"Flooding, snow, high winds, avalanche risk, slips and rock falls can all occur at anytimeoftheyear, " says Christine Officer, program manager at the DOC office in Te Anau (a two-hour bus ride from Queenstown), which manages the Milford Track.
"I do not want officers knocking on doors at anytimeoftheyear, but especially over Christmas and the New Year to tell families that a loved one has been killed on the roads, because someone has decided to drive after drinking, " he said.