hello, I'm new to tramping, so I will probably only try the "great walks", and I was wondering: How busy will these walks be in november and december? I read that you need to book a place in a hut for these walks at DOC, how long beforehand do I need to book? days, weeks, months? thanks for your advice!
Hi Marit, welcome. I guess you are going to be working your way down the country, maybe starting with the Tongariro Crossing? which is a day walk. The other walks do involve a booking system to contact the DOC office local to that particular area. If you are here now, there is no harm looking into bookings, particularly after Xmas is generally busy. Nov, Dec the weather can still be a little dodgy, but luck can certainly still go your way. Don't forget to try out some day walks, we have some lovely bush walks. Try the local tramping clubs, there should be someone eager to take you exploring.
Thanks, I will certainly also do day walks, but the overnight walks need some special attention! The thing is, I live in the Netherlands and I won't be in New Zealand before half November (for a 5-week vacation, I can't wait!), so to rephrase the question: do I need to plan and book from the Netherlands, or can I do that upon arrival in NZ? thanks!
YES. Go online to the DOC website, go into parks and reservations, and book from there. If you are planning to do a few of the walks you can purchase a great walks pass. Unfortunately the huts are more expensive on the great walks than on others, approx $25 a nite, which includes gas for cooking. Good luck
