Te Araroa runs mostly along the Waikato River from central Hamilton to Mercer, with a short deviation along the top of the Hakarimata Range between Ngāruawāhia and Taupiri. You can choose various access and exit points. This time, we opted to walk the section from Rangiriri Bridge to Mercer, which is well removed from the bustle of the Waikato Expressway.
On the west side of the Rangiriri Bridge, there is a car park and boat access ramp. From there, walk a short distance along Churchill East Road until you see access through the adjacent farm to the trail. There may be a few curious and very friendly cows to negotiate.
It is an easy walk alongside the River but a very solid day to get to Mercer. You can arrange to be picked up anywhere along the first 12 km, as Churchill East Road runs nearby until you reach a water pumping station. After that, there is no easy road access until Hampton Downs (6 km), then another 6 km to Meremere Dragway.
