The Trail Pass

New for 2024/2025 Season

Te Araroa has teamed up with the Department of Conservation (DOC) to develop The Trail Pass, an accommodation pass offering easy access and discounted rates on conservation land huts and campsites across the trail network and throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

Designed to make it simple and cost-effective for walkers to pay for 71 huts and campsites along the trail in one single transaction, The Trail Pass also offers users a 20% discount on a further 10 serviced hut bookings.

You’ll find the full list of huts and campsites along Te Araroa here, including those covered by The Trail Pass and those you need to book directly with DOC to receive the 20% off. Before the walking season starts we will also be updating The Trail App to make it nice and easy to see when a booking is required.

Accommodation that is not on conservation land (DOC managed) will need to be booked directly with private providers. And there’s plenty of information in the trail notes about where to stay and how to pay in these areas.

If you’re through-walking Te Araroa, or walking the South Island, you’ll need to purchase the pass as part of your walker registration. If you’re just walking the North Island, or section walking, the Trail Pass is optional as it may be cheaper to purchase individual hut/ campsite tickets depending on where you want to stay. You can of course still purchase The Trail Pass if you prefer the ease of one transaction.

The pass costs $195 and all funds generated by The Trail Pass support trail development.

FAQs

How do I purchase the pass?

The pass is purchased as part of walker registration. Registration will open during the first week of August 2024.

How long is the pass valid for?

6 months from your expected start date.

What facilities are and aren’t included in the pass?

ttThe pass gives you access to the majority of DOC huts and campsites on Te Araroa – 71 huts and campsites– and a discount on the majority of remaining facilities on conservation land. A full list of the facilities included and excluded can be downloaded here. The Trail App and Trail notes also include this information.

Excluded from the Pass are:

10 serviced huts – your pass provides a 20% discount. Alternatively, you can camp by the hut without charge.
2 serviced campsites which need to be booked via DOC’s website. You will receive a 20% discount when you book.
6 ‘Great Walk’ huts/campsites – The Whanganui River and Tongariro sections of the trail are “Great Walks”. These need to be booked through DOC’s Great Walk Booking System and are excluded from the pass.

Please note, the pass only covers accommodation on Public Conservation Land (PCL) which makes up 1,800km of the 3,000km of trail. 1,200km of Te Araroa is not on PCL. In these areas accommodation is available through private providers and will need to be purchased separately. The trail notes provide information about where to stay and how to pay in these areas.

The Trail Pass also entitles you to stay at all the standard huts covered by the Backcountry Hut Pass, throughout New Zealand, so you can enjoy side trips and other nearby hikes as part of your journey. Note: this is subject to Backcountry Hut Pass terms and conditions, changes and exclusions.

I also want to do side walks / other hikes - will the trail pass work for these?

Yes – As well as covering 71 huts and campsites along Te Araroa, The Trail Pass also entitles you to stay at all the standard huts covered by the Backcountry Hut Pass, throughout New Zealand. There are hundreds of huts throughout the country so you can enjoy side trips and other hikes as part of your journey.

Some huts are excluded from the Backcountry Hut pass. The list of these can be found here

Other than those campsites listed along Te Araroa, the The Trail Pass does not cover any other campgrounds in New Zealand.

Only walking the North Island – should I buy the pass?

The pass only covers 12 facilities in the North Island, therefore, if you are only walking the North Island, it may work out better value to purchase individual hut / campsite tickets.

Only walking the South Island – should I buy the pass?

Yes. The majority of the trail through the South Island is on Public Conservation Land. The pass allows you to stay at over 59 facilities on the South Island section of the trail and provides a 20% discount on a further 9. Purchasing the pass is both a requirement and it will save you money.

What if I've already purchased the Backcountry Hut Pass?

DOC will provide you with a full refund if you have already purchased a 6 month Backcountry Hut pass (which is no longer available), once you have purchased Te Araroa – The Trail Pass. You can request a refund by emailing booking@doc.govt.nz.

If you have purchased a 12 month Backcountry Hut Pass and no longer need it because you have purchased The Trail Pass as part of registration, DOC will provide a proportional refund. This will be based on the overlap between the two passes – i.e. the number of months remaining on the Backcountry Hut Pass from the start date of the Trail Pass.

To claim a refund email booking@doc.govt.nz
Refunds will only be given for passes purchased before 2 August 2024
Refunds must be requested prior to the start date of the Trail Pass.
Refunds may take 5 working days to process.
Once the refund is processed, the Backcountry Hut Pass can no longer be used.

I purchased The Trail Pass - how do I access it?

The Trail Pass is a digital pass which can be downloaded to your google or apple wallet. You can also download and print it as a PDF so you have a copy if your phone runs out of battery.

Once you have registered and purchased the pass, you just need to login to your walker profile to acces it.

If you are logging in for the first time you will need to reset your password first:

https://my.teararoa.org.nz/user/password

If you have already reset your password you can login here

https://my.teararoa.org.nz/user/login

If you are unable to login or access your pass, please email us at info@teararoa.org.nz

I have purchased The Trail Pass - how do I apply the discount when I book huts / campsites online?

For bookable campsites /huts you need to make sure that your Trail Pass and DOC Bookings account are linked – this means that when you go to make a booking, the DOC system knows you have a Trail Pass and the discount is applied.

In the email you received when registering we provided the following instructions on how to do this:

We provide The Department of Conservation (DOC) with a list of everyone who has recently purchased the pass on Monday each week. DOC will then ensure that The Trail Pass is linked to your DOC bookings account, so that you can access the discounts on bookable facilities. Please make your DOC bookings account now, so that DOC can load your trail pass to your account. If you do not make an account, it could cause delays in accessing the discount on bookable facilities.

If you did not make your DOC bookings account when you registered, make sure to do so now. Once you have made your account, email bookings@doc.govt.nz with a copy of your Trail Pass, so they can connect the two.

I said no to the pass when I registered - but I have changed my mind - can I buy one now?

You can purchase the pass retrospectively by logging in to your walker profile and selecting “Buy Trail Pass”. This will then be available to download from within your walker profile.

If you are logging in for the first time you will need to reset your password first:

https://my.teararoa.org.nz/user/password

If you have already reset your password you can login here

https://my.teararoa.org.nz/user/login

If you are unable to login please email us at info@teararoa.org.nz