The weather in NZ

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The weather in NZ

Postby Kainas » Tue 25 Nov, 2008 4:56 pm

We are doing the Routeburn, Hollyford and Kepler in December. I was hoping to hear from anyone who has been in the area around that time of year. Is it cold? Warm?

I don't want to arrive fresh from Queensland in my shorts to discover I am digging for my long pants as soon as we leave the plane.

Obviously I will check the weather reports...but I was also hoping to hear from an Australian (Queenslander even) who can give me a rough idea. I mean, you would think being in Queensland that I would be wearing shorts this time of year...but jeans and a jumper today! In fact I haven't yet transitioned from jeans to shorts this year...still too cold.
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Re: The weather in NZ

Postby Damien » Tue 25 Nov, 2008 6:24 pm

I did the Milford and Queen Charlotte in December/Jan this year.
Around the Routeburn track, be prepared for rain. They have an average of 8 metres of rainfall in Fiordland per year so statistically you will get wet.
Walking the Milford we had 1 nice day then 1 very wet day then 1 foggy day then 1 nice day. The day after we finished there was torrential rain and they ended up closing the roads just after we got back to Te Anau.

On average, it was nice weather 23-26 degrees.

Just remember to take at least 2 sets of clothes as they will get wet and you won't have time to get them dry again.

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Re: The weather in NZ

Postby Kainas » Tue 25 Nov, 2008 8:04 pm

Thanks for the advice.

Did you wear shorts or pants? And did you take gaiters?
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Re: The weather in NZ

Postby Damien » Tue 25 Nov, 2008 10:05 pm

Shorts, we didn't take gaiters, the paths were pretty worn.
If I was heading back this year i'd be taking my Macpac Mountain Versatile Pants (now known as the Nemesis pants).
They are warm, water resistant and very durable, for when the weather goes sour.
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Re: The weather in NZ

Postby tas-man » Thu 27 Nov, 2008 5:06 pm

Kainas wrote:We are doing the Routeburn, Hollyford and Kepler in December. I was hoping to hear from anyone who has been in the area around that time of year. Is it cold? Warm?
I don't want to arrive fresh from Queensland in my shorts to discover I am digging for my long pants as soon as we leave the plane.
Obviously I will check the weather reports...but I was also hoping to hear from an Australian (Queenslander even) who can give me a rough idea. I mean, you would think being in Queensland that I would be wearing shorts this time of year...but jeans and a jumper today! In fact I haven't yet transitioned from jeans to shorts this year...still too cold.

I walked the Holyford Track in December 1972 and being a Queenslander wore my shorts for the entire trip. Arrived at the start of the Hollyford Valley in fine weather to be told that there had been a record dry of three weeks of no rain, and rain predicted from that night! Spent the next three days walking in the rain in my black japara oilskin, with limited visibility of the mountain scenery (the waterfalls were great), having the hairs on my legs above the gaiters and below the shorts torn out by some feindish NZ native grass :twisted: that has seeds that hook onto animal/human hairs and only break off just before the hair pulls out by its roots :shock: All the huts had clothes drying rooms, as well as drying rails above the wood heaters - a further indication of the usual weather conditions. As a Queenslander in Southland NZ my other strong memory is of the preceeding warm sunny day in Queenstown, with locals and tourists sunning themselves on the beach of lake Te Anau, and me wondering why there was no one in the water. A VERY short wade in freshly melted ice water gave me the answer :mrgreen: :P

PS DON'T FORGET THE SANDFLY REPELLANT!
"The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot."
Werner Herzog
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Re: The weather in NZ

Postby Kainas » Thu 27 Nov, 2008 5:28 pm

tas-man wrote:Spent the next three days walking in the rain in my black japara oilskin, with limited visibility of the mountain scenery (the waterfalls were great), having the hairs on my legs above the gaiters and below the shorts torn out by some feindish NZ native grass :twisted: that has seeds that hook onto animal/human hairs and only break off just before the hair pulls out by its roots :shock:


Long pants it is then...and gaiters? (To take them or not?)



tas-man wrote:PS DON'T FORGET THE SANDFLY REPELLANT!

It is on my list, but I haven't gotten around to buying it yet.
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Re: The weather in NZ

Postby beanie kids » Fri 30 Oct, 2009 7:47 am

This is what we were wearing on the Routeburn Track on 3 January 2009. Never got above 10 degrees over 4 days, rained everyday and sleeted on the top. Please take all your thermals and fleeces and spares and be prepared - use a thick pack liner as well as a pack cover to prevent a wet sleeping bag. Then again, I've also done it in shorts and t-shirt - you never can tell....

But don't be put off - its absolutely fantastic :D - and the mattresses, free gas burners and flushing toilets are a luxury bonus!

Sleet on the Divide.JPG
Lovely day on the Routeburn Divide
Sleet on the Divide.JPG (79.38 KiB) Viewed 13387 times

It flushes!.JPG
It flushes!
It flushes!.JPG (40.28 KiB) Viewed 13387 times
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Re: The weather in NZ

Postby Lindsay » Thu 05 Nov, 2009 9:46 am

Finished the Milford two days ago. weather was excellent 3 out of 4 days, naturally the Mackinnon Pass crossing was cold and wet! :D My pack weighed 12 kg this time, however I would like to break the 10 kg barrier for a similar walk in future. The provision of matteresses and cooking facilities is a bonus, however the amount of regulation for an 'independent' walk is somewhat irksome.

But back to the weather. Arrival inTe Anau was cold 1-2C with freezing rain and sleet, plus a significant wind chill. Next day was muld and sunny 15 -18C. Departure day for the track was the same, as was the following day. The third day was cold,and windy with rain and fog on the pass 0-1C plus windchill, once down in the valley the tepmeratre rose significantly to around 12-15 C. Last day mild and sunny again. According to the rangers it was a rare ocurrence to get 3 concurrent days of such good weather on the track.

The scenery was fantastic and I would do it all again!
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Re: The weather in NZ

Postby iandsmith » Sun 25 Apr, 2010 8:58 am

I admire you guys, love reading about people who want to plunge into N.Z.'s weather. I always remember talking to a friend from New Zealand and she said that there's only two kinds of weather on the west coast, raining or about-to-rain. In my experience over there that was pretty accurate. Cheers.
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Re: The weather in NZ

Postby Lizzy » Sun 25 Apr, 2010 6:17 pm

"it rained, and it rained, and it rained,
the average fall was well maintained,
and after a drought of half an hour we had a most refreshing shower...."
something about "the tracks turning into bogs,
it started raining cats and dogs!"

just some poetry I remember reading while tramping in NZ....
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Re: The weather in NZ

Postby Lizzy » Sun 25 Apr, 2010 6:20 pm

another quick thought...
while tramping in NZ last Nov/Dec a NZ'er commented that you could pick a local - all they carried was a cup! Compare that to us Aussies who were frequently lugging a couple of litres of water even though their was a stream every few minutes!! lol
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Re: The weather in NZ

Postby sef » Sun 25 Apr, 2010 9:35 pm

No proper tramper wears pants. The official uniform is shorts and a long length jacket.

That said, the majority of people on the great walks are Israeli or German, and they are great fans of jeans. If you time it just right, there are good photo ops with them getting heli'd out with various symptoms of exposure. They are fairly photogenic sorts -- they will probably have put makeup on in the toilets that morning.

Those tracks are all well formed -- you definitely won't need gaiters on either the Routeburn or Kepler, and probably not on the Hollyford. I'd suggest taking long johns and putting them on under the shorts if needed.
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