DOC was alerted to the incident when a local kuia spotted the carcass on the beach near Mahia Boat Ramp on Friday,15 March this year.
The man claimed he did not know it was a great white shark, and brought it ashore, where the jaw and head were removed and taken.
Matt Tong, DOC’s Operations Manager Tairawhiti, says the DOC Compliance team investigated and, after several weeks, located the person responsible.
“As well as failing to report his capture of the animal, the man received the infringement for being in possession of the head and jaw of the shark without a relevant authority under the Wildlife Act.”
“We’re extremely grateful for the assistance of the kuia who informed us and assisted with the investigation. DOC staff are recovering the head and jaw, which will be gifted back to iwi.”
Great white sharks are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953, meaning it is illegal to hunt, kill, or otherwise harm them, or to possess or trade in any part of the animals. Any offence under this Act is liable for fines of up to $250,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment.
Matt says to avoid situations like this, people should carefully release any sharks accidentally caught when fishing.
“Should you inadvertently catch or kill a great white shark, notify DOC immediately. Useful information to provide with the specimen includes the location and depth the fish was taken in.”
“Accidentally catching something is not an infringement, but keeping, killing, or failing to report it is.”
Report details of sightings, captures or strandings to DOC
Background information
Hunting or killing absolutely or partially protected marine wildlife (in this case, a great white shark – Carcharodon carcharias) without authority is an offence contained in Section 63A(a) and Section 67(1)(fa) of the Wildlife Act 1953. It is punishable by a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years, or a maximum fine not exceeding $250,000, or both.
Failing to report the accidental or incidental death of absolutely or partially protected marine wildlife is an offence contained in Section 63B(2) and 67(1)(fb) of the Wildlife Act 1953 and is punishable by a maximum fine not exceeding $10,000.
Failure to report the accidental or incidental death of absolutely or partially protected marine wildlife is also an infringement offence under Section 70M of the Wildlife Act 1953 and is punishable by an infringement fee of $600.
Possession of absolutely or partially protected marine wildlife is an offence contained in Section 63A(b) and 67(1)(fa) of the Wildlife Act 1953 and is punishable by a maximum of 2 years imprisonment or a fine not exceeding $250,000 or both.
The sessions, hosted by the Department of Conservation, will be held on Saturday 25 May 2024.
Two community drop-in sessions will be held:
The Mercury Bay Community Boardroom, 10 Monk St, Whitianga, 9.30 am-12 pm.
The Hahei Community Hall, 52 Hahei Beach Road, Hahei, 2.00 pm-4.30 pm.
Attendees will be able to read information on the walking access reinstatement options being considered and talk to DOC staff about what those options entail.
People attending the drop-in sessions can also respond to a DOC survey on reinstatement options. Those who cannot attend the drop-in sessions can email cathedralcove@doc.govt.nz to provide feedback.
Feedback from the public will be included in decision-making processes.
The track to Cathedral Cove beach has been closed to the public since February 2023, when it was damaged by landslides caused by extreme weather events.
What the next 20 years of predator free islands hold.
In this two-part series, we’re celebrating 20 years of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest predator free project to-date. Looking to the future, we explore what the next 20 years of restoring New Zealand’s wild and precious islands may hold. Learn how artificial intelligence, the history of phones, and feral pigs all connect.
Written by Janel Hull.
20 years ago, DOC declared the seemingly impossible operation to make Campbell Island predator free a resounding success.
The techniques that DOC staff on Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku pioneered helped propel the world into exponentially scaling up eradications of bigger and bigger islands. DOC’s Predator Free 2050 Senior Manager, Brent Beaven, shares how Campbell Island changed the game. “Campbell Island helped unlock a step change in what we thought was possible.”
DOC Predator Free 2050 Senior Manager, Brent Beaven, translocating a rare native tīeke (South Island saddleback) | Photo: Peta Carey
Now, there have been over 1,000 island eradications in the world. And New Zealand is responsible for the lion’s share.
Thanks to these predator free breakthroughs, islands across the world are covered in screeching penguins, soaring albatross, and chubby sea lions. We were able to save precious native plants and animals from the brink of extinction.
But momentum in creating larger predator free islands has unfortunately waned. Brent notes, “The island eradication tools and techniques we use now have allowed us to achieve some incredible things. But, to scale up to larger and more island eradications, we need innovation.”
Technology and techniques haven’t changed much since the 2001 Campbell Island operation. Island eradications in 2023 use similar GPS, helicopters, and techniques. Which is surprising considering that in 2001 the first ipod was released, we had just survived Y2K, and fax machines and landlines reigned supreme. These predator eradication techniques are tried and true and get the job done. But the tools aren’t effective and efficient for eradicating predators from very large islands or the mainland of Aotearoa.
To tackle restoring larger islands and the mainland, we need new tools, techniques, and technology. We need investment to shift from reliable landlines to transformative smart phones.
Predator Free 2050 has focused government investment into this innovation. Since the goal was announced in 2016, programmes like DOC’s ‘Tools to Market‘ and Predator Free 2050 Ltd.’s ‘Products to Projects’ have invested in possible game changers like biodegradable aerial rat traps, AI cameras and image recognition, smart detection devices, pest-specific toxins, and research to map predator genomes to understand their unique weaknesses and biology. In just the first five years of Predator Free 2050, government has invested $43 million into tools, research, and software for predator eradication.
Biodegradable aerial rat traps | Photo: GoodnatureZero Invasive Predators (ZIP) innovation and operations team talk through a prototype | Photo: Robyn Janes
It’s unlikely research will uncover just one “silver bullet” for eradicating introduced predators. But with the help of investment and new tools and technology, Aotearoa could accelerate efforts to restoring precious islands and our mainland.
Predator Free 2050 has also helped launch DOC’s National Eradication Team (NET). This team is working on a strategy for eradicating predators from all of New Zealand’s uninhabited off-shore islands. They’re leaders in predator eradication – spearheading strategy, testing new techniques, and advising on island eradication projects both in Aotearoa and around the world.
Some members of the National Eradication Team | Photo: Finlay Cox
DOC’s eradication experts have already achieved great things for people and wildlife. In 2018, a DOC team led the charge to successfully eradicate mice from Antipodes island, protecting wildlife like wandering albatross.
They’re also sharing their knowledge and expertise abroad. In 2023, they led a rat eradication on Palmerston Atoll in the Cook Islands with our neighbours in the Pacific who were struggling with rats destroying food and threatening their community’s health.
National Eradication Team member supporting Palmerston Atoll community members with trail cameras and rat surveys | Photo: Em Oyston
With the leadership of DOC and investment in tools and techniques, Aotearoa is taking strides to accelerate island conservation.
And these experts have their eyes set on the next big island restoration – Maukahuka Auckland Island.
Maukahuka/Auckland Island is a stronghold of remarkable plants and animals. As a subantarctic nature reserve and World Heritage site, it is home to some of the world’s rarest animals like the Gibson’s albatross, southern right-whales, New Zealand sea lions and hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin).
The island supports over 500 native plants and animals with more than 100 found nowhere else in the world. The wild landscape has blushing rātā forests and windswept clusters of bright megaherbs. Maukahuka is of great cultural and spiritual significance to Ngāi Tahu, with a long history of Polynesian expeditions to the islands to gather food and settle.
Megaherb carpets on neighbouring predator free Enderby Island | Photo: James WareHoiho/yellow-eyed penguins | Photo: Rachael Sagar
Sadly, over the last 200 years, populations of feral pigs, feral cats, and mice have inflicted severe harm. Now, of the 39 native bird species that were once on the island, 28 are either gone or remain in very small numbers. Large swaths of rātā forests have disturbed soils and stunted understories. Megaherbs are dwindling. Without action, plants and animals will continue to disappear.
Feral pigs in a white-capped albatross colony on Auckland Island | Photo: Paul Sagar
At about four times the size of Campbell Island, achieving a predator free Auckland Island would be a massive undertaking. It would be New Zealand’s largest predator free island and the final step to finally restore all of New Zealand’s subantarctic islands.
In 2021, the National Eradication Team spent three years investigating whether it was possible to eradicate pigs, mice and feral cats from Auckland Island. They concluded that making Auckland Island predator free would be achievable, worthwhile, and sustainable in the long run.
But first, the project would need about $9.75 million per year over 8 years to tackle the challenge. Innovation in image processing and targeted baits has steadily reduced the time and cost. But it would still require unprecedented support and investment.
Looking to the future, New Zealand could make even bigger strides in conservation on islands like Auckland Island. Brent reflects, “All of our progress on previous islands helped build the confidence to launch Predator Free 2050. We’re now seriously eyeing up another step change in possibility with Maukahuka Auckland Island.”
Predator Free 2050 is helping tackle the challenge of innovating new tools and technology, spearheading a strategy for restoring all islands, and growing new levels of community support and investment for eradicating pests.
The next 20 years could be promising for predator free islands. But it’ll be a challenge. Brent notes, “We’ll need to innovate, test our limits and be prepared to take a bit of risk as we step into the unknown.”
The Taranaki Crossing is a partnership between Ngā Iwi o Taranaki, DOC and Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit that has been in place from project feasibility through to delivery.
Construction of the 100-metre suspension bridge began in November 2023. The build culminated with this morning’s event attended by more than 100 guests including iwi representatives, contractors, and staff from central and local government agencies.
The bridge, within Egmont National Park/Te Papakura o Taranaki, has been designed for a lifespan of 100 years, and to withstand the sub-alpine Manganui Gorge’s winds, weather conditions and a one in 250-year Mt Taranaki Avalanche. Supported by two massive masts at either end, the bridge sits 49.5 m above the floor of the gorge and features artwork contributed by Ngāti Ruanui.
“This has been a challenging build in an at-times hostile environment – with plenty of reminders of why safety was one of the key drivers for this part of the project,” says DOC’s Hauraki-Waikato-Taranaki Regional Director Tinaka Mearns.
“We knew from the outset this would be an impressive structure once finished, and so we’re delighted an eye-catching and important part of the Taranaki Crossing visitor experience is completed.”
Te Runanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust Deputy Tumu W’akaae Ngapari Nui says the bridge marked a new era of co-governance for our Maunga.
“We have worked alongside DOC from design to construction, including the gifting of taonga. That makes this bridge a destination in itself,” he says.
“The bridge’s stunning visual appearance fits well into the mountain landscape and is a unique part of the cultural interface Ngāti Ruanui brought to this project.”
“The bridge will become a key tourist attraction, along with the experience Ngāti Ruanui has crafted, including our world-renowned Mountain House restaurant and accommodation complex,” says Ngapari.
“Taranaki’s regional economic development strategy Tapuae Roa identified the Taranaki Crossing as a priority project. This will for attract more visitors, boost local businesses and create jobs and other opportunities,” says Bridget Sullivan, Principal Regional Advisor for Kānoa, the Government’s Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit.
“The original $13.4 million grant from the Provincial Growth Fund has resulted in a lot of other funders coming on board to support the entire Taranaki Crossing project,” she said. “The grant includes funding for this stunning new bridge which has cost about $1.2 million.”
The bridge will significantly improve access through this part of the mountain environment and improve visitor safety by replacing the existing track which descends through the bottom of the gorge. The existing track is prone to washouts and closure due to avalanche risk.
DOC Senior Ranger Rosalind Cole says a deceased 15-meter-long sperm whale washed ashore on a remote part of Oreti Beach, Southland last weekend.
“Sometime between last Saturday and Monday, someone has come along with a chainsaw and taken the jawbone,” Rosalind says.
Marks on the bone and tyre tracks leading to the carcass show it was likely removed by humans rather than scavenging animals.
Removing whale bones from a beachcast animal is an offence under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 and offenders could face fines up to $250,000.
Whale bone is a highly prized taonga for iwi which is used in carving and it was disappointing someone had stolen it before the appropriate protocols and tikanga had been observed, Rosalind says.
Ōraka Aparima Kaumātua and Kai Rongoā Muriel Johnstone says the rūnaka are extremely upset this whale was not offered its due respect in terms of tikanga.
“We know and treat whales as Rangatira (Chiefs) of the sea and as such deserve appropriate protocols said over them. This includes a farewell address and appropriate karakia. This then allows us to treat the whale as a gift from the sea and use its resources. These include the bone, teeth and oils that we use as did our ancestors.”
“We have experts at our rūnaka who have worked with whales and their management.”
“It is obvious that someone knows the value of these taonga and has deliberately removed and stolen the jaw.”
A similar instance took place in 2015 when the jaw was removed from another sperm whale that had also washed ashore at Oreti Beach.
Anyone with any information on the missing whale bone can contact DOC on 0800 DOC HOT.
We’re celebrating 20 years of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest predator free project to-date. Hear from a former DOC ranger who experienced the world first rat eradication as he shares the story of mysterious footprints, an explosion of wētā, and why making subantarctic islands predator-free is so important.
Written by Janel Hull.
Campbell Island, Motu Ihupuku is a thriving wildlife stronghold and a testament to Aotearoa New Zealand’s world-leadership in conservation. But it’s tucked away in a surprising location, 700 kilometres south of Aotearoa New Zealand’s South Island in the subantarctic islands.
This island is a World Heritage Site and nature reserve that is renowned for the overwhelming volume of rare plants and animals it supports. The island is home to six species of albatross – including one that lives nowhere else in the world.
The northern cliffs are blanketed in densely packed nests of Campbell Island albatross and thick with weaving swarms of seabirds. It’s a stunning sight to see… just try not to imagine the strong smell.
Fields of lilac and sunshine megaherbs (giant wildflowers) stretch in an endless carpet across the upper parts of the island, reaching up to the knees and hips of visitors. The fields are interrupted with dots of white – nests of southern royal albatross/toroa – and brown – lounging New Zealand sea lions/pakake. Sometimes, the sea lions let off an unsettling nearby roar from somewhere in the tall grass.
But 20 years ago, Campbell Island was a completely different story. For nearly 200 years, introduced rats had run rampant on the island. These predators decimated megaherbs, birds, and nests in their wake. Campbell Island had achieved another world first for wildlife volume. But this time, the island had the highest density of Norway rats in the world.
This all changed in 2001 when DOC began a world-first operation to eradicate rats from the 11,300-hectare Campbell Island. Former DOC Ranger Lindsay Wilson recalls “when we were doing Campbell, there was a huge amount of scepticism that it would work. It was the largest rat eradication in the world.”
Former DOC ranger Lindsay Wilson on Campbell Island | Photo: Supplied
The team boldly aimed to eradicate rats from an island about six times bigger than any island attempted before. This was attempting “the impossible”.
DOC sent a team of 19 including eradication experts, biologists, helicopter pilots, a medic, and a cook to live on the island for 3 months.
Lindsay was a key part of the team. To save native species from extinction, they were tasked with meticulously distributing rat toxin across every corner of the island. They used helicopters and recently developed GPS technology to map the precise spread of bait.
A typical day for Lindsay involved being flown out to a helicopter loading site at sunrise, filling buckets with toxin, and reloading until sunset. (Although sometimes a typical day involved waiting for the wind to stop blowing). In the evenings, the crew would head back to their hut and pour over GPS tracks to determine paths for the next day. Their long hours were driven by a single purpose – bring thriving wildlife back to the island.
All work was planned around the wet, windy, and unpredictable weather of the subantarctic islands. Operations require fine and calm weather for flying and to ensure bait is in tip top shape. A typical day was drizzly, blustering with 30-40 knot winds, and was about 5 degrees Celsius with heavy grey clouds. In fact, rain falls on Campbell Island an average of 325 days per year!
Lindsay chuckles, “the weather was so bad, it was kind of cool. You know? I remember the first time after 10 days the sun came out. Suddenly it’s like everything went from black and white to colour.”
With a combination of surprisingly dry weather and the team’s hard work, the operation finished in just 6 weeks.
Two years later, Lindsay and the team returned to the island to monitor whether the world-first eradication was successful. The team landed with bated breath.
“Right after we landed on the first night, we went outside and shone the torch around and here’s all these wētā under the bushes that we hadn’t seen previously. It was really pronounced – there were wētā everywhere.”
For two months, the team hiked up and down the steep island checking lines of traps to look for signs of any remaining rats. Instead, they found recovering megaherbs, an explosion of the songbird pipits, and a mysterious footprint.
“The icing on the cake was one of the team found small footprints in the mud at Six Foot Lake.” They thought it could be the endemic subantarctic snipe, previously wiped out from the island.
“We could hardly believe it really. They didn’t have a camera with them, and we didn’t have cell phones in those days. They did a very careful sketch and got measurements of the footprints.” Once they returned to the hut, they radioed the snipe expert and confirmed their finding.
Drawing of subantarctic snipe footprints by bird expert Colin MiskellyA subantarctic snipe chick found by researchers on Campbell Island in 2004 | Photo: Colin Miskelly
The snipe were back home, at last. These hearty birds had managed to reintroduce themselves from a tiny rock stack near the island.
Lindsay remembers that the team had dreamed of one-day returning snipe to Campbell Island. “We thought we’d have to go and physically capture snipe, captive rear them, and maybe in 10-20 years we could reintroduce them. But instead, within two years, they were back.”
An adult subantarctic snipe on Campbell Island | Photo: Brent Beaven
Campbell Island was officially declared free of rats in May 2003, achieving the world’s largest rat eradication at the time and our country’s largest island eradication to date.
But New Zealand’s legacy of successful eradications doesn’t end there. From the 1980s to the 2010s, we were able to increase the size of island eradications. They went from 200 hectares, to 10,000 hectares, to over 100,000 hectares. “In just 30 years, the rate of possibility hugely increased”.
The techniques that DOC staff on Campbell Island pioneered helped propel the world into exponentially scaling up island eradications of bigger and bigger islands. Now, there have been over 110+ successful island eradications in New Zealand and around 1,000 successful eradications in the world. And New Zealand is responsible for the lion’s share.
Islands across the world are covered in screeching penguins, soaring albatross, and chubby sea lions thanks to predator free action.
Read part two to learn what’s to come for the next 20 years of island restoration. We explore futuristic technology, how New Zealand takes Predator Free 2050 knowledge around the world, and what it’ll take to make New Zealand’s final subantarctic island predator free.
DOC has wrapped up a bumper summer field season where for the first time, rangers, scientists, independent researchers and other staff were stationed on all five of the remote subantarctic island groups – Bounty Island, Antipodes Island, Snares Island, Auckland Islands and Campbell Island.
DOC Marine Bycatch and Threats Manager Kris Ramm says much of the work focused on filling knowledge gaps for species as well as maintaining and fixing important field infrastructure.
“The subantarctic islands are remote and hard to reach; undertaking work down there requires a lot of careful coordination. Things such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Cyclone Gabrielle and other external factors have all impacted our work programme on the islands in recent years, so we’re thrilled to have been able to complete successful trips to each of these islands this year.”
New Zealand’s subantarctic islands represent one of the last great wildernesses anywhere in the world and are located hundreds of kilometres to the south and southeast of the mainland. They are home to a range of rare species, such as Antipodean and Gibson’s albatross, which breed nowhere else on earth. The islands are managed by DOC as national nature reserves, the highest possible conservation status. They have also been honoured with World Heritage status, meaning they represent the best of the world’s natural heritage and rate alongside the Grand Canyon and Mount Everest.
The research and monitoring programme will help us to understand the health of vulnerable native species such as hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin, New Zealand sea lion/pakake/whakahao, Gibson’s and Antipodean albatross/toroa and other seabirds, Kris says.
“For many of these species, the subantarctic region represents their last stronghold. It’s important we understand the threats and challenges they face so we can better focus our efforts.
“Some of the research programmes such as the Antipodean albatross work, have been going on for decades. That’s a lot of useful data chronicling the health of a species and gives such a valuable insight into how we can better advocate for them and other species when they’re traversing international waters.”
While it will take some time for the full suite of monitoring data to be analysed from the season, so far there are some trends emerging, Kris says.
“The number of sea lion pups born on the Auckland Islands had a slight increase from the extraordinarily low year last year, but not to the extent we would have expected. On Campbell Island, pup mortality continues to be high with up to 89% of sea lions dying in their first few weeks of life. While the precise reasons for this remain unclear, many pups on Campbell Island appear to die of a combination of exposure and starvation.”
The number of southern royal albatross also appears to have declined. Teams are still working through exact population estimates, Kris says.
Teams were also getting samples for baseline monitoring of wildlife health, which Otago University are testing for pathogens including avian influenza viruses.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has not been detected in the New Zealand subantarctic region or Oceania, including New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. However, it has been reported on islands in the subantarctic Atlantic Ocean and the Antarctic Peninsula in recent months.
Alongside the species work, teams of rangers were also undertaking repair work to key field infrastructure such as roofs and boardwalks and building maintenance.
It takes a lot of people and coordination to pull off a field season in an area as remote as the New Zealand subantarctic, and it was great to have the support of so many, Kris says
“The season was challenging with strong winds, rain and low cloud. Despite this, across many different teams — from those undertaking field maintenance, to biosecurity checks before departure, to those out collecting wildlife data, and of course the skipper and crew of the transport vessel, Evohe. It’s been a huge effort.”
This marine programme is largely funded by fisheries levies through the Conservation Services Programme with the aim of monitoring the impact of commercial fishing on native species and identifying ways to mitigate this impact.
DOC has recently completed an annual flock count for the critically endangered southern New Zealand dotterel/tūturiwhatu and found an estimated 101 birds remain – a 19 per cent decline from last year’s 126.
DOC Ranger Daniel Cocker says the numbers highlight the precarious position this population is in, despite continued predator control efforts.
“Southern dotterels, which only breed on Stewart Island/Rakiura, have spent the past few decades on the brink of extinction and sadly this year looks to be a similar story,” says Daniel.
“Without our control efforts, it’s frightening to think just how low the numbers would be.”
Dotterels face a range of threats, but the number one cause of decline is predation by feral cats. During the recent breeding season, 32 feral cats were killed by the team across the breeding sites.
“Adult dotterels will actively defend nests and chicks, making them easy targets for predators. Dotterels are also curious and easily approached.
“We believe at least 41 adult birds died over the 2023 breeding season. This was partially offset by this year’s surviving chicks, meaning an estimated population reduction of 25 birds.”
Following this year’s flock counts, the team will review predator control strategies as part of an adaptive management programme.
The challenge is feral cats roam large distances and can be wary of the traditional methods to control them – trapping, hunting and bait stations. There are limited tools to control feral cats across large areas.
Predator control is only undertaken on a portion of dotterel breeding habitat which is patchy and extends across the full length of Rakiura. To save more dotterels, more habitat needs to be protected.
Long term solutions require landscape scale change – this is why initiatives such as Predator Free Rakiura, which aims to remove possums, rats, feral cats and hedgehogs from the island, are so important. In the meantime, the focus is on effective predator control to hold the line and prevent extinction.
Despite this year’s low numbers, the team remains hopeful for a turnaround in the dotterels’ fortunes.
“In 1992, the population reached an all-time low of 62 birds but bounced back to 290 birds in 2009. Given the right conditions, dotterels can be very resilient, and produce multiple chicks per year.”
The New Zealand Nature Fund is supporting DOC’s campaign to save the southern dotterel and has raised over $62,000 from private donors in the past six months.
“Southern dotterels were once widespread throughout the South Island and Rakiura is their last refuge. It is an uphill battle but it’s one worth pursuing.”
Background information
Southern New Zealand dotterels (SNZD) were once widespread throughout the South Island, breeding in the high country, and have been recorded as high as 2,500 metres above sea level. They disappeared from mainland breeding sites by the early 1900s due to introduced predators and human hunting. Rakiura remains their last refuge where they face threats from feral cats and even white-tailed deer which have been caught on nest cameras eating eggs. Spur-winged plovers, Australasian harriers and black-backed gulls are also believed to pose a threat to dotterels.
The only place you can reliably see a SNZD on the South Island mainland is at Awarua Bay near the Tiwai Aluminium smelter. Awarua Bay is a key site where a third of the population feed and flock together for most of the year before returning to the mountain tops of Stewart Island/Rakiura to breed. They also congregate at Mason Bay during high tides.
Differences between southern and northern dotterels
Southern dotterels are recognised in New Zealand as their own sub-species but by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as a separate species. They differ from the northern dotterels in both behaviour and appearance. While southern dotterels breed on mountain tops, the northern birds breed on beaches around the North Island coastline.
Southern birds are larger and darker in breeding colours than northern birds. They also have a larger mid-toe which is believed to be used for better stability in the alpine environment.
There are estimated to be more than 2,500 northern dotterels (conservation status: ‘recovering’).
The conservation status of the southern dotterel remains ‘nationally critical’.
“Last year, Milford Track booked out on opening day, and by the end of July the number of people who’d booked a Great Walk had reached pre-pandemic numbers,” says Director of Heritage and Visitors Cat Wilson.
“This year we have combined the bookings systems for Great Walks, and other huts and campsites to make booking more straightforward for users. This means people will only need a single account to book the Great Walks and all other accommodation next season.
“Users who don’t already have an account on DOC’s existing huts and campsites booking system will need to create a new log in and account at https://bookings.doc.govt.nz/Web/.”
New Zealand’s Great Walks offer diverse experiences across spectacular landscapes, on well-formed tracks. They are hugely popular, and spaces have been limited to provide a great experience and protect biodiversity. This round of bookings applies to the July 2024-June 2025 period.
“Great Walks are a big driver for international visitors,” says Cat. “In a pre-pandemic survey 1 in 10 visitors to New Zealand said they did a Great Walk on their holiday.
“However, even with international visitors returning over the past year, the Great Walks continue to attract high levels of New Zealanders, who accounted for 70% of bed-nights booked last year.
“2023/24 statistics show total Great Walk bed-nights were up 7.7% on the previous year with 128,115 bed-nights compared to 118,921 in the previous year.
“The numbers were also up 7.1% compared to the pre-COVID summer of 2019/20 of 119,581 bed-nights.
“Abel Tasman Coast Track bed-nights were up 11.2%, Tongariro Northern Circuit was up 10% and the Heaphy Track bounced back to 88% of pre-COVID levels despite only reopening as a full walk in October 2023 following storm damage.
“This year, we recommend people have their online login sorted in advance to book their preferred walks on ‘bookings open’ day, so they’re all ready to go.”
Great Walks booking opening dates*
Date
Time (NZT)
Great Walks
28 May 2024
9:30 am
Milford Track, Lake Waikaremoana Track
30 May 2024
9.30 am
Abel Tasman Coast Track, Rakiura Track, Whanganui Journey
The Hump Ridge Track is an existing multi-day walk that can be booked in advance through the Hump Ridge Trust. The track will become a ‘Great Walk’ in October 2024, and will continue to be booked via the Trust’s booking system.
Background Information
While the most popular tracks such as Milford and Routeburn book out very fast, walks such as Abel Tasman, Heaphy and Lake Waikaremoana have greater capacity. There are often cancellations following the bookings opening dates.
Bookings for other facilities (non-Great Walks) for 2024-25 opened earlier in the month, between 9-23 April.
Non-Great Walk huts, campsites and lodges were popular in 2023-24, with over 130,000 bednights booked in total on those opening days. This included over 40,000 bednights booked for Tōtaranui Campground in the Abel Tasman National Park alone – with summer holiday spots there selling out in minutes.
The popular walking track to the picturesque beach has been closed since February 2023, due to damage caused by extreme weather events.
DOC’s Hauraki Waikato Taranaki Regional Director Tinaka Mearns says the land across the reserve has continued to move since the initial storms.
“The continued land movement has made it challenging to identify a simple walking solution at a level of risk acceptable for the type of casual visitor who generally goes there,” Tinaka says.
“What we’ve worked to produce is a suite of possible options which cover reinstatement of walking access to the beach and also entrance to the recreation reserve.”
For walking access to the beach, three options are under consideration – one is a short-term fix which would see construction of new steps and a boardwalk to reinstate a section of the existing track, while the two others would be long-term repairs involving installation of new infrastructure.
The two long-term options would require significant investment and also the installation of a new potentially cantilevered staircase and steps to the beach – and therefore take longer to design, procure and complete.
“Upholding the values of Ngāti Hei has been a key factor as we work through the options. Alignment with several pieces of conservation legislation, and community perspectives provides both great opportunity and creates a shared awareness for compromise.
“As an example, we’ve had to examine pros and cons for each of these options and also factor in an historic pā site which is significant to Ngāti Hei,” Tinaka says.
Other options explored as part of the development work include visitor entry points from the Hahei Short Walk, making best use of an existing entrance at Grange Rd, and whether access over adjacent farmland is feasible.
“We need to balance out aspects including costs and investment risk, resilience against future weather events, as well reducing the environmental and social impacts on what has been a heavily visited site.”
