No; she does say that when the locals speak of going nightclubbing, they mean whacking possums with a large stick.Originally Posted by jodg
Crikey ! Been over to that part of the Hokianga. Don't think things have changed much there since 1952 ....
We visited a few years ago and it's definitely somewhere just behind the back of beyond.
"Get yourself together, Jones" - Ray Davies
Does anyone have any experience of what some of the trails on the south island are like in August (i.e. New Zealand winter). I'm particularly interested in the Routeburn, but am struggling to get info on conditions in winter. Its at an elevation of between 400m and 1200m and 32k long, so would seem feasible to do in a day unless conditions were super tough.
Also, what are the maps like? I've heard that maps of equivalent detail to our OS and Harvey maps just don't exist down there (obviously a big factor in undertaking routes in winter time!).
Any info much appreciated.
Geoff Clarke
Have been around NZ a couple of times over winter, and it can be hit and miss (like anywhere). There's some cracking Winter mountaineering and plenty of huts to aim for too.
Doing the Routeburn in one day over Winter is unlikely though, with much shorter daylight, steep climbs, exposed areas etc. Not impossible, but as there a couple of huts up there you might as well enjoy an overnight stay and relax a bit! The DOC centre in Queenstown will have up-to-date info and they are pretty good at highlighting hazards and will even 'close' some routes if they are considered too dangerous.
That said, most routes will be passable (with care) over Winter, but navigating can be tricky. The local 'topo' maps I have are 1:50,000 so not as detailed as OS explorer etc, but the main problem I encountered was when travelling through thick bush and crossing streams. This can really effect the speed at which you can go, and it is so easy to pick up the wrong trail. Also, if you are among thick forest it can be difficult to find a bearing without visual landmarks (I got completely lost on the Coromandel by simply walking a few metres of the marked trail, just a few weeks after a British guy had done the same thing and they found him at the bottom of a waterfall..). They try and mark some of the more popular routes through the bush with regular clearance and with those little orange triangles, but this maintenance doesn't usual happen over the colder months
The nine 'Great Walks' are very well maintained and I have done the straightfoward Rakiura during one Winter day, but many of the high altitude crossings require the same care as any Winter climb. Once above the bushline it's standard Winter Alpine conditions, but it's a great excuse to explore some of the most popular summer routes because there are so few people about. Doing the Tongariro crossing in Winter (with a climb up Mt Ngauraho) was one of the best days out ever...
Any good? .
Awesome, yes, thank you!
Geoff Clarke
Good! I've been lucky enough to get out to NZ 6 times now and at different times of the year so feel free to ask, but I can get really geeky about this country if you get me started... Winter's great if you don't mind shorter days and the ski crowd.
Seriously, the DOC centres are really good at offering advice and I've contacted them months in advance when planning routes etc. What I will say is that they can be understandably cautious and will sometimes say that a route is unsafe unless you make it clear you have experience etc.
For getting around in Winter I've used Overland rentals (Christchurch based) twice, as you get a decent 4x4 that's not only been properly set up for off road conditions but comes with no insurance limitations. Nice people too.
I'm jealous.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote