcasing many iconic sections of trail in the North Island.

For the past six months, a small team of outdoors experts from Got To Get Out and I have been coaching a group of relatively novice hikers to try and complete increasingly hard weekend-long sections of Te Araroa.

These novice hikers each contacted us online, saying they wanted to change their mental and physical health by getting outdoors. Little did they know what they were in for! Today, they have all completed this life-changing project.

Te Araroa is the hiking or walking (and occasional kayak) trail spanning 3000k, the whole length of New Zealand. We wanted to show what can be achieved by every-day Kiwis during a weekend, without taking months off work as more traditional through-hikers would.

After months of hiking some of the most rugged and difficult sections of trail, the hikers switch to paddle power. Photo / Robert Bruce

The sixth and last video in our series documents our group of now ‘substantially less novice’ hikers (a credit to their commitment) attempting a comparatively easy section of trail, by their new standards.

Our group of weekend-warriors would embark on kayaking from Puhoi to Wenderholm Regional Park, before continuing on foot to Orewa beach.

After months of hiking some of the most rugged and difficult sections of trail (see our NZ Herald Travel videos of Tararua Ranges, Mt Pirongia, Hakarimata) it was nice to end this project on a comparatively easy note, floating rather than trudging on foot for a welcome change.

For this final adventure, we opted to travel SOBO (South Bound), and drove from Auckland up to the ‘start line’ in Puhoi, about one hour north of the city. After coffee in the lovely historic Puhoi village, we got fitted with life vests and paddles, by the friendly staff at Puhoi Kayaks.

The paddle itself from Puhoi to Wenderholm is fairly easy going, a welcome relief for Te Araroa through-hikers who have walked all the way from Cape Reinga by this stage. It’s worth noting, if one times the tides wrong (paddling on the incoming instead of outgoing tide) this easy paddle can become quite a slog against the current. Winds matter, too.

The paddle from Puhoi to Wenderholm is fairly easy going, compared to tramping the TA. Photo / Robert Bruce

Our group put their phones and cameras into dry-bags (a good thing, as it rained the whole journey, in the middle of summer) then paddled to Wenderholm at a leisurely pace. The kayak rental team met us at Wenderholm, collected the kayaks, and then we all continued on foot to Orewa, the end of our journey.

Choosing Orewa as the ‘end point’ of this section of Te Araroa was symbolic for this group. If you remember back to our first video shared here on NZ Herald Travel (North Shore Coastal Walk) we started in Devonport and walked to Orewa. A gruelling induction, on hard packed sand. For a Te Araroa hiker to say they’ve walked this whole ‘section’, one ought to finish in Puhoi. So, now our group can say they’ve done the whole section.

The walk from Wenderholm Regional Park to Orewa is tide affected, so you need to wait for the low tide in order to make it around the rocks without wading in deep water and getting soaked. The alternative is to skip the coast and take the road, but where is the fun in that? On this final morning, our group enjoyed killing time exploring Wenderholm Regional Park, to wait for the perfect time to walk around the rocks.

People thinking about hiking this or any section of Te Araroa, should download the trail notes (see teararoa.org.nz) and prepare by sourcing the right clothing for the conditions, equipment such as walking poles and footwear, lightweight and waterproof tents, and lightweight high energy nutrition to keep energy up during long days on foot with backpack.

The hikers have walked all the way from Cape Reinga. Photo / Robert Bruce

Some advice for hikers wishing to kayak from Puhoi to Wenderholm:

• Wear quick-dry clothes when kayaking, and avoid cotton or heavy gear. You are unlikely to fall in, but there is some wading and you might get splashed by a fellow paddler
• You can choose single or double kayaks, both are fun
• Take a bottle of water to stay hydrated on the journey to Wenderholm
• Your heavy backpack / tent / all gear will get transported for you by the rental operator, so you don’t need to carry it on the kayak
• Always have emergency communications such as a PLB or satellite phone, to call for help if needed. Don’t forget a plastic bag for your tech.
• Take printed or download maps and trail notes, make sure you know where you are going, and properly estimate walk times.

A documentary following the journey of these ‘novice’ hikers will be released later this year, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

In closing, I would like to congratulate the 12 hikers who have come a ‘very long way’, both literally and figuratively. Monica, Nish, Michelle, Margaret, Tash, Vicki, Pris, Jeannine, Ian, Susan, Simon, supported by Isaac Ned Tony, Lars and Jenny. Well done, on getting out.

You can watch the previous five parts of the series at nzherald.co.nz/travel or using these links:

Part one

Part two

Part three

Part four

Part five

This video series has been supported by Backcountry Cuisine.

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