I’d heard about em, I’d chatted about em, and I’d seen countless advertisements for them. The Great Walks are staples of tourism here in New Zealand. When I’d arrived in Te Anau, I hadn’t planned on doing one seeing as I was without sleeping bag, stove, pots’n’pans, or camp food. However after chatting with a few friendly folks in the hostel, I discovered all you really need is a good pack, some form of nourishment for 3 days, and an agreeable attitude towards the cold. After a bit more research at the local Department of Conservation (DOC) office, I was sold.
Unfortunately Joschka and Linda, my traveling companions for the last few days, weren’t as keen. No worries though, they had plans to hit the Milford Sound and I’d likely bump in to them later on in my travels (it’s a small island, after all). I was all geared up to the Kepler Track solo. Then, right after purchasing my hut tickets at the DOC office, I bumped in to two young German guys I’d met in Invercargill. They were planning on doing the Kepler Track as well! They agreed to meet up with me at 7:30am and we’d head off on the trail. Friends! Huzzah!!
The Kepler Track is the longest of the Great Walks in the Fiordlands. The total loop is 60 kilometers (37.28 miles, you imperial system ape), reaches 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) at it’s highest point, and sports spectacular views of Te Anau lake and the mountainous Fiordland. Tough to imagine? Fortunately I took a buttload of pictures along the way for you to view from the comfort of…wherever you are.
My tramping companions were Jakob and Finn, 18 year old German guys in the midst of their gap year before heading off to University sometime next year. The pair had met here in New Zealand, not in Germany, and begun traveling together 3 weeks earlier. It turns out that a TON of Germans work and travel around NZ, it’s the hot place to be. Germany is much more accepting towards the idea of kids taking a year off before heading to college. This may be because their university is a bit more serious (read: less party-centric) than ours is, so the gap year is intended to scratch that “go do something wild and free” itch before they get focused on school. That’s my assumption, let’s go with that…
Finn had a fair bit of English, and Jakob’s was nearly perfect. The two were enthusiastic about hiking as many routes as possible before they left the country. They were also hellbent on beating the tramping time estimates set out on the signposts at the beginning of the track. 6 hours to Luxmore Hut? Bah! We can do it in 3. And that we did.
Once we got above the treeline, the views were epic. I immediately affixed my camera to my trusty pack strap attachment (Peak Design’s Capture) so I could snap photos without hesitation. It was really nice to finally have actual people to photograph instead of just landscapes. It makes the photos SO much more compelling. Since Finn was also in to photography, we forced Jakob to be our model most of the time. He didn’t seem to mind as long as his hair was looking good.
Luxmore Hut is the first stop on this track. It’s ~15km from the start and sports unreal views of Te Anau lake below. The DOC uses the word “hut” loosely…this thing was a mountain chalet with 57 beds and a massive kitchen/common area.
We claimed a couple beds in the bunk room and then set off for the nearest attraction to the hut: the Luxmore Caves. I wasn’t sure what to expect from these caves after the awesome Clifden Caves, but I sure wasn’t ready for these caves to blow the other out of the water.
Unlike the Clifden Caves, the Luxmore caves require a 3 hour hike to get to them, so the folks who visit these caves are much more dedicated to experiencing the outdoors than those just pulling off the side of the road for Clifton. The beauty of this is that nearly ALL of the stalactites and rock formations were still in tact. Visitors didn’t feel the need to fuck these ones up the way they seemed to in Clifden, so the cave was vastly more interesting.
Also, this cave went on FOREVER. We plummed in to the depths for over an hour at a fast pace, and still did not reach the end of the documented cave system. We could’ve kept going for another hour, but eventually we’d had enough rock and thirsted for fresh air.
We were pretty hyped with the day’s adventures at this point, and decided to keep it running by going to the top of Mount Luxmore (the highest point on the hike) to watch the sunset. It was well worth the thigh-burning tramp to the top.
When we finally got back to the hut after dark had fallen, we made some dinner and made some friends before passing out. It turns out the the game of Up Chicken is hilarious no matter what language you speak. The fact that I lugged a bottle of Jameson to the hut made me a popular guy. A good time was had by all.
Okey, I know I’m giving a lot of detail here but keep in mind this is also sorta my journal/account of what’s happening on my trip. Hope I haven't bored you to drooling yet...
The track from Luxmore hut to the Iris Burn hut was the highlight of the trip, by far. The trail was almost entirely above the bush line, following the mountaintop ridges for about 10km. The scenery was breathtaking. That’s where I really put my camera to use. Enough words about it, just check out the pics.
Cool huh?
After a freezing cold night at the Iris Burn hut, we decided finishing up on the track a day early was in order. Fortunately, the track from there back to the parking lot we started at was relatively flat. So we walked…and walked…and walked…for 30 kilometers. A pitstop at the Motorua Hut (where we would have spent the night) marked halftime, then we got after it again. Since this part of the trek was entirely under the bush line (read: in the forest) I just left my camera in my bag and focused on walking.
Every muscle in my legs ached from marching with my heavy pack all day, but I had a massive grin on my face as the parking lot came in to view. It felt awesome to have completed the whole 60km in 3 days. Booyaaa!
Me and the fellas took a selfie, then went off to cheers some beers and get a shower. I splurged and treated myself to a motel room so I could have some privacy to shower and sleep. I slept like a dead man.
Since I apparently can’t stay in one place for more than I day, I took a daytrip up to Milford Sound on Friday. For all the hype, I didn’t think it was as cool as expected. Then again, I’m not sure what could top the mountain views from the Kepler, so maybe I was just spoiled.
Currently posting this puppy from Queenstown- the adventure capital of New Zealand. Not sure what I’m going to do here, but I know it will involve some bungie jumping, skydiving, paragliding, or a little from all three. Keep a weather eye on the horizon for another photo essay from yours truly.
Keegan out.