Te Araroa trail walker advisor Denis Stanton has been described as ‘an absolute legend’ by hikers. He coordinates Te Araroa’s social media groups and is one of many volunteers working hard behind the scenes to maintain the trail.

When did you become involved with Te Araroa?

In 2015 some American hikers got in touch through a mutual contact and I ended up taking them to Cape Rēinga. The same thing happened in 2016. I didn’t know much about Te Araroa, so I started following its Facebook pages and noticed it was getting hit by spammers. I was a software designer, so I contacted the trust and offered to moderate some of the posted content if they made me an admin. Nine years later, I’m still doing that. Today, we’ve got 13 WhatsApp groups with 1011 members.

What does your role look like in peak season?

I was appointed trail walker advisor five years ago. I officially support hikers and am often their first point of contact. I sign on to my computer about 6am every day and often spend two to three hours responding to Facebook and WhatsApp queries. I’m also a member of the Te Araroa Auckland Tamaki Makaurau Trust; we’re responsible for about 236km of the trail. Roughly one day a week I’m out doing maintenance, foliage trimming or fixing signs. We put the signs in at critical points where people are known to go wrong. I also edit the trail notes and support Dan Radford, the trail manager, with posting alerts.  

What sections of the TA have you walked? 

I wish I could claim I’ve done the whole thing. I started in 2018 from Cape Rēinga and did the first 200km. Richmond Range was an area that was being discussed a lot online, so I did that in 2019. The next year I did Waiau Pass, then Harper Pass and so on. I’ve made my way as far south as Hāwea.

When did you get into tramping?

My grandfather built a bach at Piha in the 1940s and our school holidays were spent hiking the Waitākere tracks. I hadn’t done any overnight hiking until 2007, when my oldest son Craig did the Pacific Crest Trail and I joined him for a few days. Over the next 12 years I went back to the States regularly for work and did a bit more of the trail each time. Covid put a stop to that, and then I retired and my TA involvement increased, so I switched loyalties.

What’s one piece of advice you would give prospective TA walkers?

If they’re a new hiker, pack weight is critical. Many first-timers pack for their fears, for what might happen. I meet quite a few of them before they start because I store baggage – for 80, 90 people this season – and some call me after a week and say “could I send you a box of stuff?” Then I get a 3–5kg box of things they didn’t really need. Cut your weight down if you haven’t hiked before.

Where else do you like to walk?

My wife Alison and I hiked the Camino de Santiago last year. Then I went to Romania and did a part of the Transilvanica, which is a relatively new trail. A TA hiker told me about it; he described it as 1400km of trail with every kilometre marked by a 200kg stone signpost sculpted by a local artist. A truly remarkable feat. I don’t speak a word of Romanian, but I was so well treated there, particularly by the trail organisers who hosted me. I’m debating whether to go back and do some more of it.