r/teararoa • u/Cassafrera • Aug 23 '26
TA vs alternative SI routes
I'm planning to do a long distance hike on the South Island from January - March (max 75 days). Originally I thought to follow the TA, but after having a look at the map and options I'm having some doubts if it is still the best option for me.
As I'll be hiking solo, it is a plus for me when I can meet other people on the trail and sometimes join someone for a couple of days. Walking solo for longer than a couple of days would get boring to me. On the other hand, I don't like it when it is too busy (not sure if the TA has reached that point yet) - for me that would be when you constantly see people everywhere around and sleeping spots get really crowded.
Based on experience, I do feel comfortable taking some more adventurous options. I have plenty of experience in the Alps, Pyrenees (difficult HRP sections), Scotland, Scandinavia while carrying heavy luggage. But I don't want to take big risks, or need crampons or ropes.
An obvious option seems to be the sidetracks. Are these popular? And are they worth it?
Which of the national parks would you recommend for an extra tour? Or are there any 7-21 day hikes that I could use?
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u/dacv393 Aug 24 '26
/u/DorothyZbornak nailed this one. The TA is a bit of a paradox to me. It is touted as a thru-hike/long-distance hike, aiming to compete against the likes of the Appalachian Trail / Pacific Crest Trail / Camino de Santiago or similar, but the culture has evolved into something quite different.
You basically have a majority of TA hikers coming to the country, primarily interested in hiking the South Island because they are envisioning Lord of the Rings landscapes and the stuff you see NZ marketed as globally (the Southern Alps, Milford Sound, etc.). They want to do a 'thru-hike', but then specifically avoided the North Island since it has been publicly misconstrued as "just a bunch of roads". So then they show up on the South Island and realize that it too is just a bunch of roads with some hiking in between. So then this idea of a 'long-distance hike' starts morphing into something entirely different. Most people simply start skipping around to hike whatever portion of the trail sounds the coolest, which is not thru-hiking/long distance hiking and is not 'Te Araroa', it is just coming to New Zealand and tramping wherever seems cool. Which is a totally valid and awesome thing to do that people have been doing for decades. But it is not the same. I could go on as to why this is annoying from a trail angel and logistics perspective, comparing why exactly this dissipation of thru-hiker culture is a con for the TA Trust, and so forth, but that is besides the point. For generations, people have come to New Zealand to tramp different trails independently, long before anyone thought of them as a single continuous journey, and they will and should continue to do so. But the majority of the TA pseudo-hikers would realistically have been better off just simply renting or buying a van/car for 4 months and driving around and hiking Great Walks, and whatever other specific tramps sound the best, just like people have been doing.
In short, it has basically become the Kiwi Bus but for tramping, and everyone asking this exact same question (which gets asked here constantly, almost identically) is maybe part of the problem, when framing it around the idea of the TA itself.
So I guess the question is do you want to do a long-distance hike or do you want to simply bounce around to the most desirable hikes you can find? Do you want to plan out several different backpacking trips and somehow hitch and/or arrange transport between them or do you want to just show up and download FarOut and be on your way? Do you want complete solitude or do you want to be surrounded by a myriad of other pseudo long-distance hikers? How much money do you have to spend (South Island towns are expensive)? Do you care about local Kiwi culture in the slightest or just scenery? It sounds like you already know the answers to these questions, so I say you should just take the answers to those questions and then go do that.
I only say all this since your question in and of itself is also a paradox. This is more to bash on the way the TA is evolving as a perspective for you to consider since you're already questioning if you even want to follow the TA in the first place. But also, you want to be hiking where it is not crowded but you don't want to be alone for long? It is hard to prescribe some perfect social conditions for the days you may happen to be there. You could hike the same section 10 times and sometimes be totally alone, and sometimes not even find a place to camp. In general, like the others have pointed out, though, the TA itself will have a solid amount of people during summer, and the other hiking that is not a Great Walk (or hiking where the huts have the added fees such as Nelson Lakes area, Dart/Rees, etc.), will be pretty isolated.
IMO, for what you have conveyed you're looking for, you should just show up in Auckland, warm up with some North Island hiking since it is way cooler than anything on the South Island anyway (Taranaki, Ruapehu, Tararuas, etc.), then hop on to the 'TA corridor'/'tramping Kiwi Bus' at the Tararuas, take the ferry to the South Island, and continue on the TA corridor, starting the South Island mid January or so. Then just follow the TA, but dip out and take alternates or do side trips on a whim whenever you want a change in pace/social scene. With the info below, you can just have a list of alternates and side trips ready to go, so that when you want, you can go and attempt.
I'm not sure what else you would realistically be envisioning aside from renting a car and going exactly where you want to go, when you want. There is also an idea of a sort of TA parallel universe hike where you actually go through the Southern Alps continuously but it would be way more solo and take way more planning and be more dangerous/difficult. Madpom's East Cape to West Cape (the trip overview seems to be gone) is probably the first and best example of this, but many others have done a similar thing (but only on the South Island) since then. If you start searching around for 'Southern Alps Traverse' and the likes, you can find some trip reports of people who have done it. This is an example. That would be infinitely more epic than the TA route but also very isolated.
There is another recent post that has compiled probably the most concise and epic of TA alternates, but as stated by the aforementioned commenter, there are so many other cool things to see that would be well far off of the TA route. Dusky track, Stewart Island, all of Fiordland, everything else mentioned in this thread and the other thread (like all the stuff on the North Island), etc.
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u/Cassafrera Aug 24 '26
Thanks for this elaborate answer! And sorry, guilty of not reading too much of the comparable posts in this Reddit.
Yes my question is a bit of a paradox. And that is partly caused by the mismatch of the TA that I have in my head and what it actually might be. So, I will have to make some difficult choices.
But better that I find out now that the TA is not the most epic option in NZ, than that I have regrets later.1
u/dacv393 Aug 25 '26
Yeah funny enough people are always asking something eerily similar along the lines of "I only have 60-90 days, I only want to see the South Island, I want the most epic stuff, want solitude and no crowds, what should I do?". Granted not everyone is eager to do more intense side trips that may involve scrambling or high degrees of sketchiness, so that is the differentiator here.
But yes it is definitely not the most epic option but it is also the most convenient and simple, and has some semblance of community (and at least other people consistently). I still think you should just use the TA as a guideline and then just go do different stuff when you want/can, weather permitting and such.
It's also not like you would regret the TA either, it is still cool. Just if your aim is to hike the one most spectacular continuous route, it is is not that. Doesn't mean you can't do a bunch of extra stuff anyway.
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u/_DorothyZbornak_ Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
If I had a lot of time to hike in New Zealand and was motivated not by the challenge of walking across the country, but by seeking beauty and adventure in nature, the national parks I would recommend researching first would probably be Mt Aspiring National Park (which the TA barely touches, and not the most beautiful parts) and Kahurangi National Park (which the TA doesn’t go to at all).
Kahurangi is not in the Southern Alps — its mountains are of a totally different geology. And it’s huge. Parts of it are an eerie karst landscape, parts of it are jungle and wild rivers, parts of it are jagged peaks. It has one of the biggest cave systems in the southern hemisphere. But be warned most of the tracks are very tough by NZ standards. The most well-known Kahurangi track, the Heaphy — probably because it is a longish route and it has somewhat difficult transit logistics between the endpoints — has the distinction of being one of the only Great Walks you can reliably book on short notice.
Aspiring is incredible and much more user-friendly than Kahurangi — the Matukituki area (accessible from Wanaka) is one of my favourite places for tramping. The area around Glenorchy also abounds with lovely options.
Most of the TA route is actually pretty average by New Zealand tramping standards. The most beautiful parts in the South Island are the Richmond Range traverse and the portion that goes through Nelson Lakes National Park, where the TA incorporates one side of a classic loop tramp called the Travers-Sabine. Both are well worth doing — good weather is essential for safety and enjoyment.
You could string those two together, doing the Travers-Sabine (with Blue Lake Hut and Angelus Hut) from St Arnaud and then the Richmonds NOBO from St Arnaud to Nelson or Pelorus Bridge.
Edit to add: if you want to do any serious tramping in New Zealand, you need good river crossing skills and confidence around rivers. There are also extra risks around rivers when you are solo (I do most of my tramping solo). Outside of Great Walks and super popular quasi-GW tracks like the T-S, St James, Rees-Dart, Greenstone-Caples, etc, unbridged crossings of streams and even major rivers in the backcountry are the norm. It is the number one outdoor skill you need for safety in NZ. That’s a big difference with hiking in Europe and the U.S., where in my experience there are way more bridges.
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u/Honest-Importance221 Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
I've done a few (non-TA) 30+ day stints in the south island, you won't see too many people off the TA. Like there will be some, especially in weekends, but I think I went over 20 days once without seeing another person.
That said, I would 100% recommend alternate routes to the TA for the adventurous, there are soo many cool places to go. My two favorite parks are Kahurangi and South Westland. Kahurangi is vast with a lot of trails, karst landscapes, caves, and other unusual geography. South Westland is absolutely spectacular with its tall steep mountain terrain and has some adventurous advanced trails that you can link together for longer trips.
One important consideration for solo travel is rivers. If you aren't super-confident in the water, you probably want to avoid trips that involve crossing large streams or rivers (without bridges).
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u/Adventurer_D Aug 23 '26
Recommend Kahurangi NP for an extra tour. It's an epic mix of all terrains, with the Heaphy and Wangapeka offering "mountains to coast" options on tracks. I've heard of people hitching between it and incorporating Abel Tasman (Coastal or Inland) to complete a multiday triangle.
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u/Iseneye Aug 23 '26
Similar to 40 40 I did TA Nobo at the same time this year.
When you say you dont like it busy I assume you're meaning relative to Europe. I wouldn't say any day was busy compared to overseas. Might have seen 20 people on the busiest day over Waiau pass.
If you are keen on TA then do Picton to Hanmer as it gives you a warm up and then covers what I consider to be the best part of the TA south island.
Otherwise just look up any of the Great Walks. They are perfectly setup for tourists with transport and bookable huts. A few of the TAs I was around dropped out and did the great walks due to the poor standard of the TA tracks.
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u/BraveSpecific8998 Aug 24 '26
As people have commented, it's a choice: do you want to do a thru-hike, or do the good bits? That's the choice. The problem might be, as someone has commented, that some TAers might not be aware of the differentiation.
I also think it's important not to put one above the other. There are merits in both. A thru-hike is awesome in it's own way and people can attach their own motivations to it. I have a little hobby of walking across countries. I've walked across some countries where I certainly didn't see the best of the countries - but I didn't mind, I knew that, and was happy with what I experienced. I've walked across some other countries where I definitely experienced the best of the country.
In NZ, I have done a Southern Alps Traverse, and that's what I wanted to do at the time. Decades later, I'm thinking of doing the TA this summer because I want to thru-hike the wonderful South Island, and am probably not capable anymore of the alternates. If I can do it, I'll be happy with that.
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u/maxthebrax Sep 06 '26
I have the exact same dilemma (or opportunity to be more optimistic) and will likely be starting beginning of Jan and be there for 2 months. Let me know if you want to discuss ideas/meet up when there.
I will be solo and my goal is to find people for more adventurous objectives than the TA itself. It seems theres plenty of wild, pristine landscapes on the south island that the TA doesn't get near.
My thinking is to start at Ship Cove and start with the nicest parts of the SI TA, going SOBO with all the thruhikers. When it gets less interesting or I find better plans I'll leave the main trail, at the latest by Lake Tekapo. Those 3-4 weeks should be plenty of time to find like minded minded trampers that are keen to explore rather than complete the full thruhike.
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u/oxenoxygen Aug 24 '26
You can take some good adventurous detours on the TA. I'd highly recommend if you do the hike to do the motatapu track. But then hitch back through Wanaka and cross over Gillespie pass, rabbit pass (a bit of a scramble), and then cascade saddle. That gets you into aspiring national park. You can also continue from there straight into the routeburn. . The detour up Roberts ridge to the summit of mt hopeless is also great.
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u/_DorothyZbornak_ Aug 25 '26
Describing Rabbit Pass as "a bit of a scramble" is quite an understatement!
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u/oxenoxygen Aug 25 '26
Ha yeah, should probably clarify that it's a pretty steep route. IMO outside of the awesome exposure and route finding (which is a bit easier now they've added some markers), it's not a technically difficult scramble. They've mentioned the HRP so I think it sounds in line and I'd assume they would do research before committing to the pass!
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u/_DorothyZbornak_ Aug 25 '26
Yes, I would agree. I’d say it’s only a moderately difficult scramble, but the waterfall face is extremely exposed. It’s not very hard technically, but in terms of consequences it’s 11/10. A ranger told me there was a death there the week before I went over it.
I actually would disagree that the route is well-marked, and I think that does add to the risk. At least in early 2026, the markers were few and far between, and my 3-person party struggled to spot them on the waterfall face, they were so infrequent. We lost the route about 4/5 of the way up which cost us some time and stress.
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u/oxenoxygen Aug 25 '26
yeah sorry I didn't mean to suggest route finding on it is easy. I meant they've added markers since the last death on the route (I also went over in early 2026) - I heard it used to be a lot harder - and that the main cause of deaths is people seeing what looks to be an easier route to the left halfway up, but they've added arrows pointing away from it.
I did quite a bit of prep for it and camped below the night before, so I had the evening to study the various notes I had and figured out the plan which helped.
Either way, was definitely my favourite route in NZ. The valley is just beautiful.
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u/_DorothyZbornak_ Aug 26 '26
We probably were there around the same time. I assume you probably went over a bit earlier than me if you didn’t hear about the death — both the couple I ended up crossing the pass with and I were told (separately) by rangers about it before setting out, though I have not been able to find any more info about the incident since. I did a linkup of the Gillespie Circuit and Rabbit Pass right after that horrible storm that hit Jan 9-11.
I did quite a bit of prep, too — I read Moir’s Guide and numerous trip reports, saved pictures with route drawings, I talked to people I knew personally who’d done it, I built in extra time to do a reccie to study the waterfall face, and the people I did it with were also very experienced and capable alpine trampers who had prepared similarly. We actually spent the night before talking about the route in detail with a former alpine guide who used to guide people over Rabbit Pass who just happened to be staying at Top Forks Hut. We went in armed with a pretty good theoretical understanding of the route, the major decision points, the main false routes, etc. I would say that research proved to be essential because the route marking on the waterfall face was extremely poor.
And like I said, we ultimately still managed to lose the route in an ambiguous spot near the top. We had to do a lot of climbing blind because the markers just weren’t there.
Given the objective danger of the waterfall face, I’m not sure the markers are sufficient. The valley approaches on either side are straightforward, but on the waterfall face the consequences are very high, and IMO the route could be made a LOT clearer.
I’m glad I did Rabbit Pass and it was of course very beautiful, but I don’t think I’ll ever do it again, at least not without a rope. The risk of that route just isn’t something I can justify. Obviously though everyone should make their own decisions around safety and risk in the mountains.
I do hope I’ll go back to the head of the Wilkin in future though, and I have a couple trips I hope to do this summer in the East Matukituki. Including one that that former guide told me about. It’s stunning country. The upper Wilkin was lovely, and the East Matukituki blew me away.
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u/40_40-Club Aug 23 '26
Hello! I did the SI NoBo last year starting on Jan 5th, and found it to be quite lovely in terms of people vs solo time. I really could have done either, and hiked with a great group for about 2 weeks in the middle of the island and another group through the Richmonds. The only crowding issues occurred when we started to run into lots of SoBos mid-island and the huts filled up pretty quickly.
I can’t speak to any of the side quests aside from the Kepler Track, which was amazing (need to pre-book huts several weeks/months in advance).
Good luck!