Two things, and people get both wrong
Almost everything is supplied. Boots, crampons, a waterproof jacket, overtrousers, a small pack and usually a helmet and poles all come with the ticket, which means the packing list is shorter than any other outdoor day you will book in New Zealand. There are exactly two things you have to bring, and they are the two people forget.
Quick answer
The short answer. Thick socks and a warm mid-layer. That is the list. Add sunglasses, which matter more than anything else on it, and leave the hiking boots at home — the operator’s boots are the ones that take a crampon and yours almost certainly do not.
The list
Six items. Two of them are non-negotiable and one is the thing people wish they had.
The single most important thing you bring. The supplied boots are stiff and heavy and they are not your boots. A good pair of walking socks is the difference between a comfortable morning and a blister. Put the spare in the pack.
A fleece or a light down layer to go under the supplied jacket. It is around freezing on the ice in every month of the year and there is usually a breeze coming down off it. The jacket is waterproof, not warm.
Overtrousers go on top, so what matters underneath is that it dries. Denim gets wet, stays wet and gets cold. Anything synthetic is fine; walking trousers are ideal.
Not optional, and take them even on a grey morning. Glare off wet ice at two thousand metres is severe enough to be painful within minutes, and a bright overcast is worse than sun for this.
Not usually supplied and genuinely useful. You will put your hands on ice at some point, either for balance or to look at something, and thin gloves make that pleasant instead of brief. A beanie stays on near a rotor; a brimmed hat does not.
Ice reflects, so you burn from below as well as above. The New Zealand sun is fierce and the underside of your nose is not somewhere you normally think about.
What to leave behind
Your own hiking boots. The operator issues boots specifically because they are stiff enough to hold a crampon. Ordinary walking boots flex, and a crampon on a flexing boot comes off. Buying boots for this trip is money wasted.
A large backpack. A small pack is supplied for a water bottle and a camera. Anything bigger stays in the yard — cabin space in a five-seat machine is minimal and you do not want it on your back on the ice anyway.
Jeans. They get wet, they stay wet and they are cold for two hours. Overtrousers help but they do not fix it.
A wide-brimmed hat. The rotors are running when you board and disembark, and a loose sun hat becomes everybody’s problem very quickly. A beanie or a cap that fits.
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Common questions
Thick socks, a warm mid-layer, long trousers that are not jeans, and sunglasses. Boots, crampons, a waterproof jacket, overtrousers and a small pack are all supplied by the operator.
No, and do not buy any. The operator issues boots stiff enough to take a crampon; ordinary walking boots flex and a crampon on a flexing boot comes off. Bring thick socks instead.
Around freezing at the landing site in every month of the year, usually with a light wind coming down off the ice. The supplied jacket is waterproof rather than warm, which is why the mid-layer matters.
Not usually. They are worth bringing — you will put your hands on ice at some point, and a beanie is more useful than gloves. A wide-brimmed hat is a bad idea near a running rotor.
Yes. A bright overcast over ice is worse for glare than direct sun, and you are at two thousand metres. This is the item people most often leave behind and most often regret.
You can, and you will be cold. Denim gets wet from the ice and stays wet for the whole trip. Anything synthetic under the supplied overtrousers is better.
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