Hiking the Kepler Track

Te Anau, New Zealand

When Mac & I first left Auckland, we had our sights set on Te Anau for one main reason: to hike the Kepler Track. The Kepler Track is one of nine “Great Walks” operated and maintained by the Department of Conservation. Due to its southern location in the Fjordlands, the Kepler Track season closes on April 28th (afterwards, wintertime in the Fjordlands becomes too cold/snowy/dangerous and the track is no longer maintained). The track is a loop and is 60km long. It’s usually done in 4 days/3 nights (though we ran into some people that did it in 2 days/1 night. Um, no thank you). There are 3 huts and 2 campsites. Because we had been camping anyways, we decided to take advantage of the lower-cost camping options and camp 2 of the 3 nights. (During the regular season, campsites are $18pp/night, and the huts are $54pp/night.)

We set out mid-morning on Sunday leaving from the Rainbow Reach car park. Our first day was mainly through the forest which was filled with so many chirping birds! We also saw heaps of mushrooms. They ranged from teeny tiny toadstools to a huge, intricate fungus! We took a short side trip over a small marsh where we looked out towards the mountains. We stopped for a quick lunch at the Moturau Hut, and finished the day at the Iris Burn Campsite. We arrived at 5:30pm and quickly set up our tent before it got dark. A hot dinner and a long sit-down were the only things on the menu before we retired to the tent for a much needed sleep.

Above is the short & sweet, non-emotional part of our first day. In reality, the first day was HARD. We did the track opposite to what the DOC brochure illustrates (shown in the above elevation picture of the track) and therefore had a very LONG first day of 22km. Now, Mac & I have done our fair share of long hikes before, but those have all been without sleeping bags, sleeping mats, a tent, and 4 days worth of food. I think you can see where I’m going with this. This first day set the stage for what would end up being probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Our new hiking boots weren’t well worn in, our pack hip belts were leaving bruises on our hips, our backs ached, and my knees really started to wear down. I almost shed (more) tears when we saw Iris Burn. Unfortunately, this was only day one of four, but I vowed to head into the next days with a positive attitude. Day 1 stats – Distance: 22km, Time: 7 hours.

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We awoke on Day Two at 4am because of some very loud and pesky keas. Keas are the world’s only alpine parrot and are native to New Zealand’s South Island. We were told the night before by the hut warden, Beatrice/“Beatty”, to keep all of our gear inside our tents with us (instead of just keeping it in the vestibule as per usual). Keas are like magpies and are tricky little thieves. We could hear them poking at our tent with their long & pointy beak. We finally got up at 7am to find about 12 of these birds on the picnic tables at the campsite! Upon further inspection, we found that one of them actually poked a 1cm hole through both our fly & tent!!

After a breakfast spent swatting away more annoying keas, we headed out on a small side trip to the Iris Burn waterfall. The return trip was only 45 minutes in total and the waterfall was really cool to see! The brochure says that you can swim in the small pool, but just looking at that water was enough to give me shivers!!!

Upon leaving the campsite for good, we almost immediately started going uphill. By the end of the day, we climbed almost 1000m – and most of that was done in the first leg in the form of hundreds of switchbacks. The seemingly endless tree cover eventually started to recede and we found ourselves coming up to the ridgeline. Looking out over the valleys below was awe inspiring and would become a common theme throughout the day.

The winds along the ridgeline were gale force at times with the average speed hovering around 60km/h and gusts around 80-90km/h! We had to endure climbing ~1000 stairs (slight exaggeration…) to finally reach one of two emergency shelters on the ridge. We stopped at the Hanging Valley shelter for a lunch where we happily escaped the wind and tried our best to stay warm.

Leaving the shelter left us continuing along the ridge where we saw jaw-dropping views on either side. It was almost beautiful enough for us to forget our aches & pains, and the cold & wind. Almost. We further tested our limits by deciding to climb the summit of Mt Luxmore. The summit is at an elevation of 1472m. On a clear day, you can see all sorts of parts of the valleys below, including Lake Te Anau, and the city Te Anau. For us, we saw a whole lot of clouds. Fortunately, the clouds cleared very briefly and we were able to catch small glimpses of the vistas.

From the summit, it was a mostly downhill walk to another happy-tear-inducing sight: the Luxmore Hut. We stayed at the 50-bunk hut for the night and it was a welcomed change from the campsite – especially after such a long & painful day. The hut was FULL, but Mac & I found a small spot in the kitchen to cook our dinner (& then promptly inhale it!!). Pat, the hut warden, gave a short talk about hut & trail safety after dinner. We played a few rounds of cards before another early night. Day 2 stats – Distance: 14.6km, Time: >8 hours.

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Day Three began beautifully with a gorgeous sunrise over Lake Te Anau. We started this day off with another side trip – this time to Luxmore Caves. The caves are only ~10 minutes from the hut and we SO COOL! After the entrance to the caves where there is a tiny bit of daylight, everything is pitch black. It’s recommended that explorers go with a minimum of 2 light sources per person. I can see why – it’s really dark in there! Mac & I caved (yes, it’s a verb) for about a full hour. Every time we thought we were about to have to turn around, the cave would turn a bend and we were able to go further! Some parts were crouching-room only, while others we could fully stand up with room to spare! We extended into the gradual decent ~150m before the crouching was a bit too extreme. Later, a solo German hiker who passed us caught up to tell us he continued almost 400m in after crawling under some tight passages.

On the way back to the hut to grab our packs, we were lucky enough to see one of the supply helicopters making a drop off! With our packs donned, we set out on what would be the shortest (& almost the easiest) of our 4 days. The hike to Brod Bay campsite was 99% downhill. The first bit of the hike was still above the tree line and we had clear views of Mt Luxmore from below. The second bit was a long & winding path through the forest, including passing by some very high cliff sides! We arrived at Brod Bay mid-afternoon and spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach (only for a short while though – those darn sandflies were ruthless!). Day 3 stats – Distance: 8.2km, Time: ~3 hours.

Day Four was a mostly flat hike through the woods. We got to the Kepler car park (where most hikers start the journey) just an hour after we left Brod Bay. From there it was another 2.5 hours along the banks of the river to the Rainbow Reach car park. I don’t know if anything has ever felt so good as sitting in the car & taking my hiking boots off did after I finished the hike. Day 4 stats – Distance: 15.4km, Time: 3.5 hours.

We spent the rest of the day finding WiFi for Mac to watch the last of the Raptors vs. Pacers Game 5 (GO RAPS GO!), then finding an actual bed to sleep on as well as a place to do some very much needed laundry. Once all of that was sorted, we lazed around like babies while we rested our sore and aching muscles. Like I mentioned before, this hike was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. At times I was questioning whether or not I even liked hiking! What sane person would endure 4 days of pain, exhaustion, & emotional breakdowns for fun!!!??? Well, we’ve been off the track for 4 days now, and we’re already planning our next hiking adventure! Some habits die hard!

For those curious, the answer to how far Mac & I drove from Auckland to Te Anau was 1728km! My friend Kristen guessed the closest answer (without going over) on Facebook, so I’ll be sending a postcard her way very shortly! Special mention to Mary P though, who was very close, but unfortunately too high!