Past, Present and Future

I feel it is about time to really get down to the nitty gritty of the situation here in preparation for Te Araroa Trail. There have been numerous people interested in who has actually trekked the trail and who is planning on trekking the trail in seasons to come. First off, I have to say that none of us would be able to even come close to completing such a journey without all the help and support of the Te Araroa Trust as they have been in charge of ensuring that the trail is even completed and accurately recorded on their website. Feel free to check out their website by clicking the link.

In the past there have been a handful of people who have completed Te Araroa, including:

Alfred Hamish Reed (1960/61)
http://www.teararoa.org.nz/index.cfm/pageid/99/ViewPage/New+Zealand+Long+Walkers
This would be the first person ever to walk the entire distance of New Zealand. Doing this at the prime age of 85, he made history as he leisurely worked his way along New Zealand's land mass, using mostly established roads as his route.

Geoff Chapple (1998/99)
http://tramper.co.nz/?148
Geoff Chapple has gone down in history as the person to bring inspiration to what is now known as Te Araroa Trail. In 1995, he wrote an article on his vision of a 2600km trail that would cross the distance of New Zealand. By 1998 he decided to walk his proposed route. He later wrote a book accounting his journey of which people can have insight to where his adventure took him. It was from him that Te Araroa Trail was born.

Dan Lewin (2004/05)
http://www.audio-t.co.uk/danztramp/walkdiary.html
Check out this man's account of trekking Te Araroa Trail. Yet another adventurer to take on the challenge.

Eric Martinot (2003-04)
http://www.martinot-nz.info/nztrek/main.htm
This is the man I initially came across in my search of good trekking in New Zealand. In seeing glimpses of his journey across New Zealand, I myself became inspired to do such an adventure.

James Lithgow & Paul McKelvie (2005/06)
http://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/file/downloads/pdf/file_211.pdf
These two gentlemen set off along Te Araroa Trail to raise money for the Mental Health Foundation. Though their official website seems to be shut down, this newsletter gives a glimpse at the adventure these two friends had.

Dennis Behan, Alice Smith & Lane Schaffer (2007/08)
http://www.nzunderfoot.com/
These three adventurers set out along Te Araroa to raise money for both Environmental Travel Companies (ETC) and Project K. Check out their website for more information on the journey they experienced. New Zealand must have gotten under their skin as for a vacation post Te Araroa, they decided to go trekking on Stewart Island!

John Tunnell & Corrine Early (2009)
http://newzealandtikitour.blogspot.com/
Obviously adventurers at heart, these two set off along Te Araroa Trail for the thrill of it and were so stoked at the end of it they hint at plans to tackle the Pacific Crest Trail in the USA. John also has been a huge help with me and Alex in bouncing ideas back at forth, helping us get the essential preparations underway. We definitely appreciate it!

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And though there has been many that have gone before Alex and I (I aplogize for anyone I have missed), there are so much more to come. Here are just some of the trekkers coming out of the woodwork to tackle New Zealand's newest trail this season - maybe we'll even spot each other along the way!

Landy Patton, Alexander (Andres) Ford & Damienmarc (DM) Ford (2010/11)
http://www.tastytrek.com/
These three young adventures plan to set off this season, raising money for Solar Light of Africa (SLA) and Wateraid. Check out their site and follow their journey as they tramp the same trail Alex and I are soon going to tackle!

Paul Goodsell (2010/11)
http://teararoaonveg.wordpress.com/
Another contact within mine and Alex's realm, we have recently been exchanging a multitude of emails comparin notes on our plans for Te Araroa. Between our plans for food drops and whether a GPS is necessary, it is nice to know that there are others out there as dedicated to the preparation side of things as Alex and I. Paul Goodsell will be a solo adventurer tackling the task of Te Araroa this season. Follow his journey online as he sets out to prove to the world that living the vegan life does not limit ones ability to follow their dreams.

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Without a doubt there have been and will be more trekkers, trampers, hikers and adventures that have and will set out to experience all New Zealand has to offer through Te Araroa. As Alex and I attempt to finish off our neverending list of things to do - as we try on clothes from our sponsors - as we map out our journey - as we plan out food drops - as we cozy it up in our new 2-man (and completely waterproof) tent out in the garden we find ourselves getting increasingly excited to leave. In a week we will complete our outdoor first aid course, thanks to First Training and in a few days we should have the remaining items from our sponsors and tonight we look ahead to the storm warnings that haunt Auckland and threaten the make of our brand new tent. But hey - if we can't make it out in the garden of a local hostel in Auckland, we will have serious issues on our 5 month trek.

In the meantime, we have come back to our mission for Indigo Foundation. We are well on our way to moving towards our goal of $10000AUD, but we need everyone's help to get there - $5, $10, $200 - whatever you can help us with, we greatly appreciate it. If you are representing a buisness of some kind and can donate $100AUD or more, then we will place your logo on our website under the Supporters section. Thanks again to everyone who has helped us this far. Thank you to all our sponsors who have worked hard to answer all our questions and make sure we get all the right gear for our trek. Thank to all the friends and family who have supported us in our decision to do this and encouraged us to continue pressing on.

Thank you.