Doc’s Tongariro Great Walk opens for booking after tech issues with IT supplier

Writer and Multimedia Producer·NZ Herald·

10 Jul, 2023 07:30 PM5 mins to read

The Tongariro Northern Circuit is the first Great Walk to open for booking following DoC IT glitches . Photo / Cameron Chafin Travel

Four months after an “incredibly frustrating” meltdown of IT services, the Department of Conservation has reopened its booking platform for the Great Walks network.

Bunks on the Tongariro Northern Circuit, the North Island’s most popular Great Walk, go on sale this morning at 9.30am, for the 2023/24 season. DoC’s IT supplier has said will be on hand throughout the morning to make sure the system functions “as intended”.

The much anticipated release of places comes after IT issues forced DoC to delay the booking season twice. The first time came in April after volume of interest in the Milford and Routeburn great walks took the booking platform offline. The booking windows were further delayed from May until July, awaiting system fixes which were still to be signed off.

Understandably, DoC was eager to get things moving.

The department told the Herald it was “ready to go” and focused on getting the Tongariro Northern Circuit open.

Last summer the Tongariro welcomed some 4000 people, representing around $300,000 in revenue for the conservation body, around 8 per cent of the total network.

Prior to the pandemic, the Tongariro Northern Circuit represented almost 18,000 bunk nights; 60 per cent of trampers came from overseas.

Department of Conservation heritage and visitors director Cat Wilson said the system would be undergoing testing over June before it would be ready for public bookings.

“The system fix has been tested extensively by our provider and additional load testing will be done by the independent specialist,” she said.

At midday on Tuesday DoC reported that they saw all systems performing as expected, despite opening day bookings for the Tongariro up by a third on 2022.

DoC Booking Services Manager, Cameron Hyland, said it had been a success. There was already a “significant increase” of 900 confirmed bookings for the trail by 11am this morning, compared to just 600 on opening day last year.

“We expect at least some of that increase is pent-up demand from the delay in opening following our issues in April,” said Hyland, adding greater detail including the proportion of international visitors would be available shortly.

“We’ll continue to monitor the system closely as we open the remaining Great Walks over the next few weeks, but we’re feeling optimistic, having had a good result today.”

DoC’s IT vendor leaves trail of tech issues

While the 2023/24 Great Walk season has been plagued by booking woes, this is not the first time that DoC’s US-based IT supplier has faced issues with clients.

Since 2018 the Department of Conservation has relied on IT vendor US eDirect to run its Great Walk booking systems.

Although there were previously some glitches and minor irritation from trampers missing out on their preferred places, there were no major IT issues reported until the 2023/24 booking window.

US eDirect, which runs campsite booking systems for over 40 clients in Australia, North America as well as New Zealand, was bought by IT firm Tyler Technologies in 2022.

Tyler apologised for the outages and was faced with “tough” conversations with DoC about how to avoid such issues.

“We understand that the Great Walks are a popular experience for many people, and we apologise for the inconvenience. We are working closely with our partner to ensure smooth bookings in the future,” a spokesperson for Tyler Technologies told trade publication Reseller following the outages in April.

Prior to this US eDirect and Tyler Technologies had faced criticism over the launch of the Northern Territory online campsite booking system, which crashed under Australian booking traffic in March last year.

Similarly, in February CBS reported clients Park Canada faced glitches and overloading issues that left some walkers unable to book bunks, since US eDirect took over as an IT vendor for the Canadian national parks.

In May, the Department of Conservation’s Cat Wilson defended sticking with the vendor for 2023/24.

“DoC chose the existing system for its ability to handle flexible itineraries where users can choose the length of their trips and which facilities they stay in. Last season the system worked well, and that is what we want to see happen every year,” she said.

A spokesperson for Tyler Technologies told the Herald it appreciated its partnership with the Department of Conservation and would be on hand to make sure the systems “functioned as intended” when they relaunch this morning.

“We will be monitoring throughout the day to make the Great Walks online reservation process a smooth and positive experience for all who participate.”