19th March 2024 DOC / Great WalksFrom 1 July 2024, Great Walk hut and campsite prices will increase by 18%, except for the West Coast’s Paparoa Track, which will increase by 6%.
8th December 2023 Great Walks / Tracks & TrailsThe New Zealand Mountain Safety Council, Department of Conservation and Ngāti Waewae have launched a video educating trampers and mountain bikers about safety on the Paparoa Track.
23rd November 2023 DOC / Great WalksBednights total 157,900 for this season, down just 1% on 2022/23.
19th October 2023 Great WalksThe Heaphy Track Great Walk has fully reopened and hut bookings now able to be filled from today.
29th September 2023 Great Walks / Tracks & TrailsThe upgrade has been slowed by supply chain issues, weather conditions, and arduous terrain.
28th August 2023 DOC / Great WalksBed nights on the country’s newest Great Walk have far exceeded expectations, according to the Department of Conservation.
28th July 2023 DOC / Great WalksOpening day bookings for the Heaphy Track topped 7,500 bednights – almost three times the total for last year, says the Department of Conservation.
27th July 2023 DOC / Great WalksInternational visitor interest in the Routeburn Track have soared, with bookings for the popular Great Walk up to 34% from just 18% last year.
26th July 2023 DOC / Great WalksBookings for the Routeburn Track were the busiest so far of the Great Walks, says the Department of Conservation.
24th July 2023 DOC / Great WalksInternational visitors made up 35% of bed nights on Fiordland’s Kepler Track after the first day of bookings for the Great Walk, up from 20% last year.
21st July 2023 DOC / Great WalksBookings for the Kepler Track Great Walk have jumped on last year.
20th July 2023 DOC / Great WalksBookings for the Whanganui Journey are expected to increase compared to last year, says the Department of Conservation.
19th July 2023 DOC / Great WalksBookings for the Abel Tasman Coast Track opened to strong demand.
17th July 2023 DOC / Great WalksGreat Walks bookings for the Paparoa Track numbered more than 1,000 in the first half hour of opening on Thursday, according to the Department of Conservation.
13th July 2023 DOC / Great WalksAlmost a quarter of bednights on the Tongariro Circuit Great Walk were booked by international visitors, according to interim figures from the Department of Conservation.
12th July 2023 DOC / Great WalksDemand for the Tongariro Northern Circuit Great Walk has jumped compared to last year after Great Walks bookings finally reopened.
11th July 2023 DOC / Great WalksGreat Walks bookings reopened at 9.30am today after being delayed from April due to a faulty booking system.
15th June 2023 DOC / Great WalksThe Department of Conservation will reopen bookings for the Great Walks 2023/24 season from 11 July.
1st June 2023 DOC / Great WalksThe Department of Conservation will take more time to ensure its Great Walks booking system will work as intended before it reopens to the public, probably in July.
29th May 2023 DOC / Great WalksGreat Walks visitor numbers for the 2022/23 summer jumped by almost a fifth compared to the previous season, driven by the return of internationals.
28th April 2023 DOC / Great WalksUS provider Tyler Technologies supplies DOC with the IT services and said it had identified a fault, prompting Great Walks bookings to be pulled this week and delayed until June.
26th April 2023 DOC / Great WalksBookings for seven of the iconic experiences were supposed to open today and tomorrow but have been delayed until June.
20th April 2023 DOC / Great WalksThe first day of bookings for the Department of Conservation’s Great Walks tracks has been so popular that demand crashed the website.
18th April 2023 DOC / Great WalksThe Department of Conservation is preparing to open tenders for the construction of a new building to replace the 26-bunk Oturere hut east of Mt Ngauruhoe.
14th April 2023 DOC / Great WalksThe Department of Conservation is increasing hut fees and introducing differential pricing for internationals at its Paparoa Track Great Walk, citing the popularity of the experience.
11th April 2023 DOC / Great WalksDOC also aims to elevate Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track to Great Walk status in October, making it the 11th such experience.
16th January 2023 DOC / Great WalksSummer bed night bookings around New Zealand’s Great Walks jumped 49% this season as the international visitor recovery takes hold.
12th October 2022 DOC / Great WalksVisitor numbers at high-volume destinations such as Great Walks during 2021/22 remains below pre-pandemic levels despite strong domestic demand, says DOC.
13th May 2022 DOC / Great WalksOperators, businesses and agents accounted for 1.4% of all Great Walks bookings for the 2022-23 season, says DOC.
13th May 2022 DOC / Great WalksThe Department of Conservation has reopened a section of the Paparoa Track on the West Coast ahead of schedule.
5th May 2022 DOC / Great WalksAround 80% of the 7,480 Milford Track bookings for the 2022-23 season came from New Zealanders, says the Department of Conservation.
3rd May 2022 DOC / Great WalksMilford Track booked out in a quarter of an hour this morning after the Department of Conservation opened reservations for its 2022-23 Great Walks season.
28th April 2022 DOC / Great WalksThe decline has hit DOC in the pocket with revenue from its flagship experiences suffering.
26th April 2022 Great Walks / Tracks & TrailsGet ready for the opening of bookings for Great Walks 2022-23.
8th March 2022 Covid-19 / Great WalksThe department has missed out on almost $1m from its Great Walks, compared to the mostly pre-Covid 2019-20 season.
3rd November 2021 DOC / Great WalksThe new Lewis Shelter on the Heaphy Track has opened to strong reviews.
10th September 2021 DOC / Great WalksThe unique Whanganui Journey experience is topping demand growth this summer for the Department of Conservation’s Great Walks.
11th August 2021 DOC / Great WalksThe Department of Conservation is investigating six guided walking companies to ensure they have not made speculative pre-bookings or are occupying more than 50% of Great Walks hut space.
30th July 2021 DOC / Great WalksThe Department of Conservation has re-opened the Heaphy Track following a week of repair work from storm damage.
22nd July 2021 DOC / Great WalksDOC says repair work underway but no estimate available for when the iconic track might be re-opened.
11th May 2021 DOC / Great WalksWeekend pricing has also been introduced for some high-use DOC huts.
11th January 2021 Great Walks / HelitouringGCH Aviation’s Coastwide Helicopters has launched a new heli biking experience after purchasing a set of helicopter bike racks from Canada.
9th December 2020 Great WalksRevenue was up 6% across all 10 Great Walks, compared to the same time last year despite the loss of international visitors.
30th November 2020 Great WalksFiordland’s Milford Track has fully re-opened today after being damaged by a storm on 4-6 February.
27th October 2020 Camping / Great WalksThe Department of Conservation has opened an additional 43 campsites and eight huts for online bookings ahead of the summer season.
5th June 2020 Great Walks / Tracks & TrailsUltimate Hikes will open for the season on the 17 December and run through until 5 April 2021.
5th March 2020 Great Walks / Tracks & TrailsWalkers will be offered a replacement Routeburn Great Walk from 12 March as it remains partially closed following storm damage.
2nd March 2020 DOC / Great WalksThe Paparoa Track has fully opened after a slip and prolonged adverse weather left the middle section of the track closed since its official launch on 1 December last year.
20th November 2019 DOC / Great WalksA ‘difficult-to-fix’ slip will mean the middle section of the new Paparoa Track will be closed when it opens on 1 December.
2nd October 2019 Great Walks / Tracks & TrailsMore than 128,500 hut and campsite bed nights have been booked on the country’s 10 Great Walks during the peak season, according to the Department of Conservation.
