The Richmond Range: No Switchbacks, No Mercy

Ok, we’re here already… the Richmond Range section of the TA. It’s known to be the hardest section of the Te Araroa Trail and it’s the second section we are attempting. With the longest food carry on trail, we plan to hike just over 87 miles (139 km) over the course of 9 days. Now if you break it down that doesn’t seem like much… but when you’re climbing straight up a mountain with a very loosely formed “track” moving at 1 mile per hour… Well let’s just say getting anywhere is quite a feat!

28 January, 2026 (Day 6)

At the end of the last post we left off with Jeremy and I grabbing a coffee before heading into the Richmond Ranges.

We were walking out of town and had just put our thumbs in the air when a car pulled over to give us a lift. Before we hitch, we always take a minute to pray that God would send us the right person we can encourage. Andrew had just come back from a camping trip and was keen to give us a ride.

I’m always amazed by how things work out when we pray. We were able to encourage Andrew and he was a huge help to us! Instead of dropping us off at Polaris Bridge Campground where our route differed from his, he offered to take us all the way to the trailhead- costing him atleast 40 extra minutes of driving and saving us an entire day of road walking!!!

Andrew- you’re a legend!!!

We cheerfully agreed to a ride that would put us one day ahead of schedule. In the Richmond Ranges- there are sections that are impassable with bad weather. It is a clear, sunny day and we are keen to make headway while the going is good!

We began our trek around 11:30 AM.

The track followed a beautiful emerald river. Of coarse, we had to stop for a swim! We had lunch by the river and then worked our way to Middy hut. The hut was full so we pitched our tent on a flat spot by the river and took another polar plunge. We drifted to sleep with the sound of the river singing sweetly in our ear.

Side note for those of you unfamiliar with New Zealand’s tramping (hiking) culture – they have backcountry huts located all over the bush. These huts usually consist of an outhouse, small table, kitchen prep space, wood stove to heat the inside, and beds complete with a mat! It amazes me the location of some of these huts. On the TA, the trail goes by so many huts that you could stay in one almost every night if you chose to! We split our nights about 50/50 between the huts and pitching our tent.

29 January, 2026 (Day 7)

As we left our cozy creek-side camping spot, we got our first real taste of what the Richmond’s would be like. Lots of elevation gain- and straight up. The TA seems to take a different approach to trail making than we are used to. To make a trail, you simply put up sign post markers and let the people walking over the rocks and roots forge the trail! Ok maybe there is a bit more that goes into it than that- but seriously, we were just climbing up roots and rock to get to Rocks Hut. The view from Rocks Hut was beautiful with a mountain landscape view out the window. We traded some Nutella for rice crackers with our new friend Collin. It was nice to have a little snack pick-me-up! For our first few days of lunch we have salami and humus wraps. It’s super filling and a luxurious lunch by tramping standards!

After lunch we continued onto Browning hut. This cute little hut is nestled by a creek and we soaked our sore feet in the ice water. We slept fantastic after 3,783 feet of ascent in the warm and cozy hut- protected from the sandflies.

30 January, 2026 (Day 8)

We woke up this morning with some ankle and foot pain due to the climb yesterday. The first order of business- go soak our feet in the freezing river while drinking instant coffee to keep us warm!

Thank you so much Regina from the Refinery Coffee Co. in Indiana for donating instant coffee to our cause! Every drop was savored!

Another day of hiking straight up is ahead of us! After ascending 3,904 feet at a slow pace of barely 1 mile per hour – we arrive at Starveall Hut. Despite the pain in my body- this is my favorite section so far! It’s breathtaking!

31 January, 2026 (Day 9)

Psttttt… wake up!!!

It’s only 3:45 A.M.!!!

Jeremy and I roll out of the tiny twin bed we are sharing (we have a double quilt so we have to sleep side by side, which posses some issues when there are only bunks in the hut).

Collin said it’s going to be a perfect night for stars and he was right!!!

We can see the entire milky way more bright than I’ve ever seen in my life, as well as some constellations you can only see in the southern hemisphere. We are struck by total awe (and in our awe forgot to take a photo 😔 I suppose if you want to see it you will have to come see it for yourself!😉)

After a few more hours of sleep we shove all our current belongings back into our packs and head out for another day of climbing.

This morning we are out early and are greeted by the sunrise over the mountain landscape. After about an hour we stop to have our breakfast (consisting of a granola bar).

Today was the day we had been living for. The views were FANTASTIC. We spent the day walking along the ridge-line with mountains all around us as far as the eye could see! Whenever we stopped for breaks we could hardly believe our eyes! At times you could see the ocean and even see some of the mountain peaks of the North Island!

When we arrived at the junction to Old Man’s hut, we had a decision to make. It was only 2 PM. Do we drop down about 600 feet (200 meters) off-trail to Old Man’s hut for the night or continue over Mount Rintoul (another 5 hours on technical, tricky terrain)?

After consulting with our sore, tired feet – we decide to drop into Old Man’s hut and have some much needed rest. The next section is known as the toughest part of the Richmond’s, making it the toughest of the toughest section.

We also try to take a rest day every 7th day. This means we will get some much needed rest before tackling whatever lie ahead.

Afternoon snoozing, watching wild goats graze the meadow, and making friends with the birds helped refresh our spirits. We set up our tent in the meadow and Jeremy made a small campfire.

Hot cocoa, anyone? Yum!!! 😋

1 February, 2026 (Day 10)

We slowly sipped our coffee while watching goats roam the field. By this point, my foot was in bad condition. All the elevation with such a heavy pack due to all the food weight has been brutal on my body.

If my foot doesn’t improve, we are not moving from this hut.

A few hours pass… Jeremy kindly massages my feet for atleast an hour and I used a muscle cream that another hiker gave me. After a few hours of reading our one and only book we have along (The New Testament) and foot treatments- I feel “ok” enough to start off again.

We also want to give our bodies atleast 24 hours off so we wait until 2 PM to begin our ascent towards Mount Rintoul.

It’s only 4.2 miles to the next hut, but it’s 3,015 feet of ascent on some of the sketchiest terrain I’ve ever seen.

The weather is perfect, and we know that if we wait too long we might hand ourselves over to the mercy of the mountain’s ever changing weather.

So even though I really don’t want to press on- I do anyway.

‼️Now I’d like to put a disclaimer here‼️

Even though the view was breathtaking, I’m of the opinion this hike should not be recommended to your average through-hiker that is wanting to tour New Zealand. It involves some extremely sketchy passes, that with a heavy pack, seem unnecessarily dangerous for the reward of a view. I am happy we crossed in perfect weather conditions and would hate to see the condition of the “track” in worse conditions.

That aside- I feel as though I’m experiencing the rawness of mountain climbing for the first time. This is the real deal… one bad step and you’re done. It brings into perspective the strength and awe of the mountain I should always carry with me.

Now let’s climb over the highest point on this mountain range – 5,679 feet ASL (1,731 meters).

2 February, 2026 (Day 11)

I woke up with a feeling of relief… we’ve made it over Mount Rintoul before the weather turns!

Pulling back the outer shell of the tent. I see the beautiful morning colors cascading over the mountain.

Peace. Complete and utter peace.

After coffee and breakfast we make our way towards Tarn Hut. Today is meant to be the last nice day before the weather turns for a bit.

We notice just how lush green and mossy the forest floor is. It’s like walking in a fairy tail!

The hut is equipped with a wider twin bed that works well with our Zenbivy double quilt. Score! We don’t have to set up the tent!

3 February, 2026 (Day 12)

Waking up to the sound of rain on the hut roof… nothing is more soothing.

Everyone had a relaxed morning as we waited for the rain to ease around noon.

There is no point in rushing…

After the next hut the section crosses a river 8 times. We can only hope and pray that the water level doesn’t rise too much that this section will become impassable. It would be very stupid to attempt this section in rain.

Our hopes of going past Mid-Wairoa Hut (an easy 4 hour walk from Tarn Hut) were non-existent. Atleast not today!

So we took it slow and I rested my still sore foot.

To make the day even more fun and moody I played songs from Lord of the Rings as we crossed through the ‘misty mountains’

4 February, 2026 (Day 12)

The fire is stoked and the hut is warm and dry. Outside the river that was raging last night, has dropped down to a manageable level. The rain stopped around 11 PM the night before and we join forces with 3 other experienced hikers to navigate the river crossings together!

We set off sometime around 10 AM, having a late start to allow the river time to drop even more.

This section is also quite technical and involves 8 river crossings as you follow the river up the mountain. By the time we reach the hut tonight we will have climbed 4,911 feet to Hunter’s Hut.

5 February, 2026 (Day 13)

Today is our last full day on this section.

We started out from Hunter’s hut and went to Porter’s Creek hut for lunch. We met 2 NOBO hikers (Northbound) who told us there is a perfect spot to freedom camp in our tent inbetween this hut and the next.

We found the spot after scrambling through some washed out river bed from previous flash floods. It was a magical spot! We took a cold bath in the river, made some dinner (we used our special backpacker dehydrated meals that we allow ourselves to have every 3rd day), and made a driftwood fire.

The Alpenglow surrounded us as the sun set on our last day in the Richmond Range.

6 February, 2026 (Day 14)

We spent the day hiking out to the road where Bo would pick us up. Bo and Norman own a golf / paintball course about 30 minutes from where the trail meets the road and offered us a warm bed and hot shower to refresh after the Richmond Range. When Bo showed us to our room it felt unreal- a real warm bed! As I took a proper shower for the first time in 10 days I felt as though I’d lost a layer of skin, although it was only a layer of dirt. Our first proper meal after overcoming the Richmond’s was delicious vegetable lasagna. Thanks Bo and Norman for taking in these two hungry hikers!

Even though you would expect it to be an easy day as we come out of the ranges – the truth is we ascended 3,615 feet of elevation over 12 miles. It wasn’t hard compared to what we just went through… but it also wasn’t a walk in the park!

We plan to spend 3 days in Nelson, NZ area resting and restocking for the Waiau Pass – an 8 day food carry.

The Statistics

At the end of the Richmond’s we calculated that we climbed 31,182 feet and Jeremy’s watch showed he burned 27,541 calories. This mountain range was no joke!

We planned to be in the bush for 9 days, but carried food for 11 days. Due to weather and fatigue the whole endeavor took us 10 days.

February 7-9 will be spent resting our bodies before we head out again!

Calling all backpackers 🏕️

If you have any backpacker meal suggestions, please let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading J & J adventures! Hope we’ll see you at the end of Waiau Pass! 🍻