Accounts from those who have walked the Te Araroa Trail are teeming with tales of selfless souls offering a bed, hot shower, meal, or tent space. Matthew Pike asks these ‘trail angels’ why they do it.
A new species has recently been discovered. The species looks vaguely human, but its hair is particularly long and scruffy. The male has a beard a 19th century lumberjack would be proud of. Its clothes have the faded grandeur of extreme use and its odour is one that requires a wide berth, though the species has a positive, determined nature which commands admiration. The behavioural patterns typically consist of walking hour after hour, day after day, with a giant pack resting on its back that normally clunks with every step. Often solitary, it follows a pre-determined trail bisecting the country. This behaviour achieves nothing but edging the species closer to the ultimate goal of reaching a windy headland with curious yellow signs pointing to out-of-sight destinations around the world. The species is, of course, the Te Araroa Trail walker. If one enters your town, don’t be afraid. Whereas humans are now accustomed to beds, coffee and hot meals, the Te Araroa Trail (TA) walker will be overcome with gratitude if you so much as offer a space on your lawn. You can then watch from your kitchen window as they set up their fabric home and primitive cooking set, and tuck in to their staple diet of two-minute noodles. This bizarre species is becoming more common and is normally a summer visitor. Official estimates (based on sightings) are that around 180 were resident in New Zealand over the spring and summer 2014/15, compared to around 100 the year before. To those who live along the trail, spotting the species is now a frequent occurrence. And as a nation we seem to be warming to these hairy, smelly, yet polite, creatures. In fact, a highlight of many a TA walker is the generosity of total strangers. [caption id="attachment_6152" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]

