Winter is a time to connect with yourself and nature without interruption.

I was always an extrovert who filled herself up on the chatter, banter and joy of being surrounded by other people. But as I’ve got older, I’ve learned to value the healing power of solitude – the need to fill myself up first. And one of the best places to find that solitude is to wander through a winter wilderness.

Shorter days and chilly temperatures tend to scare people away from Aotearoa’s great outdoors. A cosy house can be more inviting than the promise of frosty toes on a track. People want to hibernate in winter, they nestle in until new buds begin to signal that summer’s on its way once more.

But if you can find the courage to gather your winter woollies, socks and long johns and venture out to the hills, you’ll get to face the crisp, clear solitude that awaits.

A winter wander will not let you down.

A friend and I ambled along the Mt Somers Track one winter weekend and had the popular Pinnacles Hut to ourselves. In our own private oasis, we lit the fire and candles and delighted in the warmth of each other’s company. 

I’ve kayaked the Abel Tasman in August. We were the only ones floating on the sea for three days, and all views were our own. Playful baby seals were tucked in a small cove, and we dragged our mattresses to sleep in front of the hut fire while rain poured down outside. 

The misty months of winter also lured me to the Whanganui River where we floated along, no rush to be anywhere but right there, and ended each day at an empty campsite. 

When you take to the Great Walks in the off-season there are no queues for views, just an uninterrupted horizon. When tramping the Kepler near the end of winter, we saw no one on the track for hours, just half a dozen kea on the tops. 

We were alone in the still solitude of winter with vast mountains for company.