TE ARAROA - Your Questions Answered

[@HPTremor]

Hey Cam, I am a 13 year old with a lot of hiking experience and I have been trying to convince my dad to accompany me on the te araroa for a while, and after showing him all of your videos, he finally agreed. I am writing this just under a month since we completed our first section from Ship Cove to Boyle Village! It was such a great experience, i am back at school now and can hardly sit still because i just want to be back on trail!

[@michelleqaqish9071]

I could listen to you talk about Te Auroroa all day! Thank you for sharing your journey with us. ❤️

[@CamBostock]

My pleasure

[@traktorized3640]

Could you please do an entire gear rundown? Planning a heap of hikes soon and it will be super useful!

[@CamBostock]

Planning to do this!

[@BobI-jb4rk]

Definitely admire your balls for solo traveling like you do!!!

[@CamBostock]

the introvert in me doesn't like it any other way haha

[@liamsaunders7851]

Love it!! A superb and brilliant achievement Cam!! Thanks for taking us along. Cheers again! -Liam 🇦🇺 🤙🏿

[@CamBostock]

Cheers mate

[@davidpicot5457]

Pumped for when you drip the videos mate. Congratulations 👏

[@wigsy8876]

Great watching all your efforts, so proud of you Nephew 👍

[@debbieheim3694]

You are amazing! Thanks for sharing your hike and I’m looking forward to following you wherever you go ( in my comfy chair)! God luck Cam!!!👶👶👏🥰🥲

[@CamBostock]

More big hikes incoming!!

[@louisaklimentos7583]

I love to visit New ZeLand and Tasmania because they have beautiful nature .Your videos are excellent!

[@thesuperframe]

Absolutely insane achievement, great vid too learnt a lot

[@CamBostock]

appreciate it brother

[@nancyaronian54]

So enjoyed following this!! Thank you!

[@CamBostock]

thank you!

[@char2304]

2 words- mental and physical, Cam has both ❤

[@CamBostock]

you've gotta have both covered on a trail like Te Araroa!

[@oliverdexter]

Awesome video Cam, really informative.

[@CamBostock]

Thanks legend

[@jacoblane9542]

Awesome effort! Really enjoyed your daily updates and made me want to get out more! Did you find yourself needing to stay entertained/focused on long days walking alone? Did you listen to music or podcasts a lot, play mind games, or was the landscape/views and "one step at a time" enough to keep you going and positive?

[@CamBostock]

Definitely lots of podcasts and tunes. About 50/50 time split between headphones in and out.

[@gjcoop5625]

A few points. Walking north, you tend to meet everyone on the trail, but you aren't tramping with the same loose group day after day for months. With 4000 people completing walking TA last summer, that means more than 30 people are starting a day from Cape Reinga from September to January. If you go south as a solo walker, well, you ain't. You get in a bunch who started around the same day and get to see them on and off for the whole TA. Generally always someone at each camping spot. And, as you said, we might not have dangerous animals, but we do have dangerous rivers and weather. It snowed three times in the middle of summer my year. Petr Cech drowned in the Wairoa River in the Richmond Ranges in May this year. He was carrying plenty of food but decided to go down the narrow river valley with 8 river crossings despite a terrible rain forecast. He could have sat it out or turned back. So, ensure you have a good long-term weather forecast, yr.no or the metvue websites are the way to go.

[@davidxcreates]

So excited to start the TeAraroa this season🙋🏼‍♂️

[@CamBostock]

You’ll love it!!

[@sandrabell9043]

Awesome trip well done

[@CamBostock]

Thankyou!

[@mybrotherandy]

I really enjoyed following your daily videos from the trail. Great stuff! Did you have the same mic setup on trail as you do in this video? Always wondered how you had such good audio on your daily updates.

[@CamBostock]

All the audio from my daily videos was the iphone mic. Surprisingly good if I stayed out for he wind.

[@mybrotherandy]

@@CamBostock wow! Crazy how good the iPhone is now as a filmmaking tool.

[@victorvdk]

Great effort Cam! Which resources did you use for researching the trail? Like getting a grip of the route/terrain/sections and where to find campground, huts and where to restock?

[@CamBostock]

The official Te Araroa website was a great resource while planning but on the trail the FarOut Guides map was all I used - super detailed.

[@victorvdk]

@@CamBostock Thanks!!

[@melinakeil7618]

Hey Cam, thank you for the Q&A . Do you know your approximately backpack weight without food and water? Thank you! Was fun to follow your journey, can't wait to start hiking the TA in October :)

[@CamBostock]

I believe it was around a 12kg +-2kg base weight. I need to go through and add it up.

[@duckman12569]

That is pretty insane cost wise. Going out bush has a premium on it it seems..

[@CamBostock]

it can definitely be done cheaper

[@orangechairxx]

Did you wear through more than one pair of shoes?

[@CamBostock]

Yeah 4 x pairs