Safety
Road Safety – how to navigate road walking
It’s no secret that Te Araroa has quite a few road walks. Some are particularly windy, have limited lines of sight or pass through shady areas. As you’re walking Te Araroa, here are some tips to help keep you safe when navigating these parts of the trail.
If you’re walking along these road sections, you should:
- Be seen – Wear something high-vis that will help drivers see you, ideally, from the front and on your pack. This may include a bright pack cover, raincoat, high-vis vest, or bandana – anything that helps drivers see you!
- Use the footpath – stay on marked or raised footpaths and avoid walking on the road whenever possible. If you need to walk around a corner, it’s best to walk on the outside of the curve to give drivers more time to see you.
- Keep your eye on the traffic – If no path is available and it’s safe to do so, walk on the side of the road facing oncoming traffic so you can see what’s coming.
- Walk in single file – if walking with others, take up as little room as possible by walking single file.
- Be aware of your surroundings – don’t wear headphones and pay attention to the road and traffic.
- New Zealand drives on the left – in Aotearoa New Zealand, road users drive on the left so please remember to look both ways for oncoming traffic. This is especially important when crossing busy streets in urban areas.
We’re continuing to remove road walking from Te Araroa when and where we can.