Whanganui Journey Huts and Campsites: Booking the River Nights

The stops, Taumarunui to Pipiriki

The full trip runs 145 km (90.1 mi) from Taumarunui to Pipiriki. The shorter 88 km (54.7 mi) version starts at Whakahoro, the last road access before Pipiriki. DOC lists these huts and campsites down the river:

• Ohinepane Campsite: 22 km (13.7 mi) from Taumarunui
• Poukaria Campsite and Maharanui Campsite
• Whakahoro Campsite and Whakahoro Bunkroom
• Mangapapa Campsite and Ohauora Campsite
• John Coull Hut and Campsite: 37.5 km (23.3 mi) below Whakahoro
• Mangawaiiti Campsite and Mangapurua Campsite, near the Bridge to Nowhere walk
• Tīeke Kāinga: a hut that is also a working marae, with its own tikanga
• Ngaporo Campsite, then 9 km (5.6 mi) to Pipiriki

Booking the nights

From 1 October to 30 April, book every hut and campsite night ahead and pay at booking. DOC will not charge you for an extra night if high river levels hold you at a hut or campsite. DOC's March 2026 release names the Whanganui Journey as a Great Walk that often has space.

In 2026 Great Walk bookings opened at 9:30 am NZ time on DOC's booking service, bookings.doc.govt.nz, with a virtual queue. DOC's 2026 tips: make an account and test your login before the day, and be online by about 9:15 am. Our guide on how to book a Great Walk covers the rest of the system.

DOC has not announced the 2027/28 opening day. Going by past seasons, booking for the Whanganui Journey usually opens around 5 to 30 May. Last year's opening, for stays from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, was Wednesday 20 May 2026 at 9:30 am NZ time.

From 1 May to 30 September nothing is booked. Pay hut fees with a Backcountry Hut Pass or Hut Tickets (NZ$25 a night, NZ$10 at Whakahoro Bunkroom), and pay campsite fees in cash at the fee boxes at Ohinepane or Whakahoro, for every campsite you will use. DOC says to go then only if you are very experienced on remote rivers in winter.

Canoes and guides

DOC says canoes, life jackets and barrels can be hired as a package from local suppliers, and that many businesses run guided trips. DOC strongly recommends a guided trip for less experienced or solo paddlers. To go unguided, DOC says you should be a confident swimmer with canoe experience, fit enough for 6 to 7 hours of paddling a day, over 10, and in a group of at least two.

Changing or cancelling

Date changes stay inside the 1 July to 30 June booking season, and DOC does not move a booking to a different hut or campsite. Cancelling costs nothing on the day you book or the day after (if your first night is more than 2 days away). After that DOC keeps 10% of a Great Walk booking from 15 or more days out, 50% from 14 to 4 days out, 75% from 3 days out, and all of it on the day you arrive.

DOC asks visitors to learn about Te Awa Tupua, the Whanganui River as a living being, and to avoid alcohol on the river and at Tīeke Kāinga.

What PermitSnag does here

Each permit page says whether you can set a PermitSnag alert for it, and links to the agency that sells it.

Questions