Outside in Aotearoa
What's happening outdoors around New Zealand. Track updates, mountain news and good reasons to get out there.
Understand DOC hut passes, tickets and bookings, including the October 2026 booking expansion and online backcountry tickets from November.
Read more... : DOC hut passes, tickets and bookings: which do you need?Know what to bring for your first DOC hut night, how shared facilities work and the small habits that make the evening easier for everyone.
Read more... : Your first DOC hut night: what to bring and how it worksDOC reported a completed refurbishment of Whakapapa Holiday Park’s 32-bed lodge in July. Here’s what changed and what to check before a group stay.
Read more... : Whakapapa Holiday Park’s lodge has had a winter refreshDOC and the Backcountry Trust have announced a new agreement to work together. It does not decide the future of individual huts.
Read more... : The new backcountry hut partnership: what changes now?Oturere Hut and campsite now have an 18 December opening date in DOC’s announcement, while work continues on the full circuit.
Read more... : Tongariro summer plans: check the new Oturere dates
