Aotearoa's Great Walks open for bookings from Tuesday, but securing a spot on one of the famed walks can be a tough job.
Bookings for the Milford Track and Lake Waikaremoana are the first to open at 9:30am on May 28, followed by the Abel Tasman, Rakiura Track and Whanganui Journey on Wednesday.
The Routeburn, Paparoa, Kepler, Heaphy and Tongariro Northern Circuit all open next week.
Bookings are for the July 2024–June 2025 period.
Jennifer Parkes, a seasoned hiker and travel writer, shared her tips on how to secure a spot on the tracks with AM.
She also writes about the importance of enjoying the Great Walks as a family, arguing that any debate about whether children should be allowed in the huts is backwards.
Parkes said the walks are a good opportunity for young people to see the environment that they are taught to look after. Hiking is also a chance to reset their mental health and to teach resilience, she added.
"I think we've all talked enough about screen time and how that's not good for kids, if we're now going to talk about shutting them out of backcountry huts, it's a bit of a contradiction isn't it?"
"We did a 17 kilometre hike with [our youngest child], she's five, and to be fair it was tough and it was a really long day but now we look back on it and I say 'do you remember that day, it was a really long day but did you do it?' And she said 'yeah', so we look back on those teaching points.
"It's really hard to teach resilience and it's easy to do it out there and when they know they can, even when it was tough, I think those are skills people need."
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is warning avid hikers to get in quick to avoid disappointment.
"Last year the Milford Track booked out on opening day, and by the end of July the number of people who'd booked a Great Walk had reached pre-pandemic numbers," DOC's Director of Heritage and Visitors Cat Wilson said.
Parkes stressed the importance of knowing exactly when you want to go – and having back-up dates.
"When I go on [the website], I know I want that slot at the end of January, but if things turn to the worst, maybe I go in the April school holidays... have your back-up dates handy so when you're going as fast as you can – you can move on to the next date."
Parkes said one of the pitfalls can be not knowing which way you want to walk the track.
A number of the Great Walks, like the Routeburn Track, can be walked in either direction.
"You need to know exactly which way you want to walk, that may make a difference with your travel plans or any forward plans you have after that," Parkes said.
"The same if you're doing a group booking, if you're trying to do it with family or friends, you don't want to muck up which direction you're going and them not actually being in the same huts at the same time."
She said the best walk for a first timer would be the Abel Tasman Coast Track.
"It's a good, accessible walk. You can do it over multiple days and there are a lot of campsites and huts. There's water taxi access, so you've got that back-up if you want to bail, or you can get your gear taken from place to place.
"It's a good option for people who think it sounds like a good push for their fitness, but maybe carrying a 15-20kg pack isn't for you."
DOC is also warning regular walkers there is a change in processes for the 2024-2025 season.
"This year we have combined the bookings systems for Great Walks, and other huts and campsites to make booking more straightforward for users. This means people will only need a single account to book the Great Walks and all other accommodation next season," Wilson said.
Users who don’t already have an account on DOC’s existing huts and campsites booking system will need to create a new log in and account at https://bookings.doc.govt.nz/Web/.
