Bookings delayed

The release of online bookings for the Great Walks has been postponed yet again. It was expected that the Department of Conservation would name the date for the launch of tickets for the 2023-24 season yesterday, but it says it needs more time to work on its beleaguered booking system. Just two weeks ago, DOC said it was making ‘‘good progress’’ to avoid a repeat of a booking system meltdown. When bookings for the Milford Track opened last month, hundreds of trampers were unable to access the booking system or had it crash midway through. DOC director of heritage and visitors Cat Wilson said bookings would not go live until the system fixes had been signed off. Wilson said DOC would provide a new update on June 14, with bookings likely to open in July.