Bookings for New Zealand’s Great Walks Open Tomorrow! Here’s How to Snag Your Spot

 

It’s time to start planning your next hiking trip, because New Zealand’s Department of Conservation is encouraging people to book early for the country’s famous Great Walks.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) of New Zealand has upgraded its booking system in time for the opening of the country’s famous Great Walks bookings. The new booking system features a lobby system (similar to concert tickets) to provide customers a better experience and help DOC manage the high demand.

The open dates for bookings are staggered, with bookings for ten of the Great Walks opening between the 15th and 28th of May. These openings are for Explorers looking to start their walk between the 1st of July 2025 and the 30th of June 2026. Bookings open at 9:30am NZST on each day.

Specific trail booking opening dates are: 

• 15th May: Heaphy Track, Kepler Track, Rakiura Track
• 22nd May: Whanganui Journey, Routeburn Track
• 27th May: Lake Waikaremoana Track, Abel Tasman Coast Track, Paparoa Track
• 28th May: Milford Track

Bookings for the Tongariro Northern Circuit are currently on hold while the Department of Conservation assesses plans to replace Oturere Hut on the trail.

For Explorers wanting to book huts, campsites, and lodges separate from the Great Walks, booking openings are staggered between the 13th of May and the 4th of June, giving those wanting to make multiple bookings a better chance of securing their preferred slot.

Milford Track, South Island, New Zealand | Bree Townsend

Tips for Booking the Great Walks

Department of Conservation Heritage and Visitor Director, Catherine Wilson, gave a few key tips for approaching the booking of the Great Walks.

‘While the most popular Great Walks, such as Milford and Routeburn, book out very fast on the day, there are often cancellations, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the booking website.’

‘Other experiences, such as Abel Tasman and Heaphy have more capacity and don’t generally book out on opening day’, she said.

Wilson also noted that DOC expects high demand, as always, in 2025.

‘We continue to ask users to be patient when booking. New Zealand’s Great Walks face massive demand with close to 100,000 people booking a Great Walk annually, 35% of whom are international visitors’, she said.

Return visitors should also be prepared for some small price increases at some facilities next season, as part of regular price reviews. These price increases range between 5-15% for the Milford, Routeburn, Kepler, Abel Tasman Coast Track, and Paparoa Great Walks and several high-demand huts and cottages. Some of DOC’s standard and serviced campsites have also increased by $3-$5 per person per night.

Ready to book? Find information on DOC’s pricing changes and make your Great Walks booking from the 15th of May on the DOC website.

To book the Hump Ridge Track, New Zealand’s newest Great Walk, visit the Hump Ridge Trust website.

Feature photo by @pippa.heidi