If you’ve heard about the beauty of Central Otago and the wonder of Fiordland National Park, this 3 – 4 day tramp showcases the best of the region, from Lake Te Anau, to Mount Luxmore and down to the Iris Burn Valley.
Day 1
Beginning at the Kepler Carpark (control gates), the first 90 minutes of walking is on the flat through forest, finishing up at the beautiful, Brod Bay.
As we are in Fiordland territory, beware the abundance of mosquitos if you pause for a break.
Next, comes a 3 hour climb up to the alpine tussock. You will surely get through a bunch of snacks as you emerge from the tree line. The final 45 minutes to Luxmore Hut is picturesque with views of Lake Te Anau and the Murchison mountains.
Before settling in for the night, take a side trip to Luxmore Cave, and mind your step, it’s a little slippery! BYO torch 😉
Day 2
The enthusiastic rangers of the Kepler Track deem the second day of walking (between Luxmore Hut and Iris Burn Hut) as the best of the best, in terms of alpine crossing views in New Zealand. Unfortunately for us, we were hit with a snow storm on Day 2 that caused a white out and below freezing temperatures on the exposed ridges. Needless to say, we could only imagine the epic scenery surrounding us as we cautiously made the crossing and took breaks in the two emergency shelters at Forest Burn and Hanging Valley. Luckily, Richard was able to capture a few moments from this 6 hour trek whilst my hands (and legs!) were struggling to function.
Day 3
With the last of the storm passing overnight, we woke to a peaceful morning at Iris Burn Hut, accompanied by some naughty kea and a big ol’ bowl of birthday porridge. Seriously though, watch out for the kea poo on the deck – it was everywhere!
As we had booked a third night stay at Moturau Hut, we took our time, meandering through the forest and valley floor, nursing our tired legs. 30 minutes from the hut, you will come upon Lake Manapouri, and as some brave souls did, there is plenty of time left in the afternoon to take a dip in the refreshing water.
This section of the walk only took 4 hours, so you can easily finish the Kepler Track in 3 days, ending at Rainbow Reach.
Day 4
With only 90 minutes of walking remaining, we set off bright and early to make the 10am shuttle at Rainbow Reach. The track ends with a few unnecessary switch backs (your knees won’t thank you) before crossing the bridge to the carpark. Truly knackered, we made our way back to Queenstown, chowed down some KFC, and made a few pit stops at some of our favourite places to round out our trip down south.
How to book huts and campsites
During the Great Walks season (October to April), huts and campsites may be booked on this website. There are gas stoves at all 3 huts as well as drinking water, a wood burner, and flushing toilets with toilet paper.
What to pack
The Department of Conservation has a handy packing list for New Zealand’s Great Walks. As you will be sharing a bunk room with ~40 other people, ear plugs are a must for light sleepers as well as a torch/headlamp to get around at night (solar powered lights are only available in the kitchen area).
For food and utensils, definitely pack a lightweight pot to heat up water and a thermos or mug for those life-saving cups of tea at the end of a cold, wet day of walking. Trampers brought a combination of dehydrated meals and dried pasta for dinner, and high energy snacks to eat on the go during the day such as chocolate, muesli bars, cheese, crackers, deli meat, hard bread, spreads, and canned/packet tuna. Whatever you bring, be a tidy kiwi and take all your rubbish with you as there is no waste disposal system at any of the huts.
In addition to the suggested list of essential tramping gear, a comfy pair of sandals and an evening outfit is recommended in case your day clothes become wet. The huts’ wood burners are the best place to dry these items of clothing in the event of poor weather.
Tips and tidbits
Bunk allocation goes by a first-come-first-served basis. At Luxmore Hut, there is a smaller bunk room for those who prefer sharing with less people (potentially less noisy), and at Iris Burn Hut, the room above the kitchen and wood burner would be preferable on a cold night.
Watch out for those cheeky kea! The rangers will touch base with you at 7.30pm each night and warn you about these mischievous birds. Keep your clothing and boots out of reach on hooks or you may be walking home with only one shoe!
From Iris Burn Hut to Moturau Hut, the track is fairly easy going with minimal changes in elevation. Since there is always a shuttle at Rainbow Reach carpark at 10am and 3pm, you can easily skip the third night stay at Moturau Hut and continue another 90 minutes to Rainbow Reach. The shuttle (14NZD cash pp, no need to pre-book unless you would like a 4 or 5pm shuttle) will take you back to the Kepler Carpark to retrieve your car. Alternatively, there is a handy phone number on the noticeboard at Rainbow Reach for Te Anau Taxis, if you happen to finish early or have a group of 3 or more (40NZD to Kepler Carpark). After chatting to other trampers, it was clear no-one planned to walk the extra 2 hours from Rainbow Reach to Kepler Carpark as by then, we all had very sore knees!
There is a surprising amount of cellphone reception throughout the track, but none at Iris Burn Hut.
You can also book the huts in the reverse direction – if you are doing this as a 4 day tramp, only 1 of these days is tough, vs 2 tough days going anti-clockwise like we did.
For more information about the Kepler Track, click here, and for a recap of our trip in video form, check out the clip below 🙂 Happy watching!