Hammock thruhiking New Zealand on the Te Araroa Trail

I know this isn't the usual or normal piece of gear in New Zealand, but I am going to hammock camp as often as I can while completing the Te Araroa Trail. I've read about one tramper, Jacob who took a hammock, so I know I'm not the only one!

Why a hammock? I get a fantastic night's rest in one. I've been using a Warbonnet Blackbird for almost a year continuously now, even indoors (!) instead of a bed. Weird? Maybe... but I wake up feeling great, no kinks or neck pains.

If you've checked out my gear list , you'll note a few things to help me out if (ok, when) I find myself without trees to hang from. I usually use an under quilt to keep me warm and insulate my butt. For this thruhike, I'll use a CCF pad instead. That way when I need to 'go to ground' I can use the pad. My trekking poles will be used to support my tarp like normal tent poles, and my hammock itself will be used as a bug net or second wall when needed.

What do you think, am I mad? Have you done much tramping with a hammock in New Zealand conditions before? Your thoughts and/or advice gratefully received. Don't forget to check out my Givealittle page to donate to Shine... thanks, you are awesome!

My Charity: Shine (supporting survivors of domestic abuse)

Testing my iPhone...

So I thought I should test the blogger app on my iPhone, as well as location services!

My Gear List

This is what I am planning to take.. more or less. I'm waiting to get back to NZ to pull kit from storage and weigh it, hence why some items have no weight! Weight is in kg. I cut this from an excel spreadsheet, didn't line up as well as I hoped, please forgive the ugliness of this list!

Backpack	Aarn Featherlite Freedom	1.8
Pack Cover/Liner	included in pack weight
Stuff Sack (Clothing)	Kifaru stuffsack	0.075
Stuff Sack (Sleeping Bag)	Kifaru stuffsack	0.075
Stuff Sack (Food)	Cuban fibre	0.04
Stuff Sack (Shelter)	bishop bag (incl in hammock weight)
Stuff Sack (Ditties)	Kifaru pullout/ziplock

Shelter	Warbonnet Edge Tarp incl whoopie slings and guys	0.375
Ground Cloth
Stakes	6 x GG Ti-lite long tent stakes	0.042
Guylines	inclded above
Bug Tent	Warbonnet blackbird 1.1 dble and suspension	0.83
Hammock sock	Warbonnet travelsock	0.264

overquilt

Kifaru doobie express

0.595

Sleeping pad

GG1/4in thinlight wide

0.227

Thermal Top	Icebreaker polo	0.21
Thermal Bottoms	Icebreaker	0.145
Jacket/Vest	Montbell Thermawrap	0.405
Rain Jacket/Poncho	Zpacks Cuban Fibre Rain Jacket w pit zips	0.138
Spare Pants/Shorts	Adidas running shorts	0.15
Shell Pants	Macpac	0.3
Hiking Socks	Lorpen	0.035
Sleeping Socks	Lorpen	0.065
Warm Hat	Icebreaker beanie	0.045
Gloves
Waterproof gloves
Waterproof sock liners
underwear	Icebreaker or Arc'teryx	0.085

Cooking Stove Caldera ti-tri 0.08 Fuel Bottle/Canister pump water bottle 600ml 0.025 Cook Pot Evernew .75 pasta pot 0.105 Pot Cozy Mug Sea to Summit plastic mug 0.07 Spoon plastic rationpack spoon 0.01 Ignition swisssteel  0.01 Water Bottles platybottle x 2 Water Bladder platy 2 l bottle Water Treatment potable aqua ClO2 tablets x10 0.005 pot scrubber rationpack scrubber 0.002

Trail Maps/Guidebook	To be printed A4 sheets
Compass	suunto	0.065
Light	Petzl elite	0.03
First Aid Kit	home made	0.1
Knife	victorianox spartan	0.05
Fire Starter	cotton balls/vasaline	0.035
Emergency Whistle	built in to e-lite
Suncreen
Bug Repellant	Goodbye sandfly 40ml and head net	0.08
Possibles pouch	kifaru small pullout/ziplock .01	0.03
EPIRB	Delorme Inreach 2 way sat comms	0.23
knife sharpner	Smiths	0.025
cordage		0.03
duct tape		0.05

Toilet Paper
Hand Sanitizer	use soap
Toothbrush and floss (double as sewing thread)		0.015
Toothpaste		0.03
Camp Towel	MSR	0.035
Soap/shampoo		0.05
Blister Treatment	duct tape
Chafe Treatment	vasaline	0.06
foot powder		0.035
Deoderant	crystal	0.065
nail clipper		0.02

Cell Phone	iphone w Lifeproof case and earphones	0.2
Spare Batteries	AA and CR	0.07
Battery Charger	Powermonkey classic (70gms?)	0.095
Trail Journal	iphone
Pen/Pencil		0.005

Underwear	Icebreaker/Arc'teryx	0.085
Shirt	Icebreaker GT	0.2
Shorts/Pants	Macpac crossterrain (.35)	0.35
Socks	Lorpen	0.035
Shoes/Boots	Salomon XA 3D Ultra 2	0.775
Sunglasses	Rudy Project Impactx	0.035
Sun Hat	Macpac Legionnaire hat	0.08
Trekking Poles	Black Diamond Alpine Cork Trek	0.49
handkerchief	icebreaker/army shamagh?	0.045
gaiters		0 Kg
Wallet	travel wallet, waterproof	0.02

Yes, I'm taking a hammock. I've been sleeping in one as a matter of preference since about Sept last year and I've been loving it! I'm fairly confident I can modify it to suit the conditions (hammock sock, going to ground etc). 

Aarn Featherlite Freedom stuffed to the gunnels. Shouldn't look like this except for long sections of the walk! 35l assault pack in the background for comparison

The Plan...

I've been thinking about walking Te Araroa for a while. And you know how it is, an opportunity presents itself and you can either go for it or hope it will come around again. In my case, my employer couldn't tell me what role they wanted to place me in after coming back from an overseas post.... and I thought, hmmmmm. How about five months leave? Sold!

And I have been quietly putting things together, reading blogs, and planning. Only to wake up to the fact that it is only about seven weeks away before I should be standing at Cape Reinga and pointing my nose South! Holy crap. Better get cracking then.

Why am I doing this? Ok, mostly because I can. But selfishness aside, it was suggested to me to use my time to raise funds for a worthwhile cause, and that appeals. I'm working on that part, and getting word out, so stay tuned.

The basic plan of attack is to take things slowly at first. Plan the first week in detail, see how things go. Adapt, adjust, roll with the punches. I've walked El Camino de Santiago in Spain, which was just amazing and life-affirming. I was going to go back seven years later, but thought I could do better. See what my own back yard has to offer.

That's it! My first blog too, you will notice this because it is a bit pokey and no bells and whistles... I'll try to flash things up as I go! For anyone interested, I'll also post soonish my equipment list so you can ridicule me for my gear choices :-) Hey, if you don't have a sense of humour... you know how it goes.

Cheers!
Kiwiscout