By Mark Watson

In January 2015, Wilderness magazine’s gear editor Mark Watson left sunny Cape Reinga to walk and photograph the length of Te Araroa.

The journey would take him nearly six months, through constantly changing landscape, geology, and many different kinds of forest. He walked urban pathways, farm tracks, beaches, roads, regional and national parks and reached Bluff amid winter storms in July.

Mark’s visual record of the trails scenery is presented in nine geographic sections matching the structure of the trail, with introductory text and captioned photographs to describe the landscape, diversity, culture and history of each region.

This is the updated edition of Te Araroa, re-released in February 2026.