Love our Huts
The Love our Huts 2025/26 season has finished!
Between November 2025 and March 2026, over 550 huts were cleaned by over 300 individuals/groups!
Why? Because our huts are more than places to rest — they’re where we shelter storms, share stories, and connect with the wild. They’re also a base for important conservation work. Our network of public huts is the envy of the world – so we care for it together.
Registrations for 2026-2027 will open in October 2026. A new registration system will be launched for next season, making it even easier to plan your hut loving!
Make sure to join our Love our Huts Facebook group to see what others got up to this season.
Love Our Huts Video Competition
The Love Our Huts video competition is now closed. Congratulations to the winners Verity Jackson, Lisa Gilbert, and Vicky Youngman!
A huge thank you to our sponsors Rab, Earth Sea Sky, and Dwights Outdoors for helping make this competition possible.
Why love our huts?
We all know DOC’s resources are stretched. By giving our huts some care and recording how they’re used, we’re helping free up time for conservation work — while also doing our part to help keep the network in public hands.
It’s a practical way for us, together, to show decision-makers that these places matter — that huts are loved by communities all over Aotearoa.
How does it work?
1. Pick your hut(s), plan your trip
Choose one, two, or as many huts as you’d like to visit. In our registration forms, we’ve tagged some close-to-the-road huts especially for families and less experienced groups to register for.
2. Register your trip
Once you know where and when your hut loving will take place, and who will participate, register your trip below. Between 1 November and mid-March you can get out across the hut network. We’re first registering trips through to the end of January, so we know early which huts are covered. February and March will then focus on the huts still waiting — with any unbooked huts opening for Feb–March bookings just before Christmas.
3. Show your love
When time comes, give the hut a spring clean, do a simple health check using our checklist, and snap some photos of recent hut book entries as well photos of the hut. Once you’re back home, share your info with us. More details to follow soon.
