Great Walks’ hut and campsite bookings during the season often sell out in days. It can be frustrating and disappointing, but out of season it can be easier to book and the tracks are less crowded to walk.
Verity Jackson and her 14-year-old niece headed from Ashburton to Stewart Island in winter to do the Rakiura Track. “We mainly chose the Rakiura because my niece is on a mission to complete all the Great Walks,” she says, “but also because the weather on Stewart Island tends to be more settled in winter – milder and less rainy.”
Jackson and her niece only saw two other trampers the entire time. “It was nice to have a backcountry experience on a Great Walk. I like that there aren’t flush toilets or gas provided, but there’s the safety of knowing it’s a Great Walk. My niece had only tramped Great Walks before, so I knew she’d feel comfortable and it wouldn’t be so much of an unknown.”
The pair took extra warm and wet-weather gear just in case, but didn’t need it. “We had some beautiful days of around 12°C,” says Jackson, “and very little mud.”
Jackson says people should bite the bullet and do it. “Think of it like a winter version of the Abel Tasman,” she says. “The nights are long though, because it gets dark so early. Take something to entertain yourself because there’s a high chance you’ll be alone in the huts.”
One bonus for Jackson was seeing kiwi at North Arm Hut. “It was fantastic, and because it gets dark early you don’t have to wait up for hours to see them.”
Linda Norris from Rangiora prefers to do Great Walks in winter. “It’s cooler, and you can cover more kilometres,” she says. “There are fewer people so it becomes quite a wilderness experience.”
When Norris did the Paparoa last winter, there was only one other person at Ces Clark Hut on the first night. “Where else could you stay in a five-star, double-glazed, solar-powered hut overlooking the most stunning views and get a room to yourself?” Norris also had incredibly clear weather. “The night sky was full of shooting stars and I could hear kiwi calling all through the valley.”
Weather watching is crucial, but Norris says that’s more for the roads. “My car showed -6°C on the Lewis Pass, so I was careful of icy roads while getting to the track,” she says. “Because hut availability isn’t generally an issue out of season, I kept an eye out for the weather, saw a high coming in and booked it the day before.”
Winter days are shorter, so planning is key, says Norris. “If you’re used to tramping then you’re used to being prepared. But because there are fewer people on the track, I have a really good risk mitigation strategy and leave comprehensive intentions.” Norris has reliable contacts who know to ring DOC if she’s late out. “I always carry a GPS tracker, spare battery banks, NZ topo maps, paper maps, a first aid kit, PLB, firelighters, good winter clothing, and enough food and water for at least two extra days.”
Jamie Lawrie from Wellington is a recreational tramper with limited time for multi-day trips. Prior to walking around Lake Waikaremoana in July he carefully checked the weather each day, “When MetService suggested clear skies for two days, I was ready to put plans in motion relatively quickly,” he says.
Lawrie finds the solitude of tramping in winter is heightened. “I was spooked by deer and wild cats in the shadows. The silence is heavier and every noise is a jump-scare.”
Despite this, Lawrie says the last leg of the Great Walk, up and over Panekiri Bluff, was perhaps his best day tramping. “I’d driven up through an absolute downpour that turned into a fresh layer of puffy snow. It transformed the bush, and I walked through deep snow with the morning sun angling through the trees. It was a magical scene in which mine were the only footprints.
“I’m usually a fair-weather tramper and know my limits,” he says. “Although this Great Walk doesn’t count as ‘alpine’, the weather can turn nastier than in summer. I prepared well, but apart from having more layers to use and more socks to swap out, I didn’t take many more precautions than I would for a tramp at any other time of year.”
Anyone can do a Great Walk in winter, though only experienced trampers should attempt those walks that enter alpine terrain. It’s important to choose the track wisely. DOC doesn’t manage any hazards outside the season, so the right skills and experience are needed. Each walk, though, has specific advice, including winter alerts and safety advice. Bridges in Fiordland are often removed, and winter brings short days with cold and possibly wet, icy and avalanche conditions. Hut facilities are greatly reduced, with no gas, limited water, and no hut wardens or emergency radios.
The department recommends not doing any of the Great Walks in Fiordland, Mt Aspiring and Tongariro National Parks out of season. Like a lot of winter tramps, these walks require backcountry winter navigation skills, river-crossing expertise and appropriate alpine skills and equipment. The southern walks in particular are prone to avalanches.
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