Milford walk sells out in 30 minutes
McKinnon Pass on the Milford Track. PHOTOS: ODT FILES
It takes up to four days to walk it, but 30 minutes is all it took yesterday for all Milford Track tickets for this season to sell out.
High demand was expected for a chance to traverse the track and it was.
Department of Conservation (Doc) visitor services manager Cameron Hyland was pleased with the interest.
'The opening of the Milford Great Walk has been a success, continuing the run of successful openings of all Great Walks bookings beginning May 13,'' he said.
He said the booking system for the Milford Track worked well yesterday morning with 11,800 people queuing in the lobby at 9.30am to make bookings for just 7100 spots.
''The Milford Track effectively sold out around 10am - with 2000 bookings made - an average booking is for two to three people.
''Inevitably some people miss out given the high demand and limited supply for Milford Great Walk.
''We recommend checking back regularly - cancellations mean new spaces sometimes become available.''
Bookings also went smoothly yesterday with Lake Waikaremoana, Abel Tasman Coast and Paparoa Tracks, with 3300 bookings made in the first hour of opening and about 6000 users joining the queue.
A new Great Walks booking system had reduced waiting time online to a few minutes, Doc said last week in a statement.
The booking system had been plagued with issues in recent years, with system crashes, false starts and booking dates pushed back following high demand and technical glitches.
- APL
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Tracking to keep sea lions and seals safe
Seal and sea lion populations are making a comeback around New Zealand, with many returning to their historic habitats. It's also seal silly season (May to September), meaning young fur seal pups are venturing off on their own for the very first time. They can show up on roads, be chilling in paddocks or even be seen wandering around Bunnings. As the season begins and populations grow, so do our encounters. The Department of Conservation (Doc) and the New Zealand Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi have launched a nationwide project to track seals appearing near roads and want the public's help. "We're asking people to report sightings of seals, fur seals or sea lions on or near roads," Doc's marine senior technical adviser Jody Weir says. "Your sightings - date, location, even a photo if it's safe - will help us map hotspots and understand the risks. It's a great example of how citizen science could make a real difference." The project aims to analyse the road-related risks for the marine mammals. Its findings will help with road planning and improvements and to find high-risk zones. "We're thrilled to see populations recovering, but that success comes with new challenges," Weir said. "We want to protect these taonga species while also keeping people safe. That means understanding where the key hot spots are and planning smarter." Kaikōura is a prime success story with key hot spots - where fur seals were getting onto State Highway 1 - found, resulting in infrastructure upgrades to help protect the animals and drivers. "These young fur seals are out exploring their wider world while their mums are busy at sea getting food to be able to nurse that rapidly growing pup and grow the developing foetus inside her," Weir said. "It's an important stage of development, but it also means they can end up in unusual - and sometimes risky - places. By reporting sightings, you're helping us look out for them during this vulnerable time." Top seal tips • Never touch, handle, or feed a seal, as they can be aggressive if they feel threatened. It is also a breach of the Marine Mammals Protection Act. • Maintain a distance of at least 20 metres from a seal if possible and avoid getting between it and the sea. • Give seals space if encountered on or near a beach. • Always keep dogs on a leash and away from seals. • Ensure small children are at a safe distance and under control when watching seals. • If you see a seal that's badly injured, being harassed or in danger, call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468). Sightings reported to seeaseal@ before June 22 will help shape the initial national road risk model.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Govt commits $15.2m to Milford Sound upgrades
Planes and cruise boats can keep coming to Milford Sound but the long-discussed plan to get visitors out of cars is still awaited. In an announcement yesterday by Conservation Minister Tama Potaka and Tourism Minister Louise Upston, the government also committed $15.2 million to infrastructure upgrades and "enhancing conservation" at the tourist hot spot. Tourism operators have complained bitterly for years about shabby facilities at Milford's Freshwater Basin and Deepwater Basin. Rosco's Milford Kayaks boss Rosco Gaudin responded to the announcement by saying "maybe a toilet seat" could now be afforded at Deepwater Basin's dilapidated toilet block. In a separate briefing yesterday to tourist operators, Mr Potaka indicated overdue decision-making about operators' expired and expiring permissions to run businesses out of Milford (known as consents) would be expedited by the Department of Conservation. The announcements were welcomed by the tourism operators' body Destination Milford Sound (DMS), which has long called for concession decision-making. DMS chairman Mark Quickfall, who owns helicopter companies and a cruise company, said the announcement about concessions provided greater certainty for operators, enabling them to "invest with confidence" and provide quality, safe and sustainable visitor experiences. It was a "crucial step that would allow overdue improvements at Milford Sound to be executed, providing reassurance and a sense of progress". Ministers told the tourism operators that more than half the investments - $8.2m - would come from the international visitor levy (IVL), which all international tourists pay on arrival in New Zealand. Most of the IVL-obtained funds - $6.4m - would be spent on investments to "enhance visitor experiences and strengthen cultural and biodiversity storytelling". The complaints about Milford infrastructure revolve around the visitor terminal at Freshwater Basin, where day-trippers arriving by car or tour bus access boat cruises of the Sound. The single-lane Milford road, with its variable weather conditions, many bends and brows, and often travelled by international visitors with limited experience of New Zealand roads, is also a focus for concern. It is notorious for its deaths and serious injuries. The operators were told in the briefing the remaining $1.8m would be spent on "infrastructure planning, revenue and access strategies and traffic and safety improvements" but little detail was provided. The operators were also told a further $7m would be invested by Doc, which would include expenditure on a preplanned upgrade of a boat ramp at Deepwater Basin frequently used by boaties. There would also be improvements to Cleddau River flood protection and facilities at the Divide and Lake Marian carparks, and the Little Tahiti landfill would be cleaned up. Doc receives $4 from a levy charged to every day-trip cruise boat passenger. However, the bulk of the levy income goes to Milford Sound Tourism, the private company that operates the ferry terminal and is responsible for its upkeep. Responding to questions from the ODT late yesterday, Mr Potaka's office said the concession-granting backlog was being worked through "at pace" and the IVL funding would include an upgrade of the Deepwater Basin toilet block within 18 months. Improvements to the road would include signage and infrastructure. The government would work with stakeholders to identify the best "levers" to get people out of private vehicles. Options included raising parking fees and reducing parking space at Milford and "combining bus-boat-bus tour packages". The government is also trying to reform conservation legislation to allow "special amenities areas" to enable businesses to develop infrastructure in demarcated parts of national parks. Environment Southland chairman Nicol Horrell welcomed the announcements, saying they provided "a strong foundation" for planning.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Tongariro Northern Circuit off the table for most this season
Oturere Hut is more than 50 years old. Photo: RNZ / John Edens One of the country's Great Walks will not be opening as usual this season, but walkers on the Tongariro Northern Circuit can look forward to a brand new hut in years to come. Libby O'Brien, the Department of Conservation's (DOC) operations manager for Tongariro, in the central North Island, said the department was working with local hapū Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro on a replacement for Oturere Hut. At more than 50 years old, it had sprung a few leaks. "It just doesn't give a good visitor experience," O'Brien said. "It doesn't meet the standards that we want to deliver with the Great Walk. It's time for it to be replaced with something a little bit more fit for purpose." That meant the Great Walk experience was off the table for now. People would still be able to book the other huts on the circuit individually, with those bookings expected to open in July. But the walk between the two huts on either side - Mangatepopo and Waihohonu - without stopping at Oturere was 20 kilometres, and would take between 8 and 10 hours. That was twice the distance visitors would normally walk on those second and third days, and the route passed through steep, rough alpine terrain with fast-changing, extreme weather. While the tracks were open, DOC did not recommend people hike between Mangatepopo and Waihohonu unless they were very fit and experienced backcountry trampers, carrying the right gear to be self-sufficient. The new hut was in the final planning stages, with construction due to begin in the summer, when there would be longer daylight hours and less harsh alpine conditions for the construction team. "We can sometimes expect snow right up until the end of every year," O'Brien explained. They would be flying building materials in by helicopter, but to keep costs low, the team would stay on-site in the old hut. It would be "slightly different from the normal rectangle hut that people know and love," O'Brien said, and would mean an improved experience for walkers for years to come.
