Weather hinders search for tramper lost in Tararua Ranges

The search for the man missing in the Tararua Ranges will continue in limited capacity, due to poor weather conditions.

A 49-year-old British immigrant entered the ranges last Tuesday, and the last contact with him was a text to his partner on Thursday.

Police have formally named the man as Darren Myers from Karori. 

Weather in the ranges is predicted to deteriorate throughout Wednesday.

"It could turn to severe gales this afternoon," said Metservice meteorologist Lisa Murray.

"It's not only cold, but wind chill can turn that quite nasty as that southerly comes through. And the higher you go, the colder it gets," she told Newshub.

"It's not an ideal situation to be in with all that low cloud. If you're up in that cloud it can be quite disorientating."

Police say the conditions will continue to be assessed throughout the day, and any opportunity to increase the search will be considered.

Newshub.