Navigation and Communication System

Te Araroa is only a route, really. So how will I know where to walk?

The Trust that oversees TA has a website with free downloadable text files and maps, which are supposed to be updated by mid-September each year. There may also be status updates if parts of the route change for any reason.

This digital approach should mean up-to-the-minute navigation guides that cost nothing and weigh little.

For me, it has meant a new phone (okay, that was overdue) and purchase of Guthook, a wonderful app with Te Araroa and NZ Topographic maps on board which is amended continuously by TA travellers. With the phone on flight mode, what I'm actually carrying is a combined GPS and camera unit.

When there is a power source and decent connectivity, I'll be able to blog and update people with my whereabouts. By the way, even though you see a button for comments when you read these posts, the feature is not enabled and I haven't yet figured out how to delete the button itself. Just email, as usual.

Electronic tools are so fragile. The phone is in a waterproof case and of course I have a charger for it and a power bank too. I am also carrying my compass and, for a couple of wilder sections, topo maps. The little binoculars are for spotting trail features when I'm unsure what to do,  as well as for observing wildlife.

Should s--t happen, I will pull the trigger on the personal locator beacon.

All up, this very elegant simple combination system weighs 782g, sometimes 832g if I have a paper map on board.