Dear {{first_name | reader}},
You can’t go over it. You can’t go under it. Oh no, you’ve got to go through it. Photo: Jadyn Bennetts
Some descriptions of Southland’s Longwood Forest read more like letters from the Battle of the Somme than recollections of a tramping trip.
In journalist Naomi Arnold’s recent book on the trail, Northbound: Four seasons of solitude on Te Araroa, she writes, “I am stuck in here, this close, dense, green hell, and there is no way out but through this bullshit for hours, and I’ve put myself here … I know I am in danger of getting injured, but I am too angry to stop.”
Trampers are divided on the issue, with some calling the muddy Longwood Forest a right of passage. However, last year the Te Araroa Trust launched a fund to install boardwalks over this section of the TA.
Missed yesterday’s feature? Entries now open for the 2026 Wilderness Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition!
Quiz
What is the highest point on Banks Peninsula?
A. French Hill
B. Saddle Hill
C. Mt Herbert / Te Ahu Patiki
D. Mt Bradley
Scroll to the bottom of this email for the answer…
Current Issue - April 2026
Should you go NOBO or SOBO on TA, enter the Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition, why autumn is the season for Queen Charlotte Track, mapped trip reports, gear guides and dozens more articles!
Recipe: Orzo spiced tuna salad 🥗
A vibrant and earthy take on the traditionally creamy tuna salad.
Photo: Izzie Thompson
Profile
Time: 15 min
Serves: 3
Ingredients
1 small red onion
1.5 cup green beans
¼ cup sundried tomatoes
2 tsp ras el hanout spice mix
50g sachet tomato paste
185g can tuna in olive oil
200g orzo or risoni
Big handful of lettuce or spinach
70g pouch of herby olives
Salt and pepper
Pine nuts, cranberries, or other nuts and seeds
Method
Boil a pot of salted water.
Thinly slice the red onion, cut the beans to matchstick length and chop up the sundried tomatoes.
Add the orzo to the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions (about 7min). Drain when done, then add all ingredients to the pot (including the tuna oil). Mix it well. Divvy between bowls and dig in!
This month in tramping history
Cyclone Bola causes massive damage
7 March 1988
Three days of torrential rain and winds of up to 130km per hour wrought havoc in the Bay of Plenty and destroyed many tramping tracks. Thousands of fallen trees still block tracks today. Townships on the Coromandel Peninsula were isolated when bridges became submerged. In Gisborne 2000 people were evacuated, while in Wairoa the main road bridge collapsed.
Featured Book
Te Araroa – Walking NZ’s 3000km Trail (Updated Edition)
This beautiful visual record captures the landscape, diversity, culture and history for each section of TA.
Subscribers get a 10% discount.
Poll results
On Monday we asked Wilderness Daily readers If you only had time to complete one island of Te Araroa, which would it be?
The results are in: 87% of you would do the South Island and 13% would hike the North Island.
Here is a selection of comments from readers:
[South Island] “Because of the sheer scale in size of the landscape and how small your place is in it.”
[North Island] “While the South Island is amazing the North Island Central Plateau and volcanic landscape simply spectacular and one of a kind ”
[South Island] “Love getting away from town into the mountains and bush.”
Quiz answer
Answer C - Mt Herbert / Te Ahu Patiki
At 919m Mt Herbert / Te Ahu Patiki is the highest point on the Banks Peninsula.
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