Notes & Maps | Te Araroa

Everything you need to find your way along Te Araroa: detailed trail notes for every section, and downloadable maps and GPS data for your phone, watch or GPS device, or to print.

Trail notes

Our trail notes describe each section of Te Araroa in detail: the route, the terrain, access points, water, huts and campsites, and things to watch out for. Notes are provided for every region and are kept up to date through the walking season.

You can read the notes for each section on its region page, carry them offline in the free Trail App, or download the whole region as a PDF below. The PDFs are generated on request, so they are always the current version.

Trail notes by region

Te Tai Tokerau – NorthlandPDF Tāmaki Makaurau – AucklandPDF WaikatoPDF WhanganuiPDF ManawatūPDF Te Whanganui-a-Tara – WellingtonPDF Te Tau Ihu – MarlboroughPDF Te Tai o Aorere – TasmanPDF Waitaha – CanterburyPDF Ōtākou – OtagoPDF Murihiku – SouthlandPDF

Maps

Te Araroa maps can be used on a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet, or downloaded and printed. Maps are available by region or by island. We update our maps each year in August, so if you plan to print them, it is best to wait until then.

If you print the maps, we also recommend having the Te Araroa Trail App on your device, as some changes may be made to the route during the walking season. For temporary and seasonal changes, see trail alerts.

Maps by region

Te Tai Tokerau – NorthlandPDF 86 MB Tāmaki Makaurau – AucklandPDF 36 MB WaikatoPDF 62 MB Manawatū-WhanganuiPDF 132 MB Te Whanganui-a-Tara – WellingtonPDF 33 MB Te Tau Ihu – MarlboroughPDF 46 MB Te Tai o Aorere – TasmanPDF 32 MB Waitaha – CanterburyPDF 142 MB Ōtākou – OtagoPDF 60 MB Murihiku – SouthlandPDF 57 MB

Whole-island maps

North and South Island sets, for mobile devices and for printing. These are large files, so download them on wi-fi before you leave.

North Island, mobileZIP 327 MB South Island, mobileZIP 317 MB North Island, high-res printZIP 327 MB South Island, high-res printZIP 317 MB

GPS files (GPX & KMZ)

Te Araroa’s tracks, kilometre markers and section routes, for a smartphone, smartwatch or GPS device, or for Google Earth. The GPX files are mostly generalised and are intended for navigation. Each download is a ZIP containing the GPX or KMZ files. These are refreshed in November, February, May and August.

Tracks GPXThe length of Te Araroa as individual tracks, with kilometre waypoints and elevation.ZIP 593 KB Kilometre points only GPXNo route line, just each kilometre as a waypoint with elevation. For confident navigators who want occasional reassurance they are heading the right way.ZIP 128 KB Section routes GPXRoutes that line up with the sections listed on the region pages. Compatible with smartwatches, Garmin Connect and Strava.ZIP 2 MB Google Earth KMZThe whole route with bypasses, kilometre marks, huts, campsites and more. Load it into Google Earth to plan your journey.ZIP 2 MB

This season: 2026-27 (v45)

The 2026-27 maps are available now. This season brings several adjustments to the main trail route and its bypasses, and an updated LINZ Topo 1:50,000 basemap.

Seasonal route changes and in-season corrections are made periodically, and are listed in the trail changelog. Check the update date on any file you have already downloaded.

The changelog for the 2026-27 season has not been published yet. The most recent one covers 2025-26, and stays useful for changes made during that season.

Trail changelog, 2025-26 (PDF)

For temporary and seasonal route changes right now, see trail alerts.