Six shortcuts on New Zealand's Great Walks: Day hikes and taster trails

Experience some of New Zealand's most iconic backcountry landscapes in half the time. Photo / Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi

When DoC's booking system for the Great Walks season opens every year, trampers line up virtually to snag their spot — but being an early bird doesn't offer any guarantees. This year, for example, 6700 customers had booked online within 30 minutes of slots opening for the Milford, Heaphy and Rakiura Tracks, with the Milford Track selling out in its usual record time.

If you didn't get your desired dates this year — or if you simply don't have the time to tackle a Great Walk in its entirety — don't despair. Portions of nearly all the Great Walks can be experienced as half-day or full-day adventures. Best of all, you won't have to sleep in a hut or schlep your stuff — but you'll still get to experience some of New Zealand's most iconic backcountry landscapes. Let's just call them "the Great Shortcuts of New Zealand".

The Great Walk: Abel Tasman Coast Track

The shortcuts: Bark Bay to Anchorage or Bark Bay to Awaroa Bay

Known for its crystal blue waters and golden sands, the Abel Tasman Track is one of the easiest Great Walks to tackle in sections, thanks to water taxis.

One of the most-loved sections of the track runs between Anchorage and Bark Bay, starting from the park's southern entrance (Marahua). Catch the Abel Tasman AquaTaxi to Bark Bay, then spend a half-day walking back to Anchorage for your pick-up. Highlights include the 47m-long suspension Falls River bridge, and Cleopatra's Pools, where you can slide down a moss-lined natural waterslide into crystal clear pools.

From the northern end of the park (Tōtaranui), take the water taxi to Bark Bay and walk to Awaroa, where the taxi will pick you up. The walk only takes about three hours but it's best to budget enough time for a leisurely lunch on Awaroa Lodge's patio.

Slide down a moss-lined natural water slide into crystal clear pools at Cleopatra's Pools. Photo / Wilsons Abel Tasman

The Great Walk: Tongariro Northern Circuit

The Shortcuts: The Tongariro Alpine Crossing or the Taranaki Falls Walk

Possibly the only shortcut more famous than its four-day counterpart is the Tongariro Crossing. Over roughly eight hours, trampers climb through a dramatic volcanic landscape of steaming vents and vividly coloured high-alpine lakes. At 19.4km, it's widely considered one of the best one-day walks in the country, if not the world. You'll need a somewhat flexible schedule to tackle it though, as the weather can be fickle even in the summer months.

If the Crossing is closed due to weather, the 6km Taranaki Falls circuit is a good option to have up your sleeve. Starting from Whakapapa Village, you'll pass though alpine shrublands and ancient lava flows before arriving at the 20m-high Taranaki Falls. If you have extra time, you can also continue onwards to Tama Lakes, a favourite among locals. In total, the walk takes about two hours.

Want to see a bit of both? On Adrift Tongariro's guided half-day Volcanic Explorer Tour (from $215), trampers will get a taste of multiple sections of the Great Walk, with the option to do the full-day Tongariro Crossing if the mood strikes.

Get a taste of the Tongariro Northern Circuit on Adrift Tongariro's guided half-day Volcanic Explorer Tour. Photo / Cameron Chafin

The Great Walk: Whanganui Journey

The Shortcut: Mangapurua Landing to Pipiriki

The only one of the Great Walks that's not a walk at all, the full Whanganui River Journey usually takes five days by canoe or kayak. However, the half and full-day shortcuts are no less serene. You'll still manage to explore one of the most interesting sites along the river (the historic Bridge to Nowhere) and be challenged with tackling one of the most difficult rapids (the Autapu rapids, nicknamed the "50-50 rapids" because you have a 50 per cent chance of falling out).

On Whanganui River Adventure's "Onedayer Adventure" ($175 adults; $87.50 children aged 5 to 15), a jetboat will take you upstream from Pipiriki to Mangapurua Landing, the start of the 40-minute walk to the Bridge of Nowhere. Then, you'll have the rest of your day to paddle back the 32km to Pipiriki.

Interesting sites along the Whanganui River include the historic Bridge to Nowhere. Photo / Visit Ruapehu

The Great Walk: The Paparoa Track

The Shortcuts: The Pororari River Track or Blackball to Barrytown

Get a taste for New Zealand's newest Great Walk on the 11km Punakaiki to Pororari loop, which takes about three hours to complete. Starting from the visitor centre at Punakaiki, the track follows the mountain bike entry/exit for the Paparoa Track, before crossing the Punakaiki River via footbridge. You can then follow the Pororari River Track downriver to the carpark, before walking the kilometre back to the visitor centre.

Feeling a bit more adventurous? Starting at the Blackball end of the track (the Smoke-ho carpark), you can spend the day hiking to the Ces Clark Hut. Although it's nearly 800m in elevation gain over 10km, the fact that the track is graded for mountain bikers works to trampers' advantage. Then, take the Croesus Track (a route most suitable for experienced outdoors people) down to Barrytown. Arrange a vehicle relocation with PaparoaGreatWalk.co.nz in advance, and your ride will be waiting for you at the bottom.

The Great Walk: The Milford Track

The Shortcut: Sandfly Point to Giants Gate Falls

Missed out on a Milford reservation? You're not the only one. The most popular of the Great Walks, it can be tricky to get a coveted spot on this track — but luckily, a shortcut exists. With outfitter Fiordland OutdoorsCo., you can catch a boat to Sandfly Point and spend the next two hours walking to the 20m Giants Gate Falls. After a swim and picnic, return to Sandfly Point, where your boat will pick you back up ($50 adults; $25 children).

If that's not enough bragging rights, family-owned operator Trips & Tramps has a three-day guided package (adults $1175; children $1020), which includes one day on the Kepler (via helicopter), one day on the Milford (via boat) and one day on the Routeburn.

The Great Walk: The Rakiura Track

The Shortcut: Port William to Lee Bay

Like the Abel Tasman Great Walk, the parts of Stewart Island's Great Walk that run along the coastline can be done in sections with the help of a water taxi. For a satisfying half-day walk, we recommend hopping aboard a Rakiura Charters water taxi to Port William wharf and walking to Lee Bay.

The four-hour journey will take you past the former Māori Beach sawmill settlement, which operated from 1913 until 1931, onwards to Lee Bay. From there, you can book a taxi to collect you and take you back to Halfmoon Bay/Oban. Or you can walk the rest of the way back along the road, which takes an extra 90 minutes.

Parts of Stewart Island's Rakiura Track can be done in sections. Photo / 123rf

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