The Kepler Track

Distance: 60 km loop

Duration: 3-4 days

The Great Walks in NZ are kept to a very high standard and are an absolute pleasure to walk on.
On all the Great Walks you get the option to stay in huts or camp the duration of your walk. 
During walking season the huts have wood fires, gas stoves, flushing toilets, a comfy sleeping mat for everyone who books and a Ranger/Warden to help with any issues. They limit hikers to around 40 a day on the more popular walks which you have to pay for months in advance to stop huge amounts of people destroying the area. 
Walking season is October - April but outside this time there is no fee, limit on people, gas, warden, wood or flush toilets. Just horrible track conditions with heaps of snow and the possibilities of avalanches.

The Kepler Track starts and finished at the Kepler Track Car Park. It can be completed in any direction.

Te Anau to Kepler Track carpark

Time: 45 min
Distance: 2 km

Kepler Track carpark to Broad Bay

Time: 1 hr 30 min
Distance: 5.6 km

Broad Bay to Luxmore Hut

Time: 3 hr 30 - 4 hr 30 min
Distance: 8.2 km

Luxmore Hut to Iris Burn Hut

Time: 5 – 6 hr
Distance: 14.6 km

Iris Burn Hut to Moturau Hut

Time: 5–6 hr
Distance: 16.2 km

Moturau Hut to Rainbow Reach

Time: 1 hr 30 min - 2 hr
Distance: 6 km

Rainbow Reach to Kepler Track carpark

Time: 2 hr 30 min – 3 hr 30 min
Distance: 9.5 km

The Kepler Track threw a fair bit of average weather in our direction on the first day. We got around 40mil of rain and 100km winds on the walk up the hill so it was a rather miserable way to start the treck. When we arrived at Luxmore Hut our boots were soaked through and the hut was packed. We quickly tried to dry our gear and get some hot food into us before we headed to bed for an early night.
The next morning we took our time leaving so we didn't get caught up with all the other walkers. When we got up the summit of Mt Luxmore it was nothing but cloud obscuring the view which was a little disappointing. On a positive note a few kms later it all opened up on the ridgeline. Oh wow I tell you it was sure worth it! What a view! The couple of hours we spent walking around the ridge were some of the most memorable hours I've ever spent. I would walk a week in the rain just to experience that again. 
The rest of the walk was incredibly nice but it was no comparison to the second day on that ridgeline. 
Just get out and do it! 

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