South Island Winter recommendations for a family

no ice axes or crampons needed for Luxmore hut. Avalanche conditions around the mountains vary greatly according to what the recent weather has been doing if you want to go high. route options are vast and stretch the entire length of the island in its 800km length. most places are pretty good at the moment but that changes a lot. talk to the local DOC office close to the time of your walk about local conditions the further south you go and the higher you go the bigger the risk. http://www.doc.govt.nz/visitorcentres DOC list information on some current track conditions on their website http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/things-to-do/walking-and-tramping/ http://www.avalanche.net.nz/Forecasts/

Another possible overnighter would be up the Routeburn track to Routeburn Falls Hut and back the same way. You might be able to get up to overlooking Lake Harris and even through to Harris Saddle at the moment. Up to Falls Hut should be OK in nearly any conditions, beyond there depends on the snow / weather conditions remaining benign. Conditions (Snow / avalanche) seem pretty good in the back country at the moment, it hasn't really snowed for quite a while now, but be aware that can change very quickly with the next storm.

Thanks a lot for that. I had ruled out the Routeburn, so it's really good to know that could be a possibility. So it seems that we shouldn't really plan ahead too carefully. We'll go to the DOC offices and ask for advice based on the most recent weather. Do all the folks in the DOC offices know about walks other than in their area, or do we need to go to each DOC office in turn? Not booking accommodation in advance makes me a bit nervous when there are five of us, but I guess I'll just have to let my control freakery go... Still interested to know if there are day walks out there that are both fabulous and very unlikely to need crampons and axes??

The problem in answering your question is not from a lack of choice, but far too much. And conditions play such a big part; what is a 'fabulous' walk one day, can be a miserable dangerous slog the next. Or even a few hours later. The best answer is just to turn up without too many expectations, but a LOT of preparation. Having a bunch of options ready to go will be your best bet. Wayno is right, the further south and the higher you go the more the risk. It sounds like you guys are way better prepared than most, yet please, please do not underestimate the terrain and the weather. Winter is by itself not a bad choice; you often get really nice periods of very settled weather. But the daylight hours are shorter and if you do get caught out in a bad southerly storm your lives will be on the line unless you get to shelter. The other thing to be aware of is that with a fixed window of time there is a temptation to try and 'force' a trip. Resist that ... there is always a perfectly decent Plan B available if you have some maps and the internet handy. Almost certainly you'll have a great time ... wish you the best!

dont expect DOC staff to know much outside of their area. accommodation won't be a problem except in skifield towns, Ohakune, National Park, Queenstown, Wanaka

You could 'probably' go through the Routeburn at the moment, but that would change quickly if the weather changed. I'd give it a go on my own, while being prepared to turn back, but advise against trying to go right through with kids this time of year. Overnight up to Routeburn Falls Hut and back would definitely be a reasonable option, you could always stay at Routeburn Flats if it was getting nasty and rainy. A day trip that would get you up high and should be OK this time of year would be up to Sugarloaf Pass then east to the high point 1290 near the tarns up there. Evaluate conditions - weather and wind and how much snow is around as you get above the bush line and decide whether, how far to continue. I'd expect you could get up above the pass to point 1290 at the moment with possibly only a few patches of snow here and there. Spectacular views of the Routeburn, Rockburn, Dart Valley, Mt Earnslaw from up there. http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&ll=-44.694301,168.280243&z=14 https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2798/4347796916_4d1eed2c6c_z.jpg?zz=1 Many more pictures if you look at google images for Sugarloaf Pass NZ. A day trip from Queenstown would be up Ben Lomond from town. Walk from the centre of town or catch the gondola up to save an hour's climbing. It's snow free at the moment, this could of course change. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7421/14181326863_0fae41e967.jpg Overnight to Howden Hut from the Divide on the Milford Road would also be a good trip. Spectacular views from Key Summit on the way / with a short detour. http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000B2KT5HfnuTI/s/1000/ http://www.fiordland.org.nz/assets/Uploads/_resampled/CroppedFocusedImage637421-Key-Summit-in-snow-dstfiord002.jpg As others have said, it's hard to give advice as to what will be possible, all the above are reasonable propositions at this moment, but when you're here in a months time there could be waist deep snow over all those places (or possibly none at all). Be prepared, keep an eye on conditions, be ready to turn back.

Not much snow on Wanaka side at present. Went up Sentinal Pk on monday & only hit crampons-really-essential snow for thr last 50m. Snowline around 1700m but real snow/ice conditions probably near 1850m. Crampons were sitting in the van so turned back & bashed down Sawyers Burn for entertainment instead. Fun: If you find skin down that creek it's mine.

snow deficit soon to be addressed http://www.metservice.com/mountain/extended-mountain-forecast South Island: Sunday: Rain with heavy falls in Fiordland, isolated showers about the west coast, otherwise fine and cloudy periods. Snow lowering to 1200 metres. Light winds in the north. Strong northwesterlies in the south, gale or severe gale in exposed places. FREEZING LEVEL: About 2000 metres in the northeast, and 1600 metres elsewhere. Monday: Rain spreading northwards west of the main divide. Remaining dry east of the main divide north of Mt Aspiring. Snow down to 900 metres in the south. Westerlies, rising to gale in the south. FREEZING LEVEL: 2000 metres in the north sloping to 1000 metres in the south.

Not sure the coming weeks weather will add to the snow down here - maybe a little in the far south west of Fiordland. Strong Northwesterlies / Westerlies with 2000 m freezing level are likely to take away more snow than they adds. West to East isobars with pressure about 1012 on Monday so although they're saying 'snow' it will probably not come to much. Historic opportunities to do some of the big summer trips like 5 passes and further in July - August for the keen? I can't imagine there's even too much snow on the Milford Track / Dore Pass / Mackinnon Pass at the moment. Must talk to the Milford Helicopters pilots and see what they think.