New Long Distance Trekking Trail Set To Open In New Zealand

Long distance hikers looking for a new challenge will have one starting December 3rd. That's when the Te Araroa foot trail opens in New Zealand, offering a  route that is more than 3000km (1864 miles) in length, stretching from north to south across the entire country.

Te Araroa, which means The Long Pathway, stretches from Cape Reinga, in the northernmost tip of New Zealand's North Island to Bluff, located in at the southernmost end of the South Island. Walking the entire length of the trail will take backpackers through thick forests, past verdant farmland, up volcanoes and mountains, and across open meadows. The trail even passes through seven cities, which will serve as great starting and ending points or places to resupply.

Building this epic trail was no small feat, as it was mainly accomplished by volunteers who worked many long years to link up a series of trails and fill in open spaces on the map. In fact, it took more than 17 years to complete this project, with all kinds of legal, technical, and physical challenges that had to be overcome in order to bring it into existence.

The official opening ceremony will take place at 10 AM local time on December 3rd in Wellington, which is almost exactly the middle point of the trail. After that, it'll be officially open for long distance hikers, and the countdown will begin as to who will be the first to trek it end-to-end.

Cool story and a great new trail. Thanks to Lou-Phi for sharing. I'm sure you're already plotting your adventures on the Te Araroa my friend.

Trail Run Magazine Issue #2 Available Online

Way back in July I posted a story about a new online e-zine called Trail Run Magazine that was being put together by some friends of mine in Australia. At the time, I thought the content was fantastic and that the magazine was off to a great start, and judging from some comments that I heard, a number of you thought so as well. Now, the second issue of the magazine is out, and delivers even more great content.

Granted, Trail Run has a definite slant towards running in Oz and New Zealand, but that said, there are plenty of good articles for trail runners and adventurers everywhere. For example, the second issue has shoe reviews, as well as gear previews, that will be popular with runners of all types. The magazine's athlete profiles are also interesting to read, and their regular columns for improving performance and shaking off injuries are welcome as well. I particularly took note of the article on ankle injuries, as I've been suffering with one for a month now, and it has severely hampered my running.

Trail Run Magazine continues the high quality that was set down with the first issue, and I continue to be impressed with how beautiful it looks. The images are fantastic and the writing is top notch as well. It is clear that this is a labor of love by people who live and breathe trail running and have a passion for sharing with their readers. Give it a glance and I think you'll find that you enjoy it as much as I do.

New Adventure Race Coming To New Zealand In 2012

A new expedition length adventure race is scheduled to take place next year in Queenstown, New Zealand, one of the top adventure destinations on the planet. The race, which is called GODZone Adventure, will be  put on by 100% PURE Racing, and is apparently part of the AR World Series.

The race will take place from April 7-14, 2012 and will consists of coed teams of four competing on a course that is 450km (280 miles) in length. This will be an unsupported race, meaning teams won't need a support crew to lug their gear around for them, and will involve the usual AR disciplines of trekking, mountain biking, and kayaking.

GODZone Adventure marks the return of adventure racing to New Zealand, a country where the sport can trace its origins. In fact, this will be the first race of its kind on Kiwi soil since the Raid Gauloisis kicked off the expedition race craze back in 1989. That is FAR too long for New Zealand to go without a major AR event in my opinion.

Organizers of the event believe the fastest teams will take between 3-4 days to finish the course, but other teams will be allowed as much as 5.5 days to navigate their way through the different stages. The race will include navigation, ropes courses, a few other surprises as well.

It looks like races are starting to nail down their dates for 2012 already. This has been a busy year for adventure racing, and it is far from over, but teams and race organizers are already looking ahead to next year. 2012 has the potential to be even better for fans of the sport.

New Online Trail Running Mag Hits The Web

A newly launched online magazine entitled Trail Run looks to be a great new resource for outdoor athletes everywhere, despite the fact that the e-zine is focused on trail running in Australia and New Zealand. The first issue of the new periodical was released just a few days ago, and it is packed full of great information for trail runners, even if they aren't from Down Under. Best of all, the mag is absolutely free!

While Tail Run does show off it's geographical roots, many of the articles will be of interest to runners everywhere. For example, the first issue includes reviews of all kinds of gear that will prove useful on any trail, whether its in the Outback or the Alps. There are also practical articles about preventing chafing, long distance speed trekking, and more. That's not all however, as the issue also includes an excellent interview with Kiwi ultrarunner Lisa Tamati, who is gearing up for a 222km (138 mile) run through the Himalaya, and a look at the proper food and nutrition necessary to fuel a long distance adventure.

That's just scratching the surface however, as there is plenty more in the first issue as well. In fact, the .PDF file for Trail Run is a massive 65MB in size. In other words, makes sure you're reading it on a suitably beefy device, or you may find the experience a bit sluggish. Aside from that, I think you'll be very impressed with the quality of the writing and the overall product of the e-zine. The inaugural issue has set a high bar for others to follow, and if this first release is any indication, Trail Run has a bright future ahead of it.

Book mark the website and download the first issue now. You'll be glad you did.

Best Hike's Top Ten Hiking Towns Worldwide: #2 and #1

With the holidays hitting at the end of last week, I didn't have the opportunity to post Best Hike's picks for the final two spots on its Top Ten Hiking Towns in the World. In the run up to Christmas, site editor Rick McCharles has been posting his selection of favorite towns to serve as a base camp for some of the top trekking destinations around the globe, and he completed that list on Christmas Day announcing his top choice.

But before we reveal what the number one hiking town is, we have to take a look at number 2. That honor goes to Huaraz, Peru, which is described as a "trekker's paradise" thanks to its proximity to the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra mountain ranges, not to mention Cordillera Huayhuash, which Rick says is for the hardcore trekker. He also says that despite the regional population reaching 100,000 people, the town still feels like a remote mountain village. He also gives it points for not having an airport, thanks in part because all the tourists fly to Cusco and leave this corner of the Andes alone.

Finally, the number one hiking town on the Best Hike list is Queenstown, New Zealand, which is described as the Adventure Capital of the World. Queenstown has a little something to offer any outdoor enthusiast, including hiking and trekking of course, but also skiing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, bungee jumping, and more. The town of 10,000 people offers access to the excellent Routeburn and Kepler Tracks, as well as the Milford Track, which is largely considered to be amongst the best hiking trails anywhere in the world.

So, there you have it, the list i snow complete. With 2011 just a few days away, it's time to start planning a visit to one or more of these towns. It seems you can't go wrong with any of them. Thanks to Rick for sharing his considerable expertise with all of us. Great list!