How To: A Great Walks Booking Guide

Surprise, surprise, the Great Walks booking opening is the biggest event in our booking calendar, with thousands of people from all around the world logging in on each opening day to nab spaces for Great Walks huts and campsites, high demand lodges, sole occupancy and popular campsites. – How to book and what’s new?

To recap, all DOC facilities for the 2025/26 Great Walk season bookings open between 13 May and 4 June 2025. The booking system opens at 9:30 AM, each opening morning. You need to create an account and have a login ready, if you want to book for this season (make sure you do this ahead of time).

This year, we’ve introduced a new booking system (details below) and since announcing how this new booking system works, we’ve had loads of questions come through to us asking for more clarity and details.

❓Where do I book?
❓What is this booking lobby you mentioned?
❓How does this queueing process work?
❓If I login in early, do I get closer to the front of the queue?
❓Is this system fair?
❓Can the system cope with the demand this year?

👇 All these answers and more below. 👇

The booking system has been improved with a new industry-leading lobby system, modelled after the major concert-booking companies. it means that not only will this system and process be somewhat familiar, but it should also be able to handle large increases of traffic on opening days and run smoothly for all users.

What does this mean for me and how does it work?

Users jumping on the booking system on opening morning will be redirected to a waiting lobby (elevator music may or may not be a part of this experience) and when bookings open at 9:30am, users in the lobby will be transferred to a queue and released into the booking system in a controlled manner. At 9:30 all users already in the lobby will be randomly assigned a place in the queue, meaning there’s no advantage to arriving any earlier to the lobby and that the system is fair and randomised.

We highly recommend you log in around 9-9:15, sit back with your morning cuppa and wait until you’re processed through. Anyone logging in after 9:30am will be added to the back of the queue.

Even though this new system should be comfortable handling higher volumes of traffic and process bookings quicker, please be patient and mindful that even though it may feel a little ride or die to get your spot, it isn’t, and that you’re not the only one trying to book at the same time. Try going into this year’s bookings with flexible dates or have multiple date options agreed upon with your group before attempting to book.

Also, as reassurance, on booking opening days our team doesn’t pack up and go on vacay -job done, we’ll be keeping an eye on things and adjusting the queue flow as we go, with the aim being to make sure there’s no hiccups in the system and that things run quickly and as smoothly as possible.

Here’s another tip for you – summer holidays are most people’s first pick, so for the best chance of getting a spot at high demand places, consider whether your trip can happen outside those peak weeks – especially for the Milford Track (there’s a good chance of rain regardless of whether you go in January or April!)

Here’s what we recommend people should do to be fully prepared when bookings open for your experience of choice:

1. Create an account on the DOC booking system well in advance, if you don’t already have one.
2. Test out your login details before the opening day (one of the main reasons people miss out on opening days is forgetting their password!).
3. Read up on the DOC website for the place you’re trying to book – some have rules and restrictions that are important to know before you book, and it’s good to double-check the opening dates.
4. Familiarise yourself with the booking system – search for availability, even test out making a booking (just empty your cart at the end, rather than paying).
5. Finally – get online on the opening day at around 9:15 a.m., and we’ll see you in the lobby!

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Key Booking Opening Dates

Get ready for Great Walks bookings to open!

The Great Walks bookings opening dates are staggered between 13th – 28th May

for the 2025/2026 season.

Great Walks can book out quick so make sure to mark these key dates and times in your calendar!

Great Walk accommodation bookings

15th May, 9:30am – Heaphy Track

15th May, 9:30am – Kepler Track

15th May, 9:30am – Rakiura Track

22nd May, 9:30am – Whanganui Journey

22nd May, 9:30am – Routeburn Track

27th May, 9:30am – Lake Waikaremoana Track

27th May, 9:30am – Abel Tasman Coast Track

27th May, 9:30am – Paparoa Track

28th May, 9:30am – Milford Track

Bookings for the Hump Ridge Track are open. The Hump Ridge Track’s walking season is 25 October 2024 to 21 April 2025.

All other accommodation bookings

13th May, 9:30am – Backcountry huts

13th May, 9:30am – lodges,

13th May, 9:30am – sole occupancy facilities

20th May, 9:30am – Conservation campsites, except Tōtaranui, Momorangi, Anaura Bay campsites

21st May, 9:30am – Momorangi campsite

21st May, 9:30am – Anaura Bay campsite

4th June, 9:30am – Tōtaranui campsite

Read tips on how best to bag your Great Walks spot: https://bit.ly/3z1FTpX

Create your booking account now: https://bit.ly/3ETND5B

Read more here: https://bit.ly/3QndIws