On this page:
- Paid parking sites and fees
- How to pay on site
- Annual parking permits – Local users' permit, General permit
- Exemption requests – Community or contractor exemptions, Concession holders exemption
Paid parking sites and fees
Parking charges are in place at the DOC car parks in Punakaiki, Franz Josef and Aoraki Mount Cook.
Background information about the paid parking pilot programme.
|
Site and location |
Fee per half hour |
Fee per day |
|---|---|---|
|
Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, Paparoa National Park |
$2.50 |
$20 unlimited entry/exits that day |
|
Franz Josef Glacier, Westland Tai Poutini National Park |
$2.50 |
$20 unlimited entry/exits that day |
|
White Horse Hill, Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park |
$2.50 |
$25 unlimited entry/exits that day |
Two annual permits are available – see annual parking permits below. Permits cannot be purchased at the payment machines and need to be purchased online in advance.
Concession holders, volunteers, community groups or contractors can apply for an exemption from these charges – see exemption requests below.
How to pay on site
Free parking periods and timing
At Punakaiki and Franz Josef, there is a 20 minute free period for drop-offs and pick-ups. From 1 September 2026 there will be a 10 minute free period.
At Aoraki/Mount Cook, there is a 20 minute free period.
If you arrive and leave within that time, parking is free and you are not required to use a parking machine. If you plan to stay for longer, you must pay, either on arrival or before you exit. There are cameras at the car park and your parking charges start from the moment you enter the car park.
Signs at each site give details of the average duration of the walks there, so you can plan how long you need to stay.
Paying and extending your stay
Payment machines that accept debit and credit cards are highly visible at each site. Cash payments are not accepted.
Your parking session can be extended in half-hour increments. If you stay for longer than expected and your parking session expires, you can top up your payment to extend the parking session before you leave.
Terms and conditions
Cameras record the entry and exit times of vehicles. All vehicles that enter the car park agree to the terms and conditions.
If you stay longer than the free period without paying, or longer than the time you paid for, or breach the terms and conditions in any way, you may be issued a breach notice fee of $75.
You cannot pre-book a car park in advance or pay before you get there, unless you have a permit or exemption as outlined below.
If electric vehicles park in the charging bays at the carpark, they also incur a car park charge.
Camping overnight in the car park is not permitted, even if you pay a car park charge or have a permit.
Annual parking permits
Permits are a one-off annual payment at discounted rates for locals and other car park users. Cameras recognise your vehicle’s licence plate, so you don’t need a physical permit or to use a parking machine.
Permits do not guarantee a parking space, as our sites can be full in peak times.
Two licence plates can be registered to each local permit.
However with the $60 general permits, only one licence plate can be registered to each permit. If you have more than one vehicle you’ll need to purchase additional permits for each vehicle.
There are no refunds for permits.
Local users' permit
Annual permits are available for local users. When purchasing a permit, local users need to upload proof of residence within the district boundaries, such as a recent utility or rates bill. For people resident in the Grey or Buller districts, a local permit gives you access to both sites for a year. There is a one-off charge of $10 for this permit. You will be invited to renew your permit after a year for no further charge.
|
Site |
Fee per year |
Criteria |
|---|---|---|
|
Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Franz Josef Glacier |
$10 |
Live in Westland, Grey or Buller districts |
|
White Horse Hill, Aoraki |
$10 |
Live in Mackenzie district |
General permit
A $60 per year permit is available for any users who do not meet the local use criteria.
A general permit provides unlimited access during the year for one vehicle at one site only, not for multiple sites.
Purchase your permit
You can pay for your permit using a credit card, debit card or account-to-account.
- Register online to create an account.
Allow a few minutes for the verification email to arrive and check your spam folder if it doesn’t appear. - After you’ve registered and verified your account, you can log into your account to select and purchase your permit(s).
View our step-by-step user guide for purchasing permits (PDF, 883K)
If you forget your password:
- Reset your password.
- Allow a few minutes for the reset email to arrive and check your spam folder if it doesn’t appear.
If you change vehicles
- You can log in to your account to view and manage your permits.
- You can update the licence plate registered to your permit up to three times per year.
- After the third change, you’ll need to purchase a new permit or use the onsite payment options.
View our step-by-step user guide for updating licence plates (PDF, 411K)
Exemption requests
Community Box holders in Punakaiki can apply for a parking fee exemption for Punakaiki.
Community or contractor exemptions
Local school groups, volunteers and community groups can apply for a parking fee exemption for multiple vehicles over a set period of time.
Individuals or businesses who have a contractual arrangement with DOC or provide any other type of regular service in the car parks can apply for a parking fee exemption.
Complete the online application form
The DOC team will process parking exemptions on a case-by-case basis. It will take five working days.
Concession holders' exemption
Valid concession holders are exempt from parking payment. All concession holders who have not received an invitation to register for an exemption permit can apply for one using the application form below.
Complete the online application form
Concession holders' exemption rules
The parking permit is valid only when the user is conducting the authorised activity at the authorised location as listed in the concession contract. For example: If the authorised activity is a guided walk on the Hooker Valley Track, the permit is only valid for parking at the Hooker Valley/White Horse Hill car park during the time of that activity.
There is a limit of 99 licence plates which can be registered to a concession holder's permit at any one time. There is no limit to the number of times users can add or remove the licence plates loaded to the permit.
For concession holders who had a permit during the pilot these will be extending to 30 June 2027.
If you need help
Contact us: info@doc.govt.nz or 0800 275 362.