Cyclone Gabrielle

Date:  20 March 2023

DOC facilities in affected areas closed

Fallen trees, flooding and landslips have caused widespread damage to bridges, huts, campgrounds and tracks across Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Tairāwhiti/East Coast and Hawke’s Bay. 

Many DOC facilities are closed to the public. 

For everyone’s safety, we are advising people to stay out of conservation areas that have been marked as closed. Entering these areas may lead to serious injuries due to damage caused by the cyclone.  

There is significant damage from landslides and erosion on coastal walks throughout Northland, Auckland and Coromandel, including popular sites such as Mangawhai Cliffs Walkway, Te Henga Walkway and Cathedral Cove.

If you need to cancel your booking because of closures or damage, email bookings@doc.govt.nz to avoid standard cancellation fees. 

• Media release about the closures 
• Check safety alerts for all regions
• Check the weather forecast
• What to do before, during and after a storm

Reopening facilities

DOC staff need to carry out assessments of facilities before they can be reopened to the public.

We have received reports of people going onto tracks and places that DOC staff have not yet been able to check and that are still closed.

There are major hazards such as slips, fallen trees and other track damage in the affected areas. 

Backcountry tracks and huts are yet to be fully assessed.

For safety reasons, we urge people to be patient and not venture into areas that DOC hasn't cleared for opening.

It will take time for DOC to understand the scale of the damage to tracks, huts, campsites and other facilities, and to make decisions on repairs. Some sites will need initial checks, formal assessments and then full engineering inspections.

We are reopening sites as they are inspected and deemed to be safe. 

All closed facilities have an alert message saying they are closed. We will continue to update the DOC website on the status of DOC facilities.

Report damage to us

You can help by reporting track or facility damage through our online form. But before going onto conservation land make sure you check the website for alerts and don’t go into areas that are currently closed.

Report damage and upload a photo online

Injured wildlife

Our priority is staff and visitor safety and we will be responding to injured wildlife on a case-by-case basis.

If you do come across injured wildlife, report it to the DOC hotline on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).

If you see an injured bird check if the species is considered at risk, as this will assist with our response planning: Threatened birds

Follow the instructions you receive from the DOC response team.