Te Araroa / First Thru-Hike Gear List

Gearlist looks fine, some comments/queries: What the reason for wanting to use an esbit/wood stove? Meths (denatured alcohol, purple liquid in a clear 1 litre bottle, usually found in the cleaners aisle) is available in virtually every grocery/hardware/warehouse store you would come across along the TAT and gas canisters are only slightly harder to find. I can’t offer any advice on the electronics front as I’m still very much old school (map and compass based). Comments I’ve seen suggest people have used either a smartphone or standalone GPS with no problems. The longest section seems to be the Richmond Range with most people taking 5-10 days. Can you carry the food and water required for this section in the Gorilla? I use pretty robust trail runners tramping in NZ (Saucony Xodus) and they last at best about 40 days (~600km). Your footwear seems a little too light to me? Also seriously consider how you will deal with biting insects (sandflies during the day and mozzies during the night), and the sun. Also I would recommend reading Restless Kiwi’s daily blog with some very useful summary and gearlist and UL gear review posts from the last season. You may find NotAChance’s blog useful too providing a different point of view from an American who has UL throughhiked the PCT a couple of times. Weatherwise NZ looks like it is heading for El Nino weather pattern over this summer. Historically this means that the eastern side of NZ is drier than normal while the western side and Southland is wetter than normal. That could mean that the North Island could have more rainy days, while the majority of the South Island potentially could be very dry (particularly through the Richmond Range and Canterbury and Otago sections). The last couple of weeks through Southland could be wet. I would also recommend getting a 6 month DOC hut pass (~$95) for allowing overnight use of the DOC huts you’ll encounter from Auckland south. I’ve written some other posts on BPL with more general information about tramping in NZ that may be useful to you as well. Good luck with your trip!

Your gear, especially clothing, shelter and sleeping seems thoughtfully selected and quite light already. The only tweak I'd make on the clothing is to actually add to two (small) realms: Underwear – I think I see only one pair of underwear. They are quick-drying, for sure, but if you wear them all day and then wear them at night to keep your sleeping gear and sleep clothing cleaner, when do you wash them? I see that you have two pair of socks, hence allowing for some wash&dry time, but they are each moderate-weight socks. At night, sometimes under my quilt, my feet stick out. And I HATE mosquito bites on the thinner skin of my ankles and itchy spots under my socks and hiking shoes. Also, the sand flies in NZ are mostly near the ground – so they hammer your ankles more than anywhere else. I'd make one pair heavier for warmth on cold rainy days and for night-time wear. The shoes also look pretty light for a rough trail. I'd go with a stiffer sole or my feet would feel pretty beat up after the rocky sections. I weigh more than you do, but you have smaller feet to spread the load on. Weight saving potential I see includes your knife – "Ken Onion Leek Knife (3.1 OZ)" seems like a high weight for a knife that isn't wood-craft capable like a less expensive Mora would be, and doesn't do much more than SAK Classic at 21 grams. It slices a big block of cheese in one cut instead of two cuts, but the Classic is more compact, has scissors (the more you use scissors, the less likely you are to slice yourself with a blade), nail file, tweezers, screwdriver, etc. I like that you've trimmed the toiletries and lotions to much smaller sizes. I assume you top those up at each resupply. Polycro groundsheets are so cheap (and fragile), that I'd put an extra one in every other resupply box. Matches in a film container weigh more than 0.1 oz (3 grams), and are an option. I'd also bring a mini-Bic lighter. At 13 grams, I like the redundancy and that, if it goes swimming, it works when dried out, unlike the matches. It also is a better fire starter of wet wood and an emergency light in a pinch. Your light is a little heavy. A Zebralight H52 is 1.1 oz (32 gram), 2.0 oz (57 gram) with a lithium battery. I find the three levels to be great for route finding, normal hiking, and reading/tent light. I don't hike with a light on my head because it washes out the shadows and I trip more. I clip it on my waist band or carry in my hand at waist level for night hiking. Have you used Esbit a lot already? If you don't need to heat much, it is super light weight. But an $11 BRS-3000T butane stove is only 25 grams and you put a 100- or 220-gram canister in each resupply. And then there are all the electronics. A smart phone does all those tasks (communications, GPS, maps, camera, e-reader) and then you have only one thing to keep charged and protected (Otterbox?). Admittedly, emergency communications is less sure than with a SPOT or InReach or a dedicated PLB – have you researched what cell-phone coverage is on that route? The InReach is the next most general-purpose: emergency messaging (two way!!!), mapping, and tracking function. Have a great trip. Don't sweat the last ounce too much – you've already shed 10-20 pounds off of what many people would be hiking with.

We did the South Island last year. It is indeed a tough trail. I'd echo the comment on using an alcohol stove since fuel is easily available everywhere. NZ is wet – it could be hard to find dry wood. Many of the huts have fireplaces or wood stoves with wood provided. We stayed in huts about half the time, camped about 25% of the time, and the rest in lodges or some home stays that we were lucky to be able to have – the Kiwis are incredibly friendly and accommodating! We mostly used the paper maps from the TA website, which are fantastic. For backup navigation I had Gaia on my iPhone, pre-loaded maps for the entire hike (available free), and got the GPS track for the route from the TA website. Actually the TA is generally very well marked, but the GPS can come in handy in a few spots & VERY handy when you're up above tree line in fog & can't see the markers. This happened a lot! I also brought an abbreviated version of the route description from the website, which was helpful. We got significantly lost exactly once in 800 miles. NZ is really wet. On the SI at least it was rare to be far from good, potable water. We never treated water unless we were in an ag area, which does happen. I carried a 1L bottle, but it was rarely full. I also had a 2L platypus but really only used it in camp. Have fun!

Diana, This is what I'm talking about in my recent post about "lists? LISTS?". You have laid out your destination, your personal data and a very complete and categorized list. Excellent. As for your stove I think it will work well. I'm an ESBIT fanboy and my own Trail Designs stove is a ti Sidewinder and a 3 matching cup Open Country anodized aluminum pot & lid. For me the tight fit of the pot and cone is one of the keys to ESBIT efficiency. The other is described below. The Gram Cracker tablet holder you are using absolutely needs to be modified to a Brian Green's Blog ("BGET") style tablet holder. This will retain all of the liquid residue given off during burning and will almost DOUBLE your cook time per tablet. I know, amazing but true. Plus you won't have a flammable residue draining off onto the ground. Keeping the pot size to 3 cups or less maximizes the efficiency of the size of the ESBIT flame. Bigger pots are very inefficient and getting even 1 1/2 quarts to boil is almost impossible with ESBIT tabs. Your pot should work well. New Zealand backpacking is on my Bucket List and I envy you. HAVE FUN!

I'm not an esbit person but understand there can be an odor, which I suppose could be an issue in the huts? We used alcohol ("meths") but everyone else used heavy, huge btu canister stoves.

Until the OP replies as to her reasons for wanting to use Esbit, all I'll say about it is that Esbit tablets are a lot harder to find, than meths(alcohol) and gas canisters. The only places I've seen them for sale are speciality outdoors shops (Bivouac), who are based mainly in the larger cities and through their online store. You may find hexamine tablets at army surplus stores as well. As a substitute (not sure how good) white petroleum-based fire starter tablets can be brought at most of the same places meths can be brought at.

I see that other gave you lots of valuable suggestions. I have only 1 point to make: some of your listed weights are out of whack, which is misleading as you are underestimating the total carry weight. The Nunatak Arc Alpinist weighs 20++ oz (what you listed is only its fill weight); The footware weights you listed are apiece, not per pair – for the real weight you would have to multiply by 2; Etc. You better check the actual weights instead of deluding yourself.

I have only 1 point to make: some of your listed weights are out of whack, which is misleading as you are underestimating the total carry weight. I'm with Ivo, and strongly so. Reading your list was an exercise in confusion for me: for example, you list "MSR Trouser Style Hiking Pants (3.4 OZ)"; firstly MSR does not manufacture clothing; secondly even the lightest-weight women's hiking pants weigh in the 8-oz range (most are around 12-16oz). There are many other instances where you stray into fiction-writing (i.e., you list your shoes under the per shoe weight, when I'm sure you plan on taking an entire pair). I suggest that you get a scale, lay all your stuff out, and weigh everything. I think that will give you a much more realistic view of your pack weight.

One more thing I forgot about NZ: It's a really good idea to make sure your shoes are CLEAN when you enter the country. NZ is super careful about invasive species and contaminants. They will literally decontaminate your tent at the airport when you arrive. And they will inspect your shoes. I recommend bringing brand new shoes if possible to avoid problems/delays at the airport. Really!

This January, our shoes (6 pairs) were pretty clean and we had no problem. I've never had a modern hiking shoe I couldn't put through the clothes washer and dryer with standard detergent and have them come out much cleaner. But, yes, shake out your tent and your backpack. They do ask about tramping gear. We knew they would. And we had answers for where everything had been and how we'd most recently cleaned it.

Hiya Only some small comments. I think thuraya has coverage in New Zealand and their phone cradles are quite neat. They pair via bluetooth, include their own battery, which can be used to top up your phone/flashlight/usb device. I think it's 2400mAh which is not bad. It reduces electro clutter. We took one to the Himalayas this summer, and found out it's illegal in India. Check regulations on sat com equipment! That said, we never would have needed it other than the odd internet connection since Ladakh had no internet at all for about 2 weeks due to a landslide in kashmir… I digress. Why do you want to take an ipod/phone/gps/camera etc. won't just one device suffice? Sure someone else mentioned this. Don't take the sawyer syringe. Get a hold of the smart water bottle pop tops. They fit the sawyer exactly and you can backflush using a platypus bottle. We just use them on all our platypus bottles so we have plenty with us. 3 at a count. http://pics.drugstore.com/prodimg/419254/220.jpg You have a lot of water carrying capacity. Consider taking 2x 1L Platy, one dirty one clean for the Sawyer, and two small 32 oz bottles carried on your shoulder straps to offset the weight of the pack. It's really really comfortable compared to a reservoir on your back. For most hikes we only fill the shoulder strap bottles. For dry patches we fill all four bottles. Don't take any sawyer squeeze bags, they, eh, break very very quickly. For WP Jacket. I know the marmot essence very well. Consider getting the zpacks parka, or the astucas waterproof breathable cuben fiber jacket. You can forgo the rainskirt with the parka and it's the only thing that will keep you dry. The essence will leak in New Zealand. As will most pertex based jackets. My wife only hikes in tights and a merino skirt i sewed for her. If I could get away with it, I'd hike in a skirt. Enjoy the trip.

Hi Diana, Your list looks pretty well thought out. A few suggestions: Water: 4L water capacity is plenty on this trail, can get by with 2-3L most places. Fuel: as previously mentioned esbit is hard to find and to the best of my knowledge cannot be shipped by mail. Methylated spirits are the easiest, they burn alot cooler than denatured alcohol. Canisters can be found at hardware stores, some groceries, outfitters depending on your stove type. Fire bans do regularly go into effect in many regions during the summer, meaning no open flames including wood fires. Pants/leggings: wool and fleece work best in NZ conditions. Be sure and carry something warm for your legs. It can snow anytime of year in the South Island. Rain gear: It buckets and can blow a gale in our big storms (sometimes up to a week). Rain squalls throughout the day are not uncommon during spring. Are you adequately prepared to be soaked and out in a cold rain/wind all day long for a few days? Gloves/mittens advised, rain mitts are wonderful. A garbage bag makes a decent rain skirt in a pinch to keep your legs warm. Trail runners: Some hikers here wear the Minimus, but you may find the road walks and some trail surfaces (think roots and rocks) are hard on your feet and joints. Toiletries: Anything for itch relief/insect repellant (mozzies and sand flies can be relentless!), and pain/trauma if you have to wait a while for rescue, giardia is real here. Navigation: GPS is super helpful, let's just say having one got me out of a very tough spot a few years back on TA and a few times since then when combined with paper maps and a regular compass. PLB of some sort is essential must have potentially life saving equipment. If you buy one in NZ it's a legal requirement to register it. Paper maps and compass + electronic backup works well. Solar charger – would switch out for an external battery pack. Especially if it's a wet summer… River and stream crossings – if in doubt don't cross. Sit and wait it out, and/or turn back. Have no doubt NZ conditions are challenging. Hope you have a wonderful time and enjoy all NZ has to offer!