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Te Araroa: The New Zealand Trail
The creator of the Te Araroa trail documents his thru-hike.
- GenresNonfiction
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
18 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Geoff Chapple
9 books2 followersGeoff Chapple is an accomplished writer, journalist and committed trail-blazer. He was the founding CEO of the Te Araroa Trust. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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December 12, 2019It was a good book and I liked it.
July 6, 2022
An enjoyable read invoking enjoyable memories.
Definitely worth looking for if you are going to NZ or even if you live there.
Definitely worth looking for if you are going to NZ or even if you live there.
December 5, 2018
He saw it in people’s eyes before he ever pitched the idea to Te Araroa’s trustees. Every walker, or “tramper,” he brought in on preliminary discussions lit up at the possibility. Geoff Chapple was simply kidnaped by the question … could all the walking trails from top to bottom of New Zealand’s North Island be linked up? He admits later that when he initiated the project, he had little idea of what he was getting into.
In journalistic fashion, Chapple opens with detailed accounts of the lay of the land, road and trail conditions, legalities, planning, political matters, and funding. Then, he does the harder part … he puts on his boots, grabs his “Lekis,” walking sticks, and heads out on a grueling test of the proposed 3,000-kilometer trail.
The ultimate North Island experience, we follow him as he explores landscapes and mixes with locals, the narrative unfolding in such as way that only traveling on foot can do. He slogs through mud and brush, retraces logging routes, explores hunting grounds, negotiates treacherous icy ridges, looking for a way through. In a truly cinematic style, he gives vivid accounts of the animals, inhabitants, geographic details, and climate. The North Island is a foreboding place, from its unforgiving mud pits to goblin forests, the terrain itself fuels undeniably exciting moments and high stakes. Chapple’s excursions remind me of Bilbo Baggins setting out from his comfortable hobbit hole to journey through Middle Earth, only to end up in a sinister Dark Land. Similarly, Geoff Chapple must use his wits and common sense to navigate a beautifully unmerciful world.
Woven throughout are references to local tribes, literary, historic, and religious figures. Miners, timber men, farmers, and shearers that once populated the country are few and far between. Trampers, hunters, bikers, jetboaters, and campers have overrun the wilderness once inhabited by Maori tribes. People along the way are as diverse as the island’s geography. You’ll have to read the book for yourself to find out what a table crawler is, or a bucket racer!
Even so, due to geographic and climate extremes, the landscape remains somewhat “untouched”… “the podocarp forests are spiritual groves.” Razorback hills, glaciated valleys, dense bush, muddy rivers, narrow gorges, gentian, harebell, “little lichen crying out for sun,” cabbage trees, blue and green lakes, icy surrounds, and plumes of boiling sulphur evoke the imagery of a world apart.
When the nights of sleeping under stars and in dripping tents loop back home, Chapple, who believes “in small gods and good luck,” carries on with unwavering determination to secure funding, rally volunteers, and navigate political conundrums with individuals who are as untamed as the landscape.
This book is brimming with a certain badland charm that strips away all pretense. A whole culture and landscape is contained within this captivating excursion guide/memoir. Te Araroa The New Zealand Trail: One Man Walks His Dream shows the confidence and polish of a skilled journalist. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to become acquainted with New Zealand, a fiercely wild and fascinating place.
In journalistic fashion, Chapple opens with detailed accounts of the lay of the land, road and trail conditions, legalities, planning, political matters, and funding. Then, he does the harder part … he puts on his boots, grabs his “Lekis,” walking sticks, and heads out on a grueling test of the proposed 3,000-kilometer trail.
The ultimate North Island experience, we follow him as he explores landscapes and mixes with locals, the narrative unfolding in such as way that only traveling on foot can do. He slogs through mud and brush, retraces logging routes, explores hunting grounds, negotiates treacherous icy ridges, looking for a way through. In a truly cinematic style, he gives vivid accounts of the animals, inhabitants, geographic details, and climate. The North Island is a foreboding place, from its unforgiving mud pits to goblin forests, the terrain itself fuels undeniably exciting moments and high stakes. Chapple’s excursions remind me of Bilbo Baggins setting out from his comfortable hobbit hole to journey through Middle Earth, only to end up in a sinister Dark Land. Similarly, Geoff Chapple must use his wits and common sense to navigate a beautifully unmerciful world.
Woven throughout are references to local tribes, literary, historic, and religious figures. Miners, timber men, farmers, and shearers that once populated the country are few and far between. Trampers, hunters, bikers, jetboaters, and campers have overrun the wilderness once inhabited by Maori tribes. People along the way are as diverse as the island’s geography. You’ll have to read the book for yourself to find out what a table crawler is, or a bucket racer!
Even so, due to geographic and climate extremes, the landscape remains somewhat “untouched”… “the podocarp forests are spiritual groves.” Razorback hills, glaciated valleys, dense bush, muddy rivers, narrow gorges, gentian, harebell, “little lichen crying out for sun,” cabbage trees, blue and green lakes, icy surrounds, and plumes of boiling sulphur evoke the imagery of a world apart.
When the nights of sleeping under stars and in dripping tents loop back home, Chapple, who believes “in small gods and good luck,” carries on with unwavering determination to secure funding, rally volunteers, and navigate political conundrums with individuals who are as untamed as the landscape.
This book is brimming with a certain badland charm that strips away all pretense. A whole culture and landscape is contained within this captivating excursion guide/memoir. Te Araroa The New Zealand Trail: One Man Walks His Dream shows the confidence and polish of a skilled journalist. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to become acquainted with New Zealand, a fiercely wild and fascinating place.
March 20, 2022
A fantastic read detailing some of the history behind Geoff Chapple’s efforts to establish a New Zealand thru-hike, beginning way back in 1995. Not only does he propose and plan the route for the trail, but he completes a trial hike as well.
Follow Geoff as he hikes (or bush bashes) his way down the country, trying to find a pathway and the support to make the trail a reality for everyone. I commend his stamina. He seems to take everything, from setbacks to steep climbs, in his stride. What a champ! I only wish there had been more photographs accompanying the text.
As Geoff explains in the opening pages, this book is not a hiking guide. It’s the history behind how the hike came to be, and it’s a really good read. Some of the ‘current events’ referred to seem like a lifetime ago now. Read this book for the stories behind the trail and it’s beginnings, not for information about undertaking the journey for yourself.
The experiences Geoff has, the people he meets, and the stories about his supportive wife and adventurous friends, make for interesting and often humorous tales. Many of these offer an insight into rural or small town New Zealand.
Reading this travel book will give future walkers a much greater appreciation and excitement for the trail.
Follow Geoff as he hikes (or bush bashes) his way down the country, trying to find a pathway and the support to make the trail a reality for everyone. I commend his stamina. He seems to take everything, from setbacks to steep climbs, in his stride. What a champ! I only wish there had been more photographs accompanying the text.
As Geoff explains in the opening pages, this book is not a hiking guide. It’s the history behind how the hike came to be, and it’s a really good read. Some of the ‘current events’ referred to seem like a lifetime ago now. Read this book for the stories behind the trail and it’s beginnings, not for information about undertaking the journey for yourself.
The experiences Geoff has, the people he meets, and the stories about his supportive wife and adventurous friends, make for interesting and often humorous tales. Many of these offer an insight into rural or small town New Zealand.
Reading this travel book will give future walkers a much greater appreciation and excitement for the trail.
September 25, 2017
Was an ok introduction and background to the track, not particularly inspirational (maybe I've spent too long in recreation-based marketing). A little history both of the areas and the track itself, some good advice, some good photos and some overview cartography. I like to pore over maps so I was a little frustrated at the google earth type of projection and very basic instruction. You'll need to get real maps and more in-depth advice to actually do the trail. Also frustrating that the trail itself seems to be either incomplete or disconnected in areas although I'm glad to find out via this book that the "track" actually includes walking on farms and roads and through towns so I am no longer in a big hurry to do it.
February 23, 2025
a gem of a historical account
It’s a rare gift to have a firsthand account of the creation of a long trail. It’s remarkable the degree to which the TA was Geoff Chapple’s baby. I wonder what Chapple thinks about the beast he birthed today, now that thousands of people have walked the route he pioneered?
It’s a rare gift to have a firsthand account of the creation of a long trail. It’s remarkable the degree to which the TA was Geoff Chapple’s baby. I wonder what Chapple thinks about the beast he birthed today, now that thousands of people have walked the route he pioneered?
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews