Winter Camping Off-Season Perks

Peace and Quiet

It is hard to argue that the warmer months around summer offer the best periods for camping adventures in New Zealand. Anyone who has experienced an adventure with strings of blue sky days and warm temperatures will no doubt agree it is an awesome experience! The only real downside is that everyone else wants a slice of this too, so the volume of traffic on the roads is higher, and the campsites are often packed.

In the cooler off-season months however, you'll get a break from the hustle and bustle of the peak season. The roads are much quieter, and the campsites are often pleasantly deserted. In the depth of winter, it is quite common to have an entire campsite all to yourself. If solitude is your modus operandi, or if you simply want to squeeze everything you possibly can out of our awesome backyard year-round, then camping adventures during the cooler months might just be ideal for you.

Settled Weather

While winter in New Zealand regularly delivers periods of harsh weather that aren't appealing to head out into, winter offers multiple pockets of settled weather that are absolutely perfect for winter camping adventures. Storm events aside, New Zealand winters have a high number of calm and sunny days, providing perfect opportunities for exploring and camping in new locations.

If you enjoy photography (or simply appreciate epic vistas) you'll capture amazing winter scenes of snow-capped mountains that you just don't get to see in the warmer months. Camping up a High Country valley with the surrounding snow-capped mountains being lit up by a starry sky, is a very, very special experience. 

Lower River Levels

As summer progress and the brunt of the snow-melt along the Main Divide has slowed right down, the levels of mountain fed rivers noticeably drop. This is the perfect opportunity to explore the High Country valleys that can often be inaccessible in spring and early summer when snow-melt is in full swing, and river levels are running high.

As winter kicks in and starts the process of locking up moisture into ice and snow again, the river levels will further drop. This continues to provide access to places such as High Country valleys, albeit with much cooler air temperatures. 

As winter progresses, the snowline will continue to lower, bringing snow further down to the floor of the High Country valleys. However the majority of winter will still see snow-free access on the main tracks up most valleys, providing relatively low river levels, and delivering outstanding snowy vistas. While most of New Zealand's iconic high-altitude tracks close up in winter due to snow, exploring the High Country is still viable by using the low-lying tracks that head up the valley floors.  

It is worth noting that the temperature of the rivers is much cooler in winter, especially deep into the High Country valleys where the rivers are closer to the feed of glacial flows and glacial lakes. However, this just means planning accordingly, and having the right gear. 

Cozy Campfires

In the chill of winter, there's something pretty special about pulling up a camp chair around a crackling campfire. The cool temperatures make a hot camp meal or hot cuppa all the more satisfying! Campfires are hands-down one of my favourite things about camping adventures, and they are all the better in winter. 

To top it off, a warm campfire on a crisp and frosty morning is a brilliant way to start the day, especially if you didn't draw the short straw for fire starting duties! It's a great feeling waking to the sound of a riding buddy snapping kindling, knowing that in just a few minutes you can crawl from your cozy sleeping bag, and take position around the warmth of a campfire! 

Empty Huts 

With winter seeing far fewer people out exploring remote locations, huts are regularly empty. This makes them awesome options for winter trips, with many huts boasting fires to keep you warm, and the option for a campfire. 

Quick Tips for Winter Camping in New Zealand

Keeping Warm and Dry - Daytime 
Being cold, wet and uncomfortable makes any trip miserable. Being warm, dry, and comfortable paves the way for good times!

The latter can only be achieved if you have the right gear. While warm summer months are pretty forgiving and you can be warm and comfortable in pretty much any gear, winter serves up far more challenges that requires you to have a primary set of warm gear, plus a full backup set of warm gear in case you get wet. 

An upcoming article in this series will specifically go over different gear setups for keeping warm and dry on winter trips. However, in short, it is really important that you have waterproof gear and sufficient base layers to ensure you stay warm, dry, safe, and have a good time.  

Keeping Warm and Dry - Nighttime 
If you don't have the right sleeping gear to keep yourself warm, it can make for a long, miserable, sleepless night. On the other hand, with the right sleeping gear you can have a warm, cozy sleep, and wake up refreshed for the next day's adventure!  

The most important part of the sleeping kit is a winter grade sleeping bag. Here is some handy info on choosing the right sleeping bag. 

The next part is a good sleeping mat, with insulated sleeping mats being the best option to prevent heat loss from the ground. Here is some handy info on choosing the right sleeping mat.

Sleeping with thermals is another way to bump up the heat, and ideal for those nights where the temperature really takes dive below zero. 

Watch the Weather Forecast Like a Hawk
With New Zealand's volatile weather, it is really important to carefully plan winter trips around good pockets of weather. This is certainly the case if you are heading into places such as the High Country that come with safety considerations, and temperatures that regularly drop below zero. While there are many good weather forecasting websites, I have found that YR Weather is one of the most accurate.  

It's inevitable that some winter trips may have to be cancelled due to bad weather, but keep on planning, and more trips will fall into place than will be cancelled.

Adventure Awaits, It's Just Got a Little Frost On It! 

It can be easy to be put off by the cold weather, but if you prepare yourself to keep warm and plan your trips around good weather pockets, there are EPIC winter adventure opportunities to be had. By embracing the chill and making trips happen, you can get out there and have awesome trips all year round. 

At Adventure Guide, we don't simply offer routes—we show you interesting locations, incredible vistas, off-the-beaten-track spots and hidden gems in the South Island. Find these places and more with AdventureTokens, or view the Adventure Guide map for routes, fuel stations and vehicle-accessible huts and campsites