New Zealand form October to December

[Matt Keenan]

So I have been working all summer to save up for a small stint of vagabonding and decided to go to New Zealand form the begin of October to the end of December. I have no plans but I want to be equally prepared for the back country and the front. I plan on using a 40l sil duffle for the trip over and in hostels to make getting clothing and such a little easier. There are two notable things missing from this list insulation underneath me and rain protection. I plan on getting an umberlla when I am over there and as well as a ccfp to save on space going over. This list is still a work in progress on some fronts will probable add a pot cozy if I can get around to making one and I have a rain squirt some where (I just made it today and lost it…. impressive). Do I need a rain squirt if I get an umbrella? The reason I have the Hammock is because I think it will help me save some money for the comfort of it vs a bed or even a hut. I have a tenkara set up that I may or may not take I really like the idea of it, but I have only caught one fish so I m not sure if it will be worth me taking it. Also if any body has a line on a sweet deal for some merino t shirts I may be interested Thanks in advance
Happy trails
Matt
Expected conditons are lows of mid to upper 30's and fairly rainy

http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=20074

[Roger Caffin]

Have a look at the background to your avatar. Not a lot of trees there. The higher parts of NZ are a bit like that. Might be some problems with a hammock.

Wet – yeah, always.

Cheers

[Barry Cuthbert]

Some notes about the typical weather you might encounter during spring in NZ. Firstly the weather is quite changable. Weather forecasts are rarely accurate beyond 3 days. You're right in that it does rain. You haven't mentioned wind though. The spring winds blow long and hard. Alpine regions are likely to have snow/ice into summer. Most interior valleys or alpine regions would see temps down to -5degC overnight.

I'd not worry about an umbrella, make sure you have a waterproof jacket and rainpants.

As Roger noted most of the best wild camping is above the bushline, where there are no trees, so consider a ground shelter too.

Let us know what your plans are and I can give some more specific advice.

Some threads with info about hiking in New Zealand
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=68369
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=77390&skip_to_post=660543#660543
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=91369&skip_to_post=778512#778512
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=66398&skip_to_post=567699#567699

A BPL article well worth reading
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/lightweight_guide_to_backpacking_in_sustained_rain.html

A trip report by a former BPL editor to NZ
http://adventurealan.com/NZ_2006/index.htm

[David Thomas]

And, as much as some US trails are hard to get permits for, the "Great Walks" like Milford Sound or in Abel Tasman not only need reservations, but we found the hut reservations went very quickly (within 10 minutes) of 8 am NZ time on the day they became available. It sounds like you're planning on doing more off-trail, or at least self-supported tramping rather than going from hut to hut, so maybe that's less of an issue, but I believe you still need reservations for the campgrounds along the more popular routes. The government websites are pretty helpful in explaining the options and the rules.

Edited to say: We'll be there in December-January, mostly backpacking with our kids.

[M G]

I traveled the South Island and in Tongariro NP in October 2012

Best places were the coastal track in Abel Tasman. Also Tongariro in the North Island was do-able.

Look for discounted merino short sleeve in NZ. Good stuff is made there and I found well priced merino atuff when looking for sales.

Def plan for snow at elevation in Oct. Coastal tracks are probably your best bet at that time. Def. wet. Def bring a tent or A game tarp skills. Hammock will be feasible along Coast. But treeline is much lower than Northern Hemisphere.

Huts and campgrounds were wide open and not hard to book in October. I would assume December will be much busier.

A Youth Hostel membership is a good value, I ended up camping less than planned due to pretty continuous precipitation.

[Matt Keenan]

Some killer info here guys, thank you so much, I think I will be rocking a bivy instead of a hammock. Barry thanks for take all the time to gather all those resources they I have been going through them the past couple of days great stuff. David thanks for the heads up on the great walks/hut reservations hopefully they won't be too crazy in October. Thats awesome that you get to go over there with your family I'm sure it will be a memory of a life time, especially for the kids. MG great stuff I had heard about the youth hostel membership but wasn't sure if it would be worth it or not, and that is good to know that I can get a good merino piece when Im over there, I figured I was going to the source so why not. As for my plans I really don't have any, I like to bike pack so maybe I'll rent or buy a used set up and do that for a while, down the cost I would imagine. I would like to do some trips into the backcountry but I am equally cool with just day hikes and hanging out in town should the weather be frightful. Overall I am just leaving it wide open and your guys info has better prepared me for being able to do so. So again Roger, David, Barry, David, MG, Thank you.
Happy Trails
Matt

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