Get ready for Great Walks bookings to open

The Department of Conservation has announced bookings for New Zealand’s Great Walks will open from May 28 to June 6 for the next season.

“Last year, Milford Track booked out on opening day, and by the end of July the number of people who’d booked a Great Walk had reached pre-pandemic numbers,” says director of heritage and visitors Cat Wilson.

“This year we have combined the bookings systems for Great Walks, and other huts and campsites to make booking more straightforward for users. This means people will only need a single account to book the Great Walks and all other accommodation next season.

“Users who don’t already have an account on DOC’s existing huts and campsites booking system will need to create a new log in and account here.”

New Zealand’s Great Walks offer diverse experiences across spectacular landscapes, on well-formed tracks. They are hugely popular, and spaces have been limited to provide a great experience and protect biodiversity. This round of bookings applies to the July 2024-June 2025 period.

“Great Walks are a big driver for international visitors,” says Cat. “In a pre-pandemic survey one in 10 visitors to New Zealand said they did a Great Walk on their holiday.

“However, even with international visitors returning over the past year, the Great Walks continue to attract high levels of New Zealanders, who accounted for 70 per cent of bed-nights booked last year.

“2023/24 statistics show total Great Walk bed-nights were up 7.7 per cent on the previous year with 128,115 bed-nights compared to 118,921 in the previous year.

“The numbers were also up 7.1 per cent compared to the pre-COVID summer of 2019/20 of 119,581 bed-nights.

“Abel Tasman Coast Track bed-nights were up 11.2 per cent, Tongariro Northern Circuit was up 10 per cent and the Heaphy Track bounced back to 88 per cent of pre-COVID levels despite only reopening as a full walk in October 2023 following storm damage.

“This year, we recommend people have their online login sorted in advance to book their preferred walks on ‘bookings open’ day, so they’re all ready to go.”

Great Walks booking opening dates:

The Hump Ridge Track is an existing multi-day walk that can be booked in advance through the Hump Ridge Trust. The track will become a ‘Great Walk’ in October 2024, and will continue to be booked via the Trust’s booking system.