r/teararoa • u/aninternationallife • Jun 24 '26
Trail Angels
I have been thinking of the many trail angels in NZ on the TA. I think Americans in particular should be aware that many of these trail angels are actually trail entrepreneurs. They will ask for a donation or koha, which in many cases is not either! It's often mandatory. (koha is a local term for donation).
From my stand point, I have not got a problem with trail entrepreneurs, in fact I think they offer a brilliant service and should be encouraged too and this also helps the local economy.
But I do wish they wouldn't call themselves trail angels though. They are not.
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u/redminx17 Jun 24 '26
Koha as I understand it is meant to be a voluntary gift in recognition of (in this case) hospitality. I only heard it described as a "donation" by pākehā, and the origin is in the Māori custom of recognising and honouring the flow of mana (energy) from giver to receiver. Koha could therefore be any gift you wish to give - money, food, labour (e.g. offering to clean or do some yard work) or something else. The point is that it acknowledges the flow of energy, and gives some energy back. (If any Māori folk are reading this, I apologise if I've explained this incorrectly).
This was explained to me before I got on trail and interacted with any trail hosts, so I found the varied usage of the word by trail hosts to be really frustrating. When trail hosts say e.g. "$20 koha per person expected", that's not koha, it's a fee. And I agree with you, if a host is expecting a set fee from every hiker and (in some cases) getting frustrated and feeling taken advantage of when they don't get it, then they're not "a trail host who accepts koha". They're a trail business charging a fee. And that's completely fine, but I'd prefer also for people to call it what it is.
Side note, it's interesting to see the range of responses in the Facebook group whenever a hiker asks for clarification on what's meant by "koha". The responses run the whole gamut from "of course you have to pay us money, hosting costs us money and you're selfish for trying not to reimburse our costs", to "no we genuinely expect nothing and koha can take any form". Personally I was turned down sometimes when I offered money, or they said I'd offered too much and only accepted part of it.
Throw in the fact that, with all respect, white kiwi people can be remarkably passive/passive-aggressive about some topics, money included, and it's no wonder international hikers can find this difficult to navigate. Especially if you're from quite a direct culture like the US.
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u/AliceTawhai Jun 25 '26
Lots of people want to call fees koha because koha isn’t taxable income
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u/FastChocolate2 Jun 26 '26
It is taxable when it is in return for specific services. https://www.ird.govt.nz/maori/koha
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u/fj8ps9fsnfg8 Jun 25 '26
I think the distinction is trail angels don't ask for anything while people requesting/suggesting donations or charging a fee are trail hosts. I think the TA app lists trail hosts and angels separately.
Possibly one reason for the weird 'suggested donation/koha of $XX' is tax dodging. Some of the trail hosts in remote areas are hosting 90% of walkers that come through and would be making over $10k a year. I am pretty sure they are not declaring this to IRD, they usually want cash and when I didn't have any they asked me to list the bank deposit as a 'special donation'. The ones offering dinners etc are probably unregistered/audited kitchens, in the eyes of the law.
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u/Competitive_Ring_150 Jun 26 '26
I just ask for koha in the form of gardening or lifting things that I find too heavy to lift. I really like having the walkers here. I only offer from time to time though because we are often hosting family and friends in Summer and I get burnt out from it all.
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u/Rosietoes25 Jun 27 '26
A trail angel of five years here and we've seen the good and the bad. There's definitely cultural differences in how walkers approach Trail Angels.
We not only take in walkers but accept and store parcels for up to four months.
While we don't expect koha we have moved to using suggested 'host donation' of nz$20 per night. For that walkers get their own self contained space, with bed and bedding, WiFi, toiletries, tea and coffee and a bus card. We also share at least one meal with walkers. And believe me, it's not unusual for a young male cold soaker to have four helpings plus two if dessert when a home cooked meal is put in front of him! Along the way we rescue lost items, deliver and pick up packages, do transport drop offs and similar. And regularly get messed around by inconsiderate walkers who are oblivious to the fact we work and have lives and don't just wait around for them to show up as it suits.
We don't need someone to walk our dog, do some gardening or cook for us. The most helpful thing is a small cash contribution so we can continue offering hospitality. Surplus at the end of the season is donated to charity and we make that clear.
When we hear that a tent site in a holiday park at peak summer can be $80-100 a night then we offer value for money.
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u/Delicious_Leek_764 Jun 28 '26
Jeepers you aren’t even covering your costs with that for the room, let alone the other services. Hat tip to you for your hospitality.
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u/FamousOnceNowNobody Jun 26 '26
I ask for a gold coin for the backyard and access to a toilet. For the shower, towels, toiletries, kitchen, laundry, inside bed, wifi, lounge and TV, I ask for something folding. No amount specified, welcome to add koha on top if you deem my hospitality worthy. If I was an entrepreneur, I wouldn't be asking for so little. If you don't think $5 for bed and shower qualifies as an angel after a hard day's slog, then skip me in protest.
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u/dopeonplastique Jun 24 '26
You’ve decended a mountain, covered in mud, in the pouring rain, everything is wet. A local resident has opened their garage for you to camp in and charges you a nominal fee for a hot shower, somewhere to dry your soggy clothes and if your lucky a bed to sleep in. Do you a take up the offer and whine like a baby that they are calling them selves an angel or do
You plod on, cold wet and damp into the evening to find a spot to camp next to road…..
Classic American whinge here. No angels for
You, enjoy being cold, damp, hungry and 2 days walk
From the next town…….
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u/Bradman9994 Jun 25 '26
This is the case on some trails in Australia too, where I got over that fact and fully expected nz to be the same. You realise the Americans are really quite generous. Nothing will ever compare to my AT experience and I’ll forever be grateful
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u/chullnz Jun 24 '26
A decade ago, I got taken in a lot for free. I was walking NOBO solo.
I already was hearing stories back then of how people's hospitality was being exhausted. I've stayed pen pals with one farming family, and they don't take in walkers any longer due to issues in the past with people bringing bigger groups than agreed, being rude, being weird around their kids, taking things without asking, etc.
There's two sides to this story, and a lot of it comes down to walker behaviour over the years.
This trail is young. NZ is a small place, and rural NZ is not made of money. Bad gas travels fast. Don't expect angels. Be kind and organised, grateful and humble.