Winter Tramp

It's very hard to recommend anything when you don't give any details of your experience level or the length of trip you're planning. So feel free to come back with more details and you're much more likely to get a response. Snow shoeing is a relatively uncommon activity in NZ - and having not yet got round to it myself I can't advise there. There are guided walks and snowshow hire for the crown land east of Lake Tekapo (including a section of Te Araroa walkway, which you can google for details). But you'd want to talk to locals on where is safe and where not. Googling snowshow and Tekapo should get you there. For tramping, DOC's (dept of Conservation) website would be a better bet than googling to get track details. Some of many possibilities for tramping for tramping around Queenstown & lakes area: For overnighters, it will depend on snow-level, but Camerons, Wills or Makarora off the Haast pass may be possible if the snow is high enough. All involve river crossings so not avter heavy downpours. Check with DOC for details. Green lake in Fiordland is another that is a good overnighter if snow-level permits - no rivers to cross there. Likewise trips into the bottom end of the Greenstone or Caples are almost always possible, though the through trip may well get blocked by snow. Eyre mountains can be beautiful in winter - plenty of walks up valleys there - look at DOC's website for details but beware many huts are 2 bunk so check the size. For an easy but longer trip, the Hollyford is an easy benched, well-marked walk possible year round with serviced huts. Firtehr west on the coast coast: Moraki valley as far as horseshoe, and sometimes Middle-head are often snowfree mid-winter and not well visited. Paringa cattle track would be another year-round track, though be aware you're in the bush all the way so no views on that one. And of course, there's the trip into Welcome flat to the hot springs - bookings required?. Another multi-day trip, the South coast track would be passable, though you'd want nice weather to enjoy it.

if they dont have much tramping gear then they can't be that experienced, andthey shouldnt consider anything but the most basic trips in winter, staying away from areas exposed to bad weather and being cut off from unbridged water courses as much as possible

Last months Wildnerness mag had a good article on snow shoeing the Kepler. Outside Sports based in Wanaka and Queesntown do gear hire including snowshoes and they either have a store in Te Anau or are in cahoots with the hire place there. Have a look at their website.

bit of a contrast between this thread and "South Island Advice", isn't there :))

he says they don't have much gear so they are going to need to know where to get it...