Te Araroa Ready 2-Day Backcountry Skills Intensive
Prepare for Te Araroa and long-distance tramping with two practical days of navigation, river awareness, and backcountry travel skills.
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Introduction
Prepare for the realities of long-distance tramping in Aotearoa with this practical two-day course designed for Te Araroa walkers and anyone planning multi-day backcountry adventures.
Spend time building real-world navigation, river awareness, and trip planning skills in the Peel Forest environment. This course focuses on judgement, preparation, and confidence; helping you make safer decisions when conditions change and the trail gets challenging.
Whether you’re walking sections of Te Araroa or preparing for extended trips, this intensive course combines essential skills into one focused learning experience.
Programme Overview
2 Days
Location:
Start and finish at the Peel Forest Outdoors Centre base located 20 minutes outside of Geraldine.
Time:
Day 1: 9:00am – late afternoon
Day 2: 9:00am – approximately 4:00pm.
Age requirements:
Suitable for adults and older teens (16+).
What you’ll learn
Navigation & Route Planning
Reading Topo50 maps and understanding terrain features
Route selection and travel planning for multi-day journeys
Bearings, navigation strategies and decision-making in changing conditions
Using GPS and smartphone tools alongside traditional navigation
River Awareness & Decision Skills
Recognising river hazards and assessing conditions
Decision-making frameworks — when to cross, when to wait, and alternative options
Understanding how weather and terrain influence river risk
Backcountry Systems & Preparation
Packing for multi-day travel — what matters and what doesn’t
Trip intentions and emergency communication
Weather interpretation for long-distance journeys
Developing personal systems for safer travel
What to expect
This is a hands-on, field-based course combining practical skill sessions with real-world scenarios. Over two days you’ll build experience navigating, planning routes, and thinking through decisions commonly faced on Te Araroa and other long-distance tracks.
Our focus is not just on techniques, but on helping you develop confidence and judgement in dynamic environments.
Who this course is for
This course is ideal for:
People preparing for Te Araroa (NOBO or SOBO)
Section hikers planning multi-day backcountry trips
Trampers wanting stronger navigation and river awareness
Anyone wanting to feel more confident travelling independently in the outdoors.
Accommodation
Off-grid cabin accommodation is available onsite, for participants wanting to stay overnight between course days. This is included in your course registration fee. These insulated bunk-style huts offer a simple DOC-hut style experience with solar shower and composting toilets.
Food
Participants provide their own food. Please bring meals, snacks and water for both days.
Our Guarantee
No cancellations. We have many sites to choose from to help make our courses resilient. We’ll do our best to run no-matter the conditions. In the unlikely event we have to postpone due to extreme weather, we’ll find a date that works for you.
Please note we require a minimum of 4 people to run this course effectively.
No stress. Feel like you need a bit more time to soak in the learning? We can arrange private instruction at a discounted rate to help you get that bit further – so you don’t need to pay for another identical course.
Look at some of our participants in action!
Ready to book!
Book through our Rezdy booking site
If we have an active course you can book here.
Group bookings are welcome.
Otherwise contact us or look below for our other upcoming courses
Compulsory:
Overnight pack (approx. 40–60L) with pack liner
Suitable active clothing for the weather (no cotton)
Waterproof raincoat and over-trousers
Thermal layers
Fleece or insulation layer
Tramping boots (worn in)
Water bottle (minimum 2L)
Compass
Hat, beanie, sunscreen and sunglasses
Gear hire available:
Let us know if you need to borrow:
Pack
Raincoat
Fleece layers
Compass
Overnight Gear
Sleeping bag
Pillow (optional)
Toiletries
Food for two days
Optional Gear:
Tramping poles
Puffer jacket
We are registered as an Adventure Activity Operator (AAO) with WorkSafe NZ. The Health and Safety at Work (Adventure Activities) Regulations 2016 established a safety audit and registration process. The regulations aim to enhance professionalism and ensure consistent good practices across the sector.
Get in Touch
Peel Forest Outdoor Centre
1222 Peel Forest Road, RD22, Geraldine, South Canterbury, New Zealand
Call us: 03 696 3832
Linkedin: peel-forest-outdoor-centre
YouTube: Peel Forest Outdoor
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