The Long Pathway | Te Araroa #1 | The Journey Begins

Day 1 – Te Araroa | Cape Reinga to Twilight Beach An early start, a sunrise at the top of New Zealand, and the first steps south on Te Araroa: the country’s 3,000 km long-distance hike, officially opened in 2011, running from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island. We started early in the morning from Kaitaia, leaving around 0500 after being picked up by a local legend, Talz, along with a couple of other hikers, Christian and Lucy, for the long drive north to Cape Reinga. At the car park, we also met Jeanette, who had slept at Tapotupotu campsite the night before and had a wild pig rip through her tent, sleeping mat, and food bag: a pretty memorable way for her Te Araroa journey to begin. After that, we walked out to the Cape Reinga lighthouse to watch the sunrise and see where it is thought the Tasman Sea (to the west) meets with the Pacific Ocean (to the east). We also stopped by the famous signpost showing distances to places around the world, including Bluff at the bottom of the South Island, our eventual destination. From there, we officially started the trail, taking our first steps on the epic journey south. #TeAraroa #Day1 #CapeReinga #ThruHike #NewZealand