Photo: Michal Klajban, CC 4.0
62 huts and campsites now require booking online, including popular stops along Te Araroa and the St. James Walkway.
The changes mean all DOC serviced huts are now bookable, and Serviced Hut Tickets are being retired. People who already have physical Serviced Hut Tickets can contact DOC to have them applied to a booking until the ticket expires.
From 1 November, physical Backcountry Hut Tickets for non-bookable huts will need to be purchased online and printed off before heading into the backcountry. Physical Backcountry Hut Tickets will continue to be accepted until November 1, 2027, while paper tickets are phased out.
Also in this week’s outdoor news: Walter Peak fire near Queenstown continues to burn, is ultralight tramping really taking over, Tongariro recovery effort continues after massive fires and more!
Missed yesterday’s feature? For a day in the hills, you need a small and comfortable pack that can carry your essentials. With our 2026 daypack guide, you’ll get buying tips to make sure you pick the perfect pack for you, along with 15 of 2026’s top options.
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Top reads
Take a look at this week's most read articles at wildernessmag.co.nz.
Featured Book
Erebus: The Ice Dragon
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November 2026 #microchallenges
Lois completed the Dusky Track with an 18kg pack, aged 63.
In each issue, three new Walk1200km #microchallenges are set to add interest and silliness to your kilometres. Our favourite six #microchallenge completers receive a special badge, and the best entry for each challenge receives a prize from our partners. Here’s how to enter.
#microchallenge25: Pose like a mountaineer
Partner prize: A pair of AKU Rapida Air shoes worth $279.99
#microchallenge26: Eyes up
Partner prize: A $100 voucher to spend at Further Faster
#microchallenge27: Go tracking
Partner prize: A pair of Bridgedale Midweight Merino Performance Fit socks
Current Issue - Nov 2026
Discover this stunning 47km stretch of TA, 10 films to avoid before your next trip, a rugged, three-day tramp into the remote Tara Tama Range, the nightmare of being lost, the pros and cons of a smartwatch and dozens more stories in our latest issue.
Hut of the week 🏡
Photo: Pat Barrett
Mid Caples Hut, Greenstone-Caples Conservation Area
This 24-bunk hut just 2-3 hours walk from the car park offers stunning views up the Caples Valley to the Ailsa Range from both inside the hut and the generous front deck.
The hut opened in February 2014 replacing a 12-bunk hut on the same site. It’s well insulated with a warm woodstove. There is ample tent camping near the hut, but it must be booked in advance.
Have a hut you want to see featured? Send an email to [email protected] with the hut and why you’d like to see it featured.
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