The big obstacle to transitioning to fastpacking is getting the right gear. Regular tramping kit might suffice for a bit, but if you want to get serious you will need to upgrade to lighter equipment. And carrying lighter gear, and less of it, means you also need to become a better judge of the weather and conditions.

Take me, for example: my regular kit is not cut out for moving quickly through the landscape. I know this from the time I accidentally fastpacked the Tongariro Northern Circuit.

It’s a trip best savoured over four days, enjoying nights at Mangatepopo, Oturere and Waihohonu huts. I was looking for a cheeky winter overnighter and decided to walk from Mangatepopo to Oturere Hut and then retrace my steps the next day; actually, not doing the circuit at all. But the weather being what it is in Tongariro National Park – namely, changeable – meant I had a harrowing time climbing out of South Crater, where strong winds buffeted me and threatened to send me tumbling down the slope. The ice was rock hard and my grip felt tenuous. And it was freezing: -10°C with the wind chill. So once past Emerald Lakes, into relative shelter and onto softer snow, I decided against returning this way for fear conditions would worsen.

At Oturere I looked at the map. The only other option was to keep going and do the full 45km circuit back to Mangatepopo in two days.

With heavy, clunky 3–4 season boots, a winter-weight sleeping bag, a heavy axe and crampons, walking poles and insufficient food in my 40l canvas pack (not one of those fancy nylon body-hugging fastpacking models), it was an exhausting trial, but also an epic adventure. In hindsight, the ice of Red Crater was pure adrenalin and I could have returned that way. Walking from Oturere to Waihohonu was incredible; navigating in the dark was a challenge, but the starry night sky was a delight. Next day I ventured off track and followed Taranaki Stream into the unknown, shaving several kilometres off the walk and discovering hidden pools and small waterfalls before intersecting with the horrendously eroded Mangatepopo Track.

It wasn’t until much later that I realised I had unintentionally fastpacked the circuit. But don’t do me: get the gear, plan it properly, and you’ll have much more fun.