Kepler Track
It has been 23 years since I last walked the Kepler Track so what has changed? Well the track is still in the same place with ongoing improvements and forced modifications. The huts were the most noticeable difference. It looked like they had been on steroids, being much larger now.
After departing at 2pm on Friday for the Te Anau Holiday Park we arrived as the rain began. The forecast for the weekend was awful but we are the optimists.
Saturday at 8:30am we were transported to Rainbow Reach by Tracknet where we crossed the Waiau River on a long swingbridge to begin our journey to Iris Burn hut 22kms away which would require most of the daylight hours. This was going to be a hard ask as the pathway was lined in a
“guard of honour” style with so many different coloured and shaped fungi to view and our photographers in the group were forever stopping to capture this amazing show.
The day was overcast with broken cloud, temperature mild and the bush ever so colourful after the rain: couldn’t have been better.
A snack at Moturau Hut and some more photos of the glassy lake with snow capped peaks in the background, a photographers dream.
The group had split up to do their own thing, but came together past Rocky Point for lunch.
While crossing the site of the Big Slip of 1984, it showed me how time and nature can repair the appearance of these major events, as I looked back on photos taken 23 years ago when it was quite raw.
At last Iris Burn Hut appears, no one in residence. After getting the fire going we walked 20mins to view the Iris Burn Waterfall, a short distance further on from the hut. It was turning on a great show as we were dampened by the spray.
The rain had returned as we were joined by four more people for the night in the hut. Our party retired early to ready ourselves for the uphill journey next day, but the weather gods had different plans to keep us awake. As the rain intensified the lightning show began closely followed by thunder. At the height of the front pasing over the thunder shook the hut, what an amazing force.
All to soon it was Sunday morning, rain still falling and misty on the tops. Breakfast over, hut cleaned our party moved out at their own pace heading for the many zig zags to the bush line. With the nights downpour we were treated to a spectacular show of force while crossing a bridge spanning a steep side stream of the Iris Burn. This white raging mass of water was a highlight in my many years of tramping. The bushline reached and ahead the many manmade ladders of steps await us. Once on the ridge leading to Hanging Valley Shelter the driving wind-blown rain attacked but it wasn’t long before we reached the shelter for an early lunch. The rain eased when leaving with the wind behind us now we made our way through some slushy snow across the exposed ridges to the Forest Burn Shelter. From here it was mostly downhill to the warmth of Luxmore Hut. While sharing the hut with a party of scouts who were staying for two nights it made for a very warm and noisey place. The afternoon cloud lifted revealing fine views of Lake Te Anau and its surroundings, giving cause for more photos.
A head torch start on Monday gave us a view of Te Anau township twinkling in the early light. The track was all downhill to Brod Bay passing the impressive limestone bluffs en-route. With the lake calm, air still and clear skies the last section to the Control Gates was walked reflecting on a very enjoyable tramp.After a shower at the holiday park and lunch in Te Anau we set off towards Oamaru.
The team of Bronwyn, Phyllis, Noel, Bill, Neville, Sam and Maurice.
Whats next ?
