Trail itinerary - how far do I need to plan?

Undertaking a thru hike is no small task and often requires a lot of planning!

Whilst you don't need to make a plan or schedule for how you will spend every single day of your months on trail, I do think it is important to have a thorough understanding of what you will be taking on and any precautions you will need to take to keep yourself safe along the way.

What I would suggest is planning smaller sections within your whole thru hike, for instance start by planning just week one on trail up until your first resupply. Once you reach this point where you know you will have access to good phone service, wifi, shops and accommodation lock in plans for your next section.

If you like to be organized well in advance please feel free to map out your itinerary for the whole trail however do keep in mind conditions can change quite quickly and you will need to be flexible! You may find you are moving faster or slower than anticipated, that you have to go around a trail closure or that the weather is not as you had expected.

Whilst I did meet people who had planned out their entire hike I didn't meet or hear of anyone that ended up sticking to it the entire way.

Itineraries:

In the itineraries section of this guide I have include my own final itineraries with the distances I walked each day and where I stayed for the following sections.

• Cape Reinga - Kaitaia

• Ngunguru River - Puhoi

• The Timber Trail

• Whanganui River

• Tararua Range

• Pelorus River Track and Richmond Alpine Track

• Merriview Hut (Longwood Forest) - Bluff

Everyone moves at their own pace but this should give you a good reference point to start!

Additionally under the 'things to do' section of this guide I have pinned:

• All of the towns and resupply points I used along the trail

• Inlet and river crossings

• Transport companies and their information

• Points of interest and sightseeing

• Additional side trips I took

• A number of the huts and campgrounds along TA