Have decided to go to NZ this summer. Tips and comments?

[Mountain Rocket]

Hey guys,

I am hoping you can help me and my partner work out where our next holiday destination should be.
We are both young (not quite 20) so this we be our first proper overseas trip together. Subsequently we are having a really hard time working out where to go.

The plan is to leave some time between October and January, for a period of 1-2 months. The reason for doing it then is to escape our hot summer and make the most of our uni holidays.

Ideally we would visit countries in Scandinavia but our timing is wrong (seasonally). The same applies to Turkey which was our next favourite.
New Zealand keeps popping up but I figure we can easily do that at another stage in our lives/down the track.

In my mind I want somewhere that is still wild and radically different. I am also not keen on the idea of the 'country-side'.
We were also hoping to do a lot of walking wherever we go, hopefully independent of guided groups/tours.

Every time I sit in front of a globe and try and work somewhere out I get overwhelmed, so at this stage any suggestion is useful!

Cheers.

EDIT: Topic changed on 15/9. See viewtopic.php?f=32&t=10657#p145263 for more info.

[ninjapuppet]

I'm planning on some peaks in Kyrgyzstan in jan. care to join us for the trekking part of the trip?

[Mountain Rocket]

Fantastic invitation. I had neglected looking at the 'Stans' and Central Asia more generally.
The only concern I have is one website mentioned it may be hard for vegetarians which would be a struggle for me.

I am really kicking up my searching at the moment. I would love to see some more suggestions though.

[wayno]

dont think one or two trips to new zealand will be enough, I've spent a lot of my spare time tramping in new zealand and theres far more left for me to do than i've been able to do so far

[weetbix456]

santiago - patagonia - buenos aires - rio (seeya there!!)

[Mountain Rocket]

dont think one or two trips to new zealand will be enough, I've spent a lot of my spare time tramping in new zealand and theres far more left for me to do than i've been able to do so far

Oh I do not doubt that wayno. I think the same could be said for Australia and even Tassie. I still think I will be able to get a lot out of a month there though. And like I said, it is easy enough to get there (again).

santiago - patagonia - buenos aires - rio (seeya there!!)

Bleh cities. Will check it out though, thanks.

[Mountain Rocket]

My ideal three month trip has shortened to around one month after work commitments and subsequently we have decided that we will go to New Zealand (despite my previous comments). I have a few people to visit over there and on paper the weather should be good. We should be there from mid January to mid February.

I think we will be on the South Island (friends and family) but we are not against going to the North Island. Can anyone chime in with walks for me and my partner to do? She is still getting into bushwalking (tramping ) so I do not want to throw her into anything hardcore but I think she will be fine with some moderately hard stuff.

Comments on weather would also be appreciated. Does it still get cold enough to warrant 4 season bags (-7), etc? Hell for that matter any tips/comments you have would be useful! We want to do a lot of camping/hiking but we think we will still hire a car to get around. Does this sound like a good idea?

In summary I have no idea what to really expect so if you think you have worthwhile information to share please do not hesitate.

Cheers.

[wayno]

the great walks,,, good tracks underfoot.no mud., huts have cookers in them, guaranteed a bunk , have to prebook in summer places are filling up. milford long since full.
part of the tongariro circuit is still closed after a minor eruption, and half the tongariro crossing is closed.
wont need a four season bag, esp the later you travel... seldom gets below zero in summer, and only right down south. if it does its usually a brief front then warms up.. temp could be anything up to thirty plus in summer, usually at least in the teens, expect some rain and should be at least some fine weather... was pretty dry for the early part of last summer then went a bit wetter than normal. varies a bit, just expect variety.. can get a lot of weather fronts through right up till jan when it usually settles more
i'm on the kepler at new years and the routeburn the following week two of my favs
then the queen charlotte later, the queen charlotte only reqiures day bags, water taxis can take your luggage between accomodation, which is normal mainstream type accomodation, so you don't have to rough it. definitely a good intro to bushwalking.. and its not far from the marlborough vineyards...
http://doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation ... eat-walks/

[Mountain Rocket]

Yuck. Huts? Sounds like the overland track all over again.

In seriousness, thanks Wayno. At this stage I am MUCH more interested in escaping crowds and sleeping in my tent. I feel much more comfortable being self supporting and being out for at least 3-4 days. All of these cushy accessible walks have little appeal to me as I do not like crowds. I appreciate that they are popular for a reason but I would much rather be off the beaten track a bit. Could you perhaps suggest some stand-out but less busy tracks?

Kepler does look interesting. I found http://tramper.co.nz/?view=object&id=248 which has a bit of info on the walk, and heaps of info on others. I will keep digging.Is there any books or publications that are worth hunting down?

[ninjapuppet]

I haven't done alot, but in my very limited experience of nz, I highly recommend the cascade saddle from aspiring hut, a walk up into sefton bivy for a taste of mountaineering without any gear or skills required, and rabbit pass.

Google them. Or pm me for some awesome photos

[wayno]

you can camp also on the great walks, camping spaces are limited and set apart from the big huts so you wont be over crowded, some great spots .... for me the scenery on those walks makes it well worth it. i'm sick to death of busy huts but I never tire of the scenery, the routeburn is really top notch and very varied landscapes you'll get time to be on your own on the track, numbers are limited. you could check out the five passes next to the routeburn but its a lot rougher.
if you want to camp on the kepler you face one particularly hard day climbing up from the valley the best part of a thousand metres and spend an undulating day on the ridge tops and descend the other side, you're pretty limited to camping at the designated camp sites. the track is good so theres no slog through mud and tree roots
if you're going around holiday season then most of the tracks of the type you're after are likely to be busy

then you're talking about rougher tracks to really get away from everyone, depends how many mountain ranges you want to climb over. and how much mud you want to put up with.
lewis pass area you can walk some easy mountain tops and camp out up there, no established tracks above the bushline, get up to around mount technical and should have the place pretty much to yourself. short climb from the road.
nelson lakes you can go down st arnaud range, again no establish tracks on the tops but you can get up and down from tracks. kahurangi park has a lot of tracks to choose from but some areas will be busy...
i wouldnt bother with most of the te araroa trail. a lot of it is a disappointment, its a compromise of a track taking in historical areas as much as tramping areas

the lonely planet tramping in new zealand book is a pretty comprehensive list of tramps in new zealand , other tramping books in nz either focus on the popular tracks or include some pretty heinous ones.

http://doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation ... ler-track/

http://doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation ... urn-track/

http://doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation ... and-walks/

http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap/trck ... /Southland

http://www.fishpond.com.au/advanced_sea ... nd%20tramp

http://www.craigpotton.co.nz/store/book ... travel?p=2

http://www.mapworld.co.nz/trampingnz.html

[Strider]

I'll be in Blenheim from Jan 30 until Feb 18. Am considering climbing Mt Tapuaenuku, though would prefer not to go solo if possible. PM me if you're keen.

Some info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tapuaenuku
http://jonathancarr.com/gallery/tapi/tapi1.html
http://tramper.co.nz/?view=topic&id=492