Great Walks

The 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.

Great Walks visitor numbers for the 2022/23 summer jumped by almost a fifth compared to the previous season, driven by the return of internationals.

US 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.

Bookings for seven of the iconic experiences were supposed to open today and tomorrow but have been delayed until June.

The first day of bookings for the Department of Conservation’s Great Walks tracks has been so popular that demand crashed the website.

The 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.

The 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.

DOC also aims to elevate Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track to Great Walk status in October, making it the 11th such experience.

Summer bed night bookings around New Zealand’s Great Walks jumped 49% this season as the international visitor recovery takes hold.

Visitor numbers at high-volume destinations such as Great Walks during 2021/22 remains below pre-pandemic levels despite strong domestic demand, says DOC.

Operators, businesses and agents accounted for 1.4% of all Great Walks bookings for the 2022-23 season, says DOC.

The Department of Conservation has reopened a section of the Paparoa Track on the West Coast ahead of schedule.

Around 80% of the 7,480 Milford Track bookings for the 2022-23 season came from New Zealanders, says the Department of Conservation.

Milford 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.

The decline has hit DOC in the pocket with revenue from its flagship experiences suffering.

Get ready for the opening of bookings for Great Walks 2022-23.

The department has missed out on almost $1m from its Great Walks, compared to the mostly pre-Covid 2019-20 season.

The new Lewis Shelter on the Heaphy Track has opened to strong reviews.

The unique Whanganui Journey experience is topping demand growth this summer for the Department of Conservation’s Great Walks.

The 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.

The Department of Conservation has re-opened the Heaphy Track following a week of repair work from storm damage.

DOC says repair work underway but no estimate available for when the iconic track might be re-opened.

Weekend pricing has also been introduced for some high-use DOC huts.

GCH Aviation’s Coastwide Helicopters has launched a new heli biking experience after purchasing a set of helicopter bike racks from Canada.

Revenue was up 6% across all 10 Great Walks, compared to the same time last year despite the loss of international visitors.

Fiordland’s Milford Track has fully re-opened today after being damaged by a storm on 4-6 February.

The Department of Conservation has opened an additional 43 campsites and eight huts for online bookings ahead of the summer season.

Ultimate Hikes will open for the season on the 17 December and run through until 5 April 2021.

Walkers will be offered a replacement Routeburn Great Walk from 12 March as it remains partially closed following storm damage.

The 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.

A ‘difficult-to-fix’ slip will mean the middle section of the new Paparoa Track will be closed when it opens on 1 December.

More 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.

Milford Track is now full from mid-November to mid-February after bookings opened yesterday.

DOC raked in more money and saw more domestic but fewer international visitors on its Great Walks this season.

Walking tracks in Northland, the Marlborough Sounds and Southland are fighting it out to be named the Department of Conservation’s new Great Walk of New Zealand.

Milford Track had the highest demand on opening day of DOC’s new booking system.

The Department of Conservation has launched its new $3m online booking service for those wanting to tramp one of the country’s nine Great Walks.

A seven-strong shortlist has been announced as contenders to be added to NZ’s Great Walks network, with four in the North Island and three in the south.

A plan to double foreign tourist fees has met a mixed reception.

Foreign tourists will soon have to pay up to $140 per night to stay at some huts along the country’s Great Walks.

Foreign tourists will soon have to pay up to $140 per night to stay at some huts along the country’s Great Walks.

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A new Great Walk through the Paparoa National Park to be built as a memorial to the 29 men who died in the 2010 Pike Mine tragedy.