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I wonder how many people actually feel prepared enough when they start a thru-hike. I know I didn't. But you'll get into the swing of it soon enough and there are plenty of places to add or change out gear as needed. I'm a little concerned with your choice of hammock. I looked into going that way a couple of years ago because I hear it provides much better sleep. The problem on the TA is that there aren't always trees to hook the hammock to. Now if you got one of those hammocks that can be set up as a tent as well, you're sweet. Standard trekking pole height wisdom is that on flat ground you want your lower arm to be level with the ground when you are holding the poles. When you go uphill, shorten the poles and when you are going downhill, lengthen them. Again, you'll find what is comfortable for you. I found I liked the poles to be a little longer than standard wisdom. I carried two 10,000ma batteries but only really needed the second when I was in the Richmonds. Again, play around with it and by the first week or so, you'll have an idea of what you need. Go well, my friend! I'm jealous of you getting to hike the TA this year!

@freedom_on_the_trail +not quite doing the TA mate.. more so all over New Zealand and just parts of the TA when I'm in that area.. I want to see the entire country at my own pace.. This Definitely gives me alot of good advice so thanks so much. I'm doing the TA from Te kuiti to Tauramani then going to new plymouth, then to gisborne, up the east cape, then making My way to whatever after that lol. Than hititng the south island. I've given myself no real time limit. You've definitely been a huge inspiration to my massive journey. Also think I'll take a bivy tent or something to, My friend in the south was like bro take a hammock so me been a noob brought a hammock lol

@@UrbanKiwiana Ah, got it. That sounds like a fantastic trip! You're going to be the inspiration!! Hammock may be ok then if you're careful about where you'll be stopping. Like I said, I've heard it is a much more comfortable option.

@freedom_on_the_trail +Thank you mate, hopefully my friend I really want to motivate and inspire people and show you don't need alot of money to do it. Also trying to always inspire my family to get off their screens. So knowing my Nephews and Neices look upto me I thought what better way then to show them. Hopefully it works out with my hammock I haven't had a chance to even set it up yet let along pack my bag and go on a trail walk, Been so busy these last few weeks

So glad you're getting to do this and share the journey with your whanau. RUclips has free to use music you can download. They list it by genres. I also searched for free to use music. Most of that can't be used if you want to monetise your videos (which I have no intention of doing). Pixabay is a good place to start. Go well!

@@freedom_on_the_trail Hi Kurt, thank you for that info - I've downloaded a few and will see what happens. We have enjoyed watching videos from your TA. A lot of help for our planning - thanks. God Bless - Jon

I have subscribed to your channel. Looking forward to watching your journey unfold!

Thanks for that. I loved doing the vlog on my TA. Gave me something to do in the evenings, if nothing else. I used LumaFusion on my iPhone. It's a relatively inexpensive app that has so much power! I did the zooming in the editing process rather than try to mess around with while videoing with the GoPro. To me, that's the most disappointing feature of the GoPro, but it's designed as an action camera so the zoom function is going to be clunky, and detail will drop out as you zoom in.

It was so much better than the day before. I’m glad we tacked that on the start of this day rather than the end of the previous day.

I tried milk powder and muesli up around Tongariro. But I found I needed to carry a lot of cereal to equal the density of the breakfast bars, and while lighter, took up much more room in my backpack. It was nice though for a week to have a change

Also, following videos on FarOut is exactly how I prepared for my TA. It’s a great way to do it and I made a lot of notes that were helpful throughout the journey

That was the perfect day to end the North Island. If only we could have found a cafe earlier! 😂

Yes I have found that wandering around Wellington too! Sometimes it takes ages to find a cafe!

@@pedro1970maya you’re more than welcome

I suppose it will be possible to feel satisfaction with the events of the river...but I still remember too much! 😁

Maybe relief it's over is a better description than satisfaction!

It was. Had been raining and misting for the better part of three days. That grass was like ice

@freedom_on_the_trail +right on the tail bone ouchys. The earth likes to trip us up just to remind us who's really in control lol. Happy trails ahead

😂😂 that was the craziest experience and I still can’t figure out how I got turned around. Oh well. You live and learn

@@freedom_on_the_trail +😂😂 I tell you no Lie I literally walked a few meters of a track turned around to carry on and spent 4 hours lost lol, wondering how the heck I got turned around..our bush can be quite dense aye.

That can be scary. NZ bush of track is no joke

We had a great time

@freedom_on_the_trail +it looks like you most definitely did 🌞 have an amazing week mate..thanks for taking the time to reply especially after I binge watch lol

Thanks for that. I may not be eating rice for a while now. 😂

@freedom_on_the_trail +Lol I can imagine you're quite Over the flavor of rice. Any advice of light Weight food ideas..I've been seeing alot of you hikers do wraps and simple things.. I'm new to such a thing as dedicating to a very long hike lol. I'm kinda winging it in all honesty hoping for the best. Have a blessed week

My standard was breakfast bars (but they’re heavier than oatmeal packets), wraps with PB and cheese, and then ramen noodles with potato flakes and bolting (much cheaper than dehydrated meals you can buy). Not the most nutritious but it sustained me well enough.

I can’t remember many times when I’ve gone from hot to cold in such a short amount of time. The shivering was absolutely uncontrollable.

@freedom_on_the_trail +Lol I can Imagine it's quite the hello welcome to my cold touch moment,.I've been watching a Australian fella do camp outs with just his bed roll and a fire sometimes in the snow and I'm like your tougher then ms.

No way I could do that!!

Thanks for watching and the many comments along the way.

@freedom_on_the_trail +My pleasure mate..it was a privilege, as I gather my gear and look towards my departure I'm excited for the unknowns and many adventures

I’m looking forward to hearing how it goes for you!

😂😂 that’s the nicest way anyone has told me I’m a goofball

She is an amazing person. I am so blessed that she agreed to be my wife!

Thanks so much for watching!

It can all change in a split second! So glad it didn't for me on that day

@freedom_on_the_trail +isn't that the truth mate., I definitely am kinda clumsy at times personally so I always have to be a little more carful with my own footing lol. But also the tiredness definitely dosnt help..

Yep… on all accounts

Yeah they were having a big race so everything was full

@freedom_on_the_trail +oh no that reminds me of years ago I moved to Wellington and my accommodation fell through literally the day I arrived and I couldn't find anything because the All Black's were playing France I believe.

I saw both shoes and boots on the trail, but more thru-hikers are turning to trail running shoes because they're light and dry quicker. They also tend to have the vibram soles which grab onto everything on the trail...except mud. (It looks like boots are starting to go that way now as well though.) Boots offer better ankle support and tend to be more robust. However, my son pointed out once that if you're going to twist something, an ankle heals faster than a knee. Hiking boots seem to protect the ankles but then transfer the twist to the knees. I'm super happy to have hiked the TA in trail runners and can't imagine why I would ever go back to the heavy weight, heat, and lack of quick drying that boots offer. But if you ask a boot- wearer, he or she will probably have great reasons for hiking in boots. It really does boil down to what you prefer the most.

@freedom_on_the_trail +Thanks so much for answering that, I leave in the end of September so I'm trying to get sorted lol..but this will help alot..I'll see how the boots feel between now and then and do some bigger weekend walks..I do agree with the twisting ankle healing faster..me knees just come right again finally.. I'll look into trail shoes.. thanks again most appreciated mate.

Yeah, that's what we eventually came to think about the animals. Fog can be a serious issue.

@freedom_on_the_trail +Totally agree, I remember working on farms with thick fog..made mustering and just things way more difficult

I enjoyed my Traverse but it too just won’t hold the water out even after washing and retreating. After a tonne of research, I’ve just purchased a Patagonia Granite Quest. I haven’t received it yet so can’t give you any comments but evaluations from others look promising. The traverse was thick enough to keep me warm even when it wetted out.

I have both and I’ll tell you, the extra weight of the wide is definitely worth it. That’s one area I didn’t skimp- sleeping comfort. I had an inflatable pillow, wide mat, overfilled quilt, and thin pad for under the mat. If you don’t sleep well, you don’t hike well. Go wit the wider version; you won’t regret it

@@freedom_on_the_trail thanks ordered the wider one, dialing in the gear takes a while, I have managed to get the big 3 under 3kg. Went with X-Mid Pro 2 with ground sheet, Kakwa 55, Zenbivy sleep system with wide NeoAir XLite pad. It’s a relief to finally choose! Wish the TA went through Havelock North so I could shout you a meal after all your advice.

Great choices. I’ll be interested to hear how you find the Kakwa; it looks pretty good. I love being able to help others on the TA, just like you will next year

Fantastic! You can order them online here. I also found them at Shoe Science a national chain. Richie got his final pair in Wanaka at a different store. I think they’ll be easy enough to get. I went through two small bottles on the entire trail. In the North Island, you’ll be at campgrounds, backpackers, and other business establishments so won’t go through it as quickly as on the South Island. Dont worry about being a tech pro. Just tell your story. People will love your authenticity.

@@freedom_on_the_trail thanks, about to order merino toe socks, how many pairs of socks did you go through?

I started with 3 pair. Two for hiking and one for in camp. The camp ones lasted me the entire time, but I ended up using six pair of hiking socks…and four of those were Darn Tough socks from the States which are great socks. The constant wet feet, mud, and sand are just brutal on socks! There will be plenty of places along the way to resupply socks

Hmmm. Never received the invite. Would love to go out with you again sometime.

@@freedom_on_the_trail via messager Wednesday 10th, removed once I got to five mates by the 11th, pity. I’m taking a break for a while, while I process and delete about three events. How many days are you planning to do SH29 to Karangahake?

Well I must have just missed the invite. I’m looking at five days in total

Thanks for the encouragement.

Yep. Hoping if I do it enough times, I’ll hit some good weather. 😂

I hope so. I’m focusing more on the people stories that sometimes go unseen

I do have a gear list for the TA. It’s the second video in my Te Araroa playlist. I tried out a thermal shirt as a base layer. That worked well. But the rain skirt I tried acted more as a sponge than water repellent. Oh well. I’ll keep searching.

@@freedom_on_the_trail Thanks..I do remember watching that video a long time ago... I'll review it. Thought you might have a new raincoat 😄 I've heard that rain kilts are annoying in the wind...

I’m still looking for the perfect raincoat. I dont think it exists. The rain kilt did ok with the wind, I just had a cheap one that soaked up the rain too much.

Great starting time! Have an awesome time.

Thanks so much!!

I knew I’d have to put the rain jacket hood on and the ball cap works better for that. Glad you’re interested in the book because I’ll want to get permission from you and George to use names, stories, and photos of you two.

@freedom_on_the_trail ahhh I knew you'd have a reason for your changed attire 😉👌

Thanks. I’m really enjoying writing it.

Fantastic! I was just sitting here writing about the day we ended up in Whangarei Heads as your message came through. I sincerely hope you have better weather than we had those first three weeks! When do you start?

November 17 or 18 so hoping weather settled by then

That will be a good time I think. The theory is late spring is drier. Let’s hope the theory is right for you!

Great to hear from you. Yep, feet were pretty cold going up to Manuka Hut but that was a great day. I felt good, I was relaxed, some stunning beauty to see. Day 112 was the opposite. A pretty long boring day. The diversity is a great appeal for doing the TA

@freedom_on_the_trail +Yeah mate sorry I've not been as active, my mums doing better but now my dad's COPD is at the end of its run, dad ain't doing so good,.so I've been super distracted, But also been preparing for my big adventure. Always love when I've a moment to return, I really do love the adventures you go on. It's been a huge Inspiration for my big adventure coming. Have a blessed week ahead

Glad YOU had a good time there😂 it’s nice to know that area can be enjoyed.

Enjoy the journey!

I had a friend encourage me with this thought: your body will actually get stronger doing the TA. I started with a touch of plantar fasciitis, but it was gone three days in. With the knees thing- definitely use trekking poles! Even on the flats. I did the 900-km Camino, mostly without trekking poles and my knees were wrecked at the end. But I used the trekking poles every day on the TA and my knees were fine in the end.

@freedom_on_the_trail +Thanks so much for the advice mate I'll take any tips, furtherest I've ever walked is 140km and that was only because I broke down. So I'm looking forward to the challenge, Not going to lie the part that's most scary to me is when nite time comes and I have to camp in the wild off the road somewhere,. I freak out just sleeping in my van in some isolated carpark lol, Have a blessed week.

Getting turned around is so easy to do. I love your description of the log! 😂

Thanks for that. Yeah, it’s good to see so many people enjoying what we have here

You and the Tararuas!! 🤦‍♂️😂

Thanks for sharing that. The Kaimais have definitely got my interest. A lot of history up there.

😂😂😂

Yeah. The topo map has a dark patch there. Looks like we clipped the top end of a swamp?

Hopefully it will be my last 😂

I don’t think so. There were a lot of waterfalls in that section.

@@freedom_on_the_trail I thought so.. I skipped the Richmond Alpine route but I’m contemplating going back and completing it..

It’s definitely worth it! That one section is pretty tense but before and after it are some amazing experiences. I would do that whole section again before the Whanganui River or Tararuas.

@@freedom_on_the_trail Thanks for the encouragement 😊