NZ Great Walks 2026-27: Every opening date

DOC opens Great Walk hut and campsite bookings for the 2026-27 season across 10 days in May. Each walk has its own booking day.

The complete 2026-27 booking schedule

All bookings open at 9:30 AM NZT. These are for stays from 1 July 2026 through 30 June 2027.

Non-Great Walk DOC accommodation opens separately:

DOC confirmed this schedule in their March 2026 media release.

How the DOC booking system works

All Great Walk bookings go through DOC's online booking system. On each walk's opening day, DOC uses a virtual queue.

The lobby opens before 9:30 AM. DOC recommends joining around 9:15. Everyone in the lobby at 9:30 is assigned a random position — this is a raffle, not a race. Whether you join at 9:00 or 9:25, your odds are the same. After 9:30, latecomers go to the back.

Once the queue starts moving, don't refresh your browser. You'll lose your place.

Unconfirmed bookings start returning to the pool about 25 minutes after opening, as groups who reached the front but didn't complete payment time out. If your dates are gone on first look, keep watching. For the broader playbook — including the multi-browser tactic, what to do at the front of the queue, and how the same mechanics apply on Parks Canada and Parks Victoria — see our opening day booking queue tips.

What to prepare before booking day

• Register a DOC account now. Don't wait until May.
• Walk through the booking flow on DOC's site before opening day. Each walk's interface is slightly different.
• Pick 3-4 date ranges. If your first choice is gone, switch immediately.
• Have everyone's details ready. Full names, ages, nationalities, and a credit card.
• Try multiple devices. Each gets its own queue position.
• If you're booking more than one walk, plan your strategy. The Milford Track opens on May 13, the Routeburn on May 15. You can't do both in a single queue session.

Every Great Walk at a glance

Paparoa Track — Tuesday 12 May

New Zealand's newest Great Walk, opened in 2020. Named in memory of the 29 Pike River mine workers. First walk to open each season.

New Zealand's first shared walking and biking Great Walk. Runs from the Paparoa Ranges to the coast at Punakaiki. Hikers and bikers book separately.

DOC Paparoa Track page

Milford Track — Wednesday 13 May

The hardest Great Walk to book. Hut occupancy hit 95% last season. For a full booking guide, see our Milford Track 2026 post.

The Milford is the only Great Walk where huts must be booked consecutively. You pick your start date at Clinton Hut, and the system assigns Mintaro and Dumpling for the next two nights. No flexibility on hut order or direction. Transport to Glade Wharf and from Sandfly Point must be booked separately.

DOC Milford Track page

Abel Tasman Coast Track — Thursday 14 May

New Zealand's only coastal Great Walk, and one of two that need bookings year-round. Hut occupancy hit 95% last season.

The most flexible Great Walk. Water taxis let you start, finish, or skip sections at multiple bays. You can kayak sections instead of walking. Maximum stay is 2 nights per site in peak season (Oct-Apr), 5 nights in winter.

Totaranui Campsite — the large DOC campground at the northern end — has its own booking date: 22 May at 9:30 AM.

DOC Abel Tasman page

Routeburn Track — Friday 15 May

A 32 km alpine crossing between Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks. For a full booking guide, see our Routeburn Track post.

Unlike the Milford, you choose your own huts on the Routeburn. Most trampers book 2 nights: Falls and Lake Mackenzie. You can walk either direction.

DOC Routeburn Track page

Kepler Track — Tuesday 19 May

A 60 km loop that starts and ends near Te Anau. The only loop-format Great Walk in Fiordland. 91% occupancy last season.

Climbs above the bushline to Luxmore Saddle with views of Lake Te Anau and the surrounding ranges. Because it's a loop, there's no shuttle logistics.

DOC Kepler Track page

Heaphy Track — Wednesday 20 May

At 78.4 km, the longest Great Walk. Crosses Kahurangi National Park from Golden Bay to the Heaphy coast. Bookings grew last season after storm recovery finished.

Mountain bikers can ride the Heaphy from May through November. Walking and biking seasons don't overlap.

DOC Heaphy Track page

Whanganui Journey — Wednesday 20 May

The only Great Walk that isn't a walk. The Whanganui Journey is a 3-5 day canoe or kayak trip down the Whanganui River.

Most paddlers hire canoes, barrels, and safety gear from outfitters in Taumarunui. No guide required. Tieke Kainga is a living marae — the only Great Walk accommodation on a functioning Maori cultural site.

DOC Whanganui Journey page

Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk — Wednesday 20 May

A 46 km loop through Te Urewera, land with its own legal personhood since 2014 (not a national park). The most remote Great Walk. Bookings grew last season after storm recovery.

A water taxi is needed at one end of the route. The service operates October through April.

DOC Lake Waikaremoana page

Tongariro Northern Circuit — Thursday 21 May

A 46 km loop through active volcanic terrain around Mounts Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and Ruapehu. Includes the Tongariro Alpine Crossing as one segment.

Note: The Tongariro Northern Circuit was closed for the 2025-26 season while DOC replaced Oturere Hut. Its inclusion in the 2026-27 booking schedule confirms it's expected to reopen. Check DOC's site for confirmation closer to May.

DOC Tongariro Northern Circuit page

Rakiura Track — Thursday 21 May

New Zealand's southernmost Great Walk, on Stewart Island/Rakiura. Good chance of seeing wild kiwi.

Getting there: ferry from Bluff (~30 min) or flight from Invercargill (~20 min).

DOC Rakiura Track page

Mueller Hut is not a Great Walk, but it's one of DOC's most popular bookable huts. It opens with the general huts release on May 12, not with the Great Walks. See our Mueller Hut booking guide.

Which tracks sell out and which don't

Not every Great Walk sells out on opening day. Here's how fast each track books up:

Sells out in minutes: Milford Track. 95% occupancy last season. Popular dates gone almost instantly.

Sells out in hours to days: Routeburn Track, Abel Tasman Coast Track. Both hit 95% occupancy. Peak-season dates go fast, but shoulder season (March-April) lasts longer.

Sells out in days to weeks: Kepler Track. 91% occupancy. Popular dates go fast, but the 60 km / 3-4 day commitment narrows the audience.

Rarely sells out: Heaphy Track, Whanganui Journey, Lake Waikaremoana, Tongariro Northern Circuit, Rakiura Track, Paparoa Track. Lower demand relative to capacity. You'll likely get your preferred dates even booking a few days after opening. Heaphy and Waikaremoana grew last season, so this may shift.

If your top choice is the Milford or Routeburn, treat booking day like a competition. For the rest, you have more breathing room.

What to do if you miss out

"Sold out" on opening day is not the end. Cancellations happen throughout the season. DOC's refund policy makes the timing predictable.

Trampers can cancel on the same day or next day with no fee. After 48 hours, the fees escalate: 10% if cancelling 15+ days before arrival, 50% at 14-4 days, 75% within 3 days, and no refund on the day of arrival.

This creates two cancellation windows. The first is right after bookings open, when people who booked multiple date ranges release the extras. The second is around each penalty threshold, when trampers who held bookings "just in case" decide whether the fee is worth it.

DOC has no waitlist. Cancelled hut nights reappear on DOC's booking system for whoever happens to be checking. No notification.

Schnerp monitors the DOC booking system for Great Walk cancellations. Pick your track and dates, and we scan for openings. When a hut night opens up, you get an alert so you can book it before someone else does.

You can set up a Great Walk availability request in under a minute.

Quick reference

All fees are 2025-26 per person per night. Pricing for 2026-27 hasn't been announced. Check DOC's Great Walks pricing page for updates.

All bookings at DOC online bookings.