An entire industry has developed around providing transport for Great Walk trampers, runners and cyclists. We’re talking shuttle vans, water taxis, car relocations, flights, secure storage, and packages that encompass all the necessary transport, food and hut booking logistics. In using these services you also help to support the local economy.
Booking early is crucial, says Nepia Tauri at Fiordland’s Tracknet Transport in Te Anau. “It is amazing how many people forget to organise the transport section of their trip after booking the huts so far in advance. Holiday times are particularly busy.”
Tauri also urges people to add a day or two after their walk to unwind and enjoy the local area. “Te Anau is a great base for enjoying Fiordland. We frequently meet people rushing to Queenstown the day they finish their track and regretting that they can’t stay and relax.”
A night relaxing in Karamea after walking the Heaphy can also expand your transport options, suggests Danelle Hansen, from Karamea Express. “Most walkers finish the Heaphy in the middle of the day, so we can pick them up from Kohaihai, they can stay a night in Karamea and then go on our scheduled 7.30am service (Monday to Friday) to Westport. That can link them with other bus services, or with Sounds Air.
“We will shuttle walkers from Kohaihai back to Nelson if they wish, but it’s a long way after they’ve just spent hours walking the track,” she adds.
Choosing a shuttle that visits stores and cafés en route can be more enjoyable and also helps local economies, say Karen Mackenzie-Howe from Nelson-based shuttle business Scrambled Legs. “Before setting up our business I drove for other shuttle companies and listened to the feedback about what people wanted,” she says. “So we do things a bit differently. Our Heaphy Track shuttle to Brown Hut leaves Nelson at 7am so we have time to stop in Golden Bay for coffee and breakfast. Trampers can buy a fresh lunch for their first day and be on the track by 10.45. Coming home, there is time to stop at a café at Waimangarua for a famous Scully’s pie, and in Murchison for a quirky Calamity Jane’s ice cream. It all benefits local communities.”
With 463km separating the start and finish, and legal limits on commercial driving hours, the Heaphy Track poses a particular transport challenge. Scheduled shuttles don’t run every day, and the five-hour return road trip to Nelson can be expensive if hired privately for just one or two people. Long-time Heaphy Bus operator Rory Moore suggests walkers book their shuttles first and then the huts – something you might get away with on the Heaphy, which has greater capacity than the other Great Walks.
There are other options. Amongst other services, Golden Bay Air offers flights to Tākaka and Karamea and connecting shuttles to the track. You can leave Wellington at 9am, fly to Tākaka and be on the track by late morning. The planes are small, however, so book early.
For 15 years, Derry Kingston solved the Heaphy’s transport logistics with his car relocation service. He would drive a client’s car from Brown Hut to Kohaihai then simply walk back along the 82km track (in around 20 hours). After some 400 track crossings he retired in 2018, aged 72, but not before sharing advice with Mike Stone and Kiyomi Sada, who now emulate his service on the Routeburn.
The Glenorchy-based pair established their Trackhopper car relocation business in 2008. They drive the client’s car from the Routeburn’s Glenorchy end to The Divide on the Fiordland side (a distance of 350km), leave the key in a lock box and run back over the 32km track, all in the same day.
“I’ve now run the track 268 times and Kiyomi 258 times,” says Stone. “She always comes back with a grin and a good story.” His own stories serve as a reminder to walkers to be prepared for all weather.
“I’ve run the track in waist-deep snow, massive electrical storms, torrential rain and winds gusting to 220km/h. I’ve seen temperatures go from 28°C to 4°C in two days, and one time it was snowing on one side of Harris Saddle and hot with blue sky on the other.”
Tauri also warns that the weather can change suddenly in Fiordland and forecasts can be unreliable. “Trampers must be prepared for every weather. Track closures are particularly busy times for us as schedules need to be adjusted.”
The weather plays a huge part in running the business, says Stone. “It sounds simple, but logistics are complicated and keep changing. A lot of effort goes into backup plans, and we now employ other contract drivers to help Kiyomi and myself.”
Stone has also seen a notable growth in mountain running. “When we first started Trackhopper there were almost no people doing the track in one day. This has grown to be a significant part of our business.”
His recommendation, for walkers and runners, is to start the track at The Divide. “The Divide is the roughest side, while the Route Burn side, being a little more open and easy downhill, is good if you’re getting tired.”
Security and rental vehicle agreements must also be considered for car relocations. While some operators have arrangements with local companies, other rental agreements might require the relocation driver’s details. It pays to check.
Most operators offer lock boxes for keys at the track end car parks, and some have built secure car park facilities. Punakaiki Beach Camp, which offers Paparoa Track shuttle services and car relocations, has a purpose-built shed at Blackball, says manager Jed Findlay.
“We collect cars as soon as they are left at the Smoke-ho car park, store them in our locked shed, and bring them around to Punakaiki on the day they are needed.”
For Blackball’s community co-op, taking up a partnership with Cycle Journeys and Paparoa Shuttles was a no-brainer, says member Paul Maunder. “They had the infrastructure, and we wanted work for locals. We now schedule a regular team of up to 10 people who get a top up to their income.”
It’s a good example of how Great Walk services have evolved to help walkers, bikers and communities.
Getting to and from a Great Walk needs to be planned, especially as some tracks’ start and finish points are hundreds of kilometres apart.
Rakiura Track
A circuit walk from Oban township. A taxi is an option for the first 5km of road to Lee Bay, and in summer there’s a regular water taxi to Port William. Boat access to North Arm Hut is tide-dependent. Flights (20min) or ferry (one hour) will get you to and from Rakiura Stewart Island.
Hump Ridge Track
This circuit starts and finishes 22km from Tūātapere (85km from Invercargill and 100km from Te Anau). Shuttles are available from Invercargill and Te Anau to Tūātapere, along with bus transport from Tūātapere to the track start (daily in summer). A pre-walk overnight stay in Tūātapere is required to link with these services. Helicopter shuttles and pack-portage are available to the first hut, Okaka Lodge. (Hut bookings follow a one-way, anti-clockwise direction.) Jet boat transport off the track via the Wairaurahiri River and Lake Hauroko is an option.
Kepler Track
This circuit starts and finishes at the Waiau River outlet, 5km from Te Anau. Walk there via a pleasant lake shore path or take a shuttle. Scheduled water taxis cross the lake from town to Brod Bay (5.6km from the start of the track). Shuttles and car relocations are also available to and from Rainbow Reach, an alternative exit 9.5km from the start of the track, 14km from Te Anau.
Milford Track
Starts at Glade Wharf at the head of Lake Te Anau and ends at Sandfly Point in Piopiotahi Milford Sound. Boat transport is required at both ends and must be booked. Boats to Glade Wharf (75min) leave from Te Anau Downs, 33km from Te Anau. Those from Sandfly Point to Piopiotahi take 20min. Shuttles and car relocations are available from Te Anau, Te Anau Downs and Piopiotahi and can be bought as a package with the boat services. All trampers walk in the same direction to Sandfly Point.
Routeburn Track
The track’s start and finish points are at The Divide on the Te Anau–Milford Road, 85km from Te Anau, and Routeburn Road end, 25km from Glenorchy. These are 350km apart by road. Shuttles and car relocations are available from Glenorchy, Queenstown and Te Anau.
Paparoa Track
A dual bike/walk track, no e-bikes. The track ends are at Smoke-ho car park, 8km from Blackball, and Punakaiki, and are 71km apart by road. (Bikers finish at Waikori Road, 2.4km south of Punakaiki.) The Pike29 Memorial Track, which links with the Paparoa Track, starts on Pike Valley Road 30km north of Blackball. Shuttles (with bike trailers) and car relocations are available from Punakaiki, Blackball and Greymouth to Smoke-ho car park, Pike29 Memorial Track and Punakaiki.
Heaphy Track
Bikes permitted from May 1 to November 30. The start and finish points are Brown Hut (Golden Bay) and Kohaihai, 27km from Karamea, 463km apart by road. Several companies offer scheduled shuttles (these can be chartered for minimum numbers) and fixed wing and helicopter flights from Nelson, Golden Bay and Karamea. Operators recommend flexibility with travel plans.
Abel Tasman Coast Track
Start/finish points are Mārahau and Wainui (in Golden Bay). Water taxi access allows many exit/entry points between Mārahau and Tōtaranui (a popular end point for walkers). By road, Tōtaranui is 88km from Mārahau. Shuttle vans operate between Mārahau, Tōtaranui, Wainui and Nelson.
Tongariro Northern Circuit
A circuit starting at Whakapapa. The first 9km to Mangatepopo are rough and eroded. To avoid this,Tongariro Alpine Crossing shuttles are available to Mangatepopo (but don’t operate in bad weather).
Whanganui Journey – Te Awa Tupua
River entry points are: Taumarunui, Ohinepane and Whakahoro. The main exit point is Pipiriki (by road 168km from Taumarunui and 114km from Whakahoro). Several companies offer canoe hire (along with life jackets, river maps and safety training), car relocations, and shuttle transport linking these points. Fully guided trips are available.
Lake Waikaremoana Track
Start/finish points are Onepoto and Hopuruahine Landing (50min drive apart). Tūhoe offers a water taxi service (October to April) from each end and to huts and campsites from Te Kura Whenua (Te Urewera Visitor Centre).
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