Tēnā koutou,
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing ‘Not recommended Today’ Bad Weather Advisory is now paused until the start of the Great Walk season in late October 2020. The 3-day matrix emails from MetService have paused and DOC’s weather advisory signage will not be deployed again until the system is restarted.
With winter approaching and conditions rapidly changing, we are transitioning our visitor information to ‘winter mode’ later this week. Going forward, visitors need to be prepared for winter conditions on the Crossing – soon the much of the track will be covered in snow and ice, and alpine skills and equipment will be essential. Now is the time to start encouraging alternative options to the TAC, or guided trips for those who are less experienced and not equipped.
Transporting visitors to the track, it is crucial that they are well prepared for changeable and cold conditions – the consequence of incidents at this time or year can be severe.
The three day advisory outlook on MetService.com (see image below) will continue to be provided until the end of this week when it will transition to a warning message about winter track conditions. Metservice