Great Walks NZ Booking Guide: DOC Hut Bookings, Prices and Refunds for 2026/27

Bookings for DOC's Great Walks huts and campsites for the 2026/27 season are open for stays up to 30 June 2027, on a first-come, first-served basis with no waitlists. You book and pay in full through the Department of Conservation (DOC) booking system, and most tracks charge less for New Zealanders.

October booking and season check

On 1 October 2026, DOC's booking page still listed stays through 30 June 2027. This is a booking horizon, not proof of spare beds or an open track. No live availability was checked.

Milford and Routeburn still list their 2026/27 Great Walks season as 1 November to 30 April. October is outside that season; those dates do not guarantee access or suitable conditions. Routeburn's page gives conflicting outside-season booking instructions, so confirm October requirements with DOC before making plans.

This partial review covers the booking horizon and those two season dates. Prices, cancellation terms, eligibility, other tracks and future-season announcements were not fully rechecked; the wider factual check remains dated 24 September 2026.

The 11 Great Walks

Great Walk	Distance	Duration
Lake Waikaremoana Track	46 km	3–4 days
Tongariro Northern Circuit	43 km	3–4 days
Whanganui Journey (river trip)	87 or 145 km	3–5 days
Abel Tasman Coast Track	60 km	3–5 days
Heaphy Track	78.4 km	2–6 days
Paparoa Track	55 km	2–3 days
Routeburn Track	32 km	2–4 days
Kepler Track	60 km	3–4 days
Milford Track	53.5 km	4 days
Hump Ridge Track	60 km	3 days
Rakiura Track	32 km	3 days

All are booked through DOC except the Hump Ridge Track, which is booked through the Hump Ridge Trust up to two years in advance.

How DOC Great Walks booking works

• One account. Great Walks and other bookable DOC huts, campsites and lodges share one DOC booking system.
• Details for everyone. Each person's name, age, gender and country of citizenship or ordinary residence is required.
• Pay up front. Full payment by Mastercard or Visa when you book. Prices are in NZ dollars and include GST.
• No waitlists or speculative bookings. If a hut is full, keep checking for cancellations.

Great Walks season dates vary by track; on the Milford and Routeburn tracks the 2026/27 season runs from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027. On the Milford, a four-day, three-night walk, you must stay in each hut on the night you're booked. DOC says Milford and Paparoa are the only Great Walks without campsites.

2026/27 opening dates and the virtual queue

Great Walk bookings for stays from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 opened at 9:30 am on these dates:

Opening date (2026)	Great Walk
Tuesday 12 May	Paparoa Track
Wednesday 13 May	Milford Track
Thursday 14 May	Abel Tasman Coast Track
Friday 15 May	Routeburn Track
Tuesday 19 May	Kepler Track
Wednesday 20 May	Heaphy Track, Whanganui Journey, Lake Waikaremoana Track
Thursday 21 May	Tongariro Northern Circuit, Rakiura Track

How the queue works. On opening mornings you wait in a lobby. At 9:30 am on opening day, everyone already in the booking lobby is randomly assigned a place in the queue, so there's no advantage in joining the lobby earlier. Anyone arriving after 9:30 am goes to the back. DOC suggests creating and testing your account well ahead, logging in around 9–9:15 am, and agreeing flexible dates with your group.

What to expect for 2027/28

The earlier 13 September 2026 review found no 2027/28 opening dates on the DOC pages checked. The 1 October partial review reconfirmed only the booking horizon through 30 June 2027, not the absence of a newer announcement elsewhere. Check DOC for the latest announcement; no 2027/28 opening date is verified here. DOC treats a booking season as 1 July to 30 June, and bookings can't be moved from one season to the next.

• For 2025/26, DOC announced dates on 18 February 2025 and Great Walks opened between 15 and 28 May 2025.
• For 2026/27, DOC announced dates on 26 March 2026 and Great Walks opened between 12 and 21 May 2026.

Dates and the order of openings changed between those years, so check DOC's website from February, as DOC suggests.

NZ vs international prices

DOC's summer hut fees (listed as October–April) at the time of checking, per person per night, including GST:

Great Walk hut	NZ adult	NZ child (5–17)	International adult	International child (0–17)
Milford Track	$106	$53	$152	$76
Routeburn Track	$88	$44	$132	$66
Kepler Track	$88	$44	$132	$66
Paparoa Track (varies by hut)	$50–$78	$25–$39	$76–$117	$38–$59
Abel Tasman Coast Track	$55	$28	$84	$42
Heaphy, Rakiura, Tongariro Northern Circuit	$44	$22	$66	$33
Lake Waikaremoana, Whanganui Journey	$35	$18	$35	$18

Winter and shoulder-season hut fees are the same or lower, and campsites cost less than huts. See DOC's Great Walks pricing page for every rate.

Who gets the New Zealand rate? Most Great Walks charge international visitors more than New Zealand citizens and people ordinarily resident in New Zealand, who may be asked to prove they're eligible for the lower rate. DOC says ordinarily resident means you've lived in New Zealand for at least six of the 12 months before your walk, hold a residence class, student or work visa, and have New Zealand as your primary place of residence. Carry proof such as a copy of your passport, birth certificate or NZ driver's licence. If you can't show you're eligible, you'll pay the difference plus a $50 administration fee per person.

Changes, cancellations and refunds

Cancellation fees for a Great Walk booking rise from 10% when you cancel 15 or more days before your first night to 100% on the day of arrival. DOC's full table for Great Walks:

When you cancel	Fee
Day of booking, or the day after (more than 2 days before arrival)	0%
48 hours after booking and 15 or more days before arrival	10%
14 to 4 days before arrival	50%
3 days to the day before arrival	75%
Day before, day of or after arrival	100%

DOC's published table includes the day before arrival in both the 75% and 100% columns. That is an ambiguity in the source, not two guaranteed refund options. Confirm your cancellation charge directly with DOC before acting, especially close to departure.

Also worth knowing:

• No-shows and early departures get no refund, and dates can only be changed within the same booking season.
• If DOC closes a facility (for example for storms, flooding, fire or an orange or red MetService warning the day before), you can ask within 7 days for a refund of unused nights or a date transfer. DOC doesn't refund automatically, and standard fees apply if bad weather hits but the facility stays open.
• Medical cancellations need a medical certificate, cover the named person plus one support person, and must be requested no later than 7 days after the first booked night.
• DOC recommends travel insurance.

To change or cancel, log in to the booking system, choose Great Walks bookings, then Modify or Cancel. For weather or medical cancellations, or if your card has changed, email booking@doc.govt.nz first.

Before you book

• Create and test your DOC booking account.
• Pick several date options, and a backup such as the Heaphy, Lake Waikaremoana or Whanganui Journey, which DOC says often have space.
• Have every group member's details ready.
• Check whether you qualify for the New Zealand rate, and pack proof.
• Read the track page for season dates, transport and hazards.

For hut-to-hut days, read hut etiquette and prepare an overnight-hike packing list. Doing a day walk instead? Compare the Tongariro Alpine Crossing with the conditions and experience needed, or see all walks.