Get an alert when a sold-out Great Walk hut has space

The popular Great Walk huts sell out on opening day, then quietly come back when people cancel. We watch DOC's booking system constantly, day and night, and email you when a spot opens at your hut, on your dates, for your group.

Get Hut Alerts How it works
  • One payment covers your whole trip. No subscription.
  • Every Great Walk hut and campsite, plus popular DOC huts.
Abel Tasman Coast Track
2 minutes ago 2 bunks just opened at Mintaro Hut for Friday 12 March Book now on bookings.doc.govt.nz
5,000+ people have used our alerts since 2021
84% of sold-out Great Walk hut nights had a spot come back, so your chances are good
Day and night we are constantly checking DOC for your hut and dates
As featured in

Get set up in three simple steps

It takes about two minutes. No account to create, and you pay once.

1

Tell us what you are after

Choose your walk, the huts or campsites you need, your dates and how many spots. Add as many huts as you like to one order.

2

We watch DOC for you

We check DOC's booking system against your alert constantly, day and night, right through until your last date has passed.

3

Book it with DOC

When a spot comes up you get an email with the hut, the date and a link to DOC's booking page. You book and pay DOC directly, as you normally would.

Get Hut Alerts

Which track are you chasing?

Compare all the Great Walks
Heaphy Track Lake Waikaremoana Track Paparoa Track Rakiura Track Whanganui Journey Any other DOC hut or campsite

From our booking data

Cancellations happen all season. They just don't last.

We tracked every Great Walk hut through the 2024/25 season. Most sold-out nights had a spot come back, right up to the day itself. On the popular tracks those spots were rebooked within hours, which is why checking by hand so rarely works.

Read the 2024/25 research
83% chance a spot comes back if your hut is sold out two months ahead
6 hours is all it took for 58% of re-released Milford spots to be rebooked
1 in 4 re-released spots came back in the final week before the night
70% of re-releases were for one or two bunks, so small groups do best

Trampers who got their bunk

  • "Thanks to this service I was able to book the Routeburn Track for my whole family. Trip of a lifetime."
    - Robyn
  • "I'd been trying to get a spot on the Milford Track for weeks. This service alerted me at 8 PM about a cancellation, and I finally booked it! Thank you!"
    - Alejandra
  • "Scored a bunk at Luxmore Hut on the Kepler Track during peak season. I never would never have been able to get a spot without this."
    - Chris
  • "A game changer for hiking in NZ. Highly recommend!"
    - Thomas
  • "The Abel Tasman coastal track is always packed, but I got my preferred dates thanks to the you. It saved me hours of refreshing the DOC website."
    - Ella
  • "Brilliant service. It's so hard to coordinate the Tongariro Circuit for a group, but the alerts made it possible to find enough space."
    - Izzi
  • "I was skeptical, but within a month of signing up, I had a confirmed booking for the Paparoa Track."
    - Tom

Plan the walk, not just the booking

All guides

Supporting Carbon Removal

We believe in protecting the wilderness we love. That’s why we contribute 1% of our revenue to carbon removal through Stripe Climate.

View our impact

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to what people ask most. Anything else, get in touch and we will come back to you.

How much does it cost?
$10.00 NZD, once. One order covers every hut and campsite you add for your trip, and your alerts run until your last date has passed. There is no subscription and nothing renews. 1% of what you pay goes to carbon removal.
Do you book the hut for me?
No. We tell you when a spot comes up and link you to DOC’s booking page. You book and pay DOC directly, exactly as you normally would.
How quickly will I hear about a spot?
We check DOC’s booking system every hour, day and night, and email you as soon as a check finds a spot on your dates. Popular huts are rebooked quickly, so it is worth turning on email notifications on your phone.
Which huts can I set an alert for?
Every hut and campsite on the Great Walks that DOC takes bookings for, plus a growing list of other popular DOC huts. Huts that can’t be booked online are first come, first served on the day, so there is nothing for us to check.
What if a spot never comes up?
It can happen on the busiest dates. Across the 2024/25 season, 84% of sold-out Great Walk hut nights had a spot come back at least once, so the odds are with you. A wider date range and a smaller group both improve them.
I looked on the DOC website and there is availability. Why have I not been alerted?
Check that it matches your alert, especially the number of spots. If you asked for four spots you won’t be alerted when one or two open up, and most spots come back in ones and twos. If it still looks wrong, contact us and we will get to the bottom of it.
I still haven't received an alert. Is it working?
When you sign up you get a receipt and a confirmation email listing your alerts. If you have those, you are in the system and will hear from us when a spot opens. Some dates take a while, especially on the popular tracks.
Can I change my alert once it is set up?
Yes, within 24 hours of setting it up. Contact us through the website and we will confirm when the change has been made.
How do I stop an alert?
Every alert email has an unsubscribe link beside each alert. Click it and confirm your email address. You can stop one alert or all of them. Once an alert is stopped it can’t be recovered.
I can't find the hut I want.
We cover every Great Walk hut and a selection of other DOC huts, added by demand. Huts that are closed for the season are taken off the list so nobody pays for an alert that can’t fire. If yours is missing, contact us and we will add it where we can.
I emailed you but haven't had a reply.
Please use the contact page. The address our alerts are sent from isn’t monitored.

Stop refreshing. Start packing.

Set up your alert in about two minutes and let us watch DOC for you.

Get Hut Alerts