Resupply / Water / Gas / Poste Restante
Stocking up on supplies on Te Araroa
Resupply
Resupply, the process of restocking food supplies and other utensils, can be difficult at different stages. The period between different cities varies from 1-10+ days. Whereas 10 days was the maximum for us (with relatively slow hiking speed). On the North Island there are many ways to get food. On the South Island, it might be necessary to hitch 4x to either a village or a town. Alternatively, a resupply package can be sent to the places listed below for a small fee. Check the respective websites as no guarantee can be given that this is still up to date. Many hikers decide to use the resupply box and send the 4 packages on the North Island in Palmersten North or Wellington to the respective addresses on the south island. Others hitch out. We also sent the packages and then each still hitched out for a zero day in civilization. Some of the villages have only a small selection and are extremely expensive. Therefore, sending the packages can make sense, even when hitching out.
The amount of food depends on the next section to be covered. The number of days is discussed roughly in each section in the trail notes and are sometimes addressed in the Guthook app in the comments. A complete planning before the start can be useful as a rough overview. However, this is not a must!
Resupply packages for long sections
Havelock Holiday Park
This small village also offers a 4Square with relatively good choices
St. Arnaud Alpine Lodge
There is little available here. Only one very small store. Many hitch to Nelson as it is very expensive here.
Boyle Village Outdoor Education Center
There are no stores etc. here. The center offers some rudimentary meals and some accommodation. Many hit Hamner Springs for some down time.
Arthurs Pass The Sanctuary
Offers a small store and restaurants. Very little selection though.
food:
Food preferences vary widely. Popular are: Mashed potatoes, ramen noodles, dried peas, OSM bars, canned and plastic-wrapped tuna and salmon, nuts, freeze-dried (Backcountry Meals…very expensive), cheese and salami, tortilla wraps, peanut butter, etc.
Cheap supermarkets are PakNSave and Countdown. These tend to be huge. New World is more on the expensive side but still moderate and very well stocked. 4Square is relatively small and expensive. Often offers more than enough for a resupply. However, the size and amenities of 4Squares vary by region.
Water Filters.
Some do not use a water filter at all. Often the water is drinkable directly from the river/stream. However, there are many farms in New Zealand with cows and other animals that can contaminate the water. Sometimes there are even dead rates or mice in the water tanks / roof of the huts. It can be risky to drink directly without filtering. Some rely on boiling the water, which I think is rather inefficient as a lot of gas is wasted. The Sawyer filter with a 2L Platypus has served us well (Sawyer Sequeeze is much more recommended than the Mini and Micro). There are many other similar filters available, but I have no experience with them.
Poste Restante:
This is a service provided by the New Zealand Post Office for travelers. With this service, you can send yourself a package to some specific post offices. I used the service to forward my shoes in a package about every 700-800km. In addition, I sent online purchases of, for example, equipment replacements to this nearest possible Poste-Restante location. The cost depends on how long the package is kept. For post offices and costs See: Poste Restante website.
Example of a “Poste Restante” address:
Peter Muster (your first and last name).
Poste Restante
Victoria Street Box Lobby
151 Victoria Street West
Auckland Central 1010
New Zealand