Tramping in winter?

The Tararuas and Ruahines can have very nasty weather especially in winter. you wont need crampons. join a club and they will provide more safety, you can ask them what to take. you can get the necessary experience and knowledge through them and when you're confident enough if you want to you can venture out on your own.. http://www.fmc.org.nz/clubs/ weather forecasts are issued for the tararuas, so you can get an idea of what weather to expect and prepare for in various parts of the park http://m.metservice.com/mountain/taraura-forest-park

In some ways winter is the best time of year to tramp. Certainly if you are fit and moving fast it's way more comfortable as you don't overheat near as quickly. But more than this, while the tops can be off-limits due to deep snow, ice or lethal southerly gales, the rain forest comes into its true nature. It thrives on being wet, damp and cloudy. The colours are muted and cool, it is the time of year when the insect and parasite populations die-back and the trees rest and recover for the next season. The moment you enter the forest there's a unique microclimate, cool and humid. It fills the lungs, the moment you stop it seeps into the bones. Even in a sheltered spot, hypothermia is rarely too far away; a fire, hot drinks and food, a snug sleeping bag are no longer the luxury they were in summer. And you'll have many of the tracks and huts to yourself if that is what your temperament seeks. Look to a forecast and head up to a small hut or bivvy near bushline just before a snowfall or storm is due; and then curl up with candle, book and maybe a companion listening to the elements just outside hammering on your modest, but now treasured shelter for the night. And maybe the next day there will be crisp fresh snow that utterly transforms the world into something delightful to the eye, but painful to the fingers and toes. Maybe you'll get to make dash down to bushline with gale, rain and sleet battering all that flash gear that seemed so impregnable in the warm well-lit shop, but whose limits are now being revealed by a proper testing. Winter is my favourite time of year to tramp, it demands less ambition and more preparation; and will reward you by teaching you to be a better tramper.

Winter in the Tararua rules. I do it every year. Snow, wind, cold. It's a great invigorating challenge. Many of my favourite tramps have been in winter. Get to have them all to yourself pretty much. Like was said above you keep cool. The tops are all good if you choose the right weather pattern to go. Take good gaiters and slip on spikes can help with traction but generally aren't necessary .

the end of otaki forks road is inaccessible to vehicles for a prolonged period for some months to come... there is a much longer walk to get to Table top now which may be longer than you may be prepared to walk

Waynowski has the best advice. Join a local club who will know the Tararuas well. Safer and much more fun.

thats not my experience of several clubs i've been in. they are a great place to gain experience to start with, you dont have to stay with them...

@Keil Apologies to those who've seen me say this before; there are three main types of tramping experience; with a club, with small intimate group of 2 or 3, and solo. While superficially they share much in common, boot's, packs, tracks and huts ... the social experience of each is quite different. And over time I look back with a great deal of affection for all three. But crucially I don't try to compare them. When I'm out with a club I expect them to impose the 'club style' on me, after all it's what clubs do. Expecting them to accommodate the diverse preferences of everyone who turns up on any given trip just isn't practical or safe. So I just rock up (or sometimes lead) and go with the flow .. and always enjoy it. Tramping with just a close friend or two is hugely intimate and rewarding. Rarely in the modern world do you get to live so close to another person 24hrs as you do on a multi-day trip. You either finish up hating each other, or you will have a special bond the rest of your lives. And solo has it's own unique appeal as well; the intense feeling of self-reliance and personal responsibility is something more people should have the chance to experience. It's good for the soul. Personally the worst day on the track is still way better than the best day in the office; and I'll take the chance at all three styles of trip whenever on offer. But from a sheer learning perspective, it does make a great deal of sense for a novice to start with a club, and then graduate towards the other styles as you gain fitness, skills and experience. And if the first club you try doesn't quite gel, there are likely others you may feel better about. In my experience the clubs do have distinct diversity of character.

New people to clubs should be treated like that until it becomes obvious they know what they are doing. I know that sounds harsh but put yourself in the position of trip leader. Most of the people you know except for the new guy. What tramping has he done? Does he understand what is required of him on the trip in regaurds fitness skill gear etc. If it goes bad hes the first to face inquisition. Dont ask how I know this.

@Keli, I've never seen new or inexperienced members in my club expect to be looked after by the leader. But I do think a tramping group should expect to look after EACH OTHER. This is what tramping is about IMHO. A new member should expect to be in a supportive nurturing environment in which to learn new skills and feel safe in the company of others who would never dream of letting them struggle unnecessarily. In time, it will be their turn to help someone less experienced cross a river, or show them how to pitch a tent etc... Passing these valuable skills on is very rewarding.