One of the 9 great walks, this track has to be one the more accessible of the lot being only about 2 hours drive from Queenstown. The best thing of all however is that it’s a loop track just a short distance from the small town of Te Anau making it one of the easier multi-day hikes to plan logistically.
Time to complete
3-4 Days
Accommodation style
Back-country hut, Camping
Track type
Loop Track
Distance
60km
Difficulty
Easy-Medium
Bookings required
All Huts and campsites
Spend the night at the Alpine Luxmore Hut
Explore the Luxmore Caves
Climb to the top of Mt Luxmore (1472m) for 360 degree views
Walk along some of the best ridgeline tracks in New Zealand
Visit the impressive Iris Burn Falls
Some of the best forest tracks New Zealand has to offer
This walk is one of the three great walks located in Fiordland National park. This are of New Zealand is special due to the amount of rainfall received every year and subsequently the forests are lush and the water pristine. The Kepler track starts about 5km out of the small town Te Anau and makes it’s way up from the shores of Lake Te Anau - the largest freshwater lake in Australasia by water volume - up over a portion of the Kepler Mountain Ranges and then down alongside a river through increasingly impressive forests until it meets Lake Manapouri and then heads back to Te Anau. The Huts are well equipped, the scenery is exceptional and the tracks are to a very high standard making it one of our premier trails. It’s got a fantastic taste of most of what the South Island of New Zealand has to offer with a great set of side trips along the way.
Track condition
-Excellent condition all around however expect to get wet feet if it’s raining
-The second day involves walking along exposed ridge-lines which are impassable during strong winds
Optionals
-The luxmore caves are a short walk from Luxmore Hut and are explorable if there hasn’t been any heavy rainfall. Take your torch and you can go 100m in quite comfortably and further if desired.
-Close to Iris Burn Hut is Iris Burn waterfall which is worth the trip
The trail starts at Kepler Track Carpark which can be reached by a short and cheap shuttle trip from Te Anau town or walked to as it’s only about 5km away. The trail then finishes at the same location OR can be finished at the Rainbow Reach Carpark for those who don’t want to complete the entire 60km (reduces to 51km). The extra 9km is a pleasant walk and more or less flat so it’s not that much extra effort to do the entire loop
Trail start and finish location: Kepler Track Trailhead
Alternate finish location: Rainbow Reach Carpark
-Huts:
Well equipped high quality great walk huts with Gas Provided, flushing toilets (great walk season only), comfortable bunk rooms
-Camping:
The trail has campsites with their own shelters too with usage of the Flush Toilets possible
-Booking:
Note that all huts and campsites need to be pre-booked during the great walk season
-Back-country hut pass:
Cannot be used
All the alpine areas in New Zealand are extremely unpredictable. There can be snow storms in the middle of summer (I’ve experienced this first hand on the Kepler track) and the Alpine areas of this track are very exposed making hikers vulnerable to any inclement weather. Safety locator beacons aren’t required outside of winter as the trail is popular and well formed but we recommend you take one outside of great walk season.
Summer Alpine | Example packing list
Spring / Autumn Alpine | Example packing list
Being an alpine crossing, the ridge lines are not recommended for winter hiking unless adequate safety gear is carried (crampons, ice axe, etc) however is it possible to make a smaller trip avoiding the second day section of the trail. An overnight trip to Luxmore Hut would be my recommendation or a 2-3 day trip to the Iris Burn Hut and back again if forests, rivers and waterfalls are more your thing.
Department of conservation website | Fiordland National Park Weather
13.8km | 4.5-6 hours
1-1.5hr | 5.6km
The track starts off with an easy stroll through the beach forest near the shore of Lake Te Anau. Brod Bay campsite and shelter is met and is a good spot for a quick rest before the climb to Luxmore Hut.
3-4.5hr | 8.2km
From here the track becomes increasingly steep, passing some limestone bluffs, then as higher elevations are met, the trees start to become shrouded in moss before finally emerging above the tree line. It’s a challenging climb but very rewarding. Once above the tree line the track flattens out and Luxmore Hut is soon reached.
Side trips:
-Visit the Luxmore limestone caves. They’re close to the hut and access is easy via some stairs that have been built to reach the entrance. The first 50-100m of the cave are easy to explore but be sure to take a good torch and a backup.
Luxmore Hut really is one of the most scenic in the country
14.6km | 5-6 hours
2-2.5hr | 5.6km | Forest Burn Shelter
Continuing over the tops, the track heads toward Iris Burn Hut with two emergency shelters along the way. There are some moderate climbs heading to Forest Burn shelter and a good side trip noted below.
1.5hr | 8.2km | Hanging Valley Shelter
Continuing along the ridge lines, eventually you’ll arrive at Hanging Valley Shelter with some excellent views of the surrounding mountains on the way.
1.5-2hr | 8.2km | Iris Burn Hut
From here the descent to Iris Burn Hut starts. Follow the ridge line down and enter the tree line at the end. The descent from here is moderate and has switchbacks most of the down to the hut
Side trips:
-30min return
Once at the hut, Iris Burn falls is only a 10-15 minute walk away
Day 2 is full of epic vistas like the one above
16.2km | 5-6 hours
2.5-3hr | Rocky Point Shelter
The track for the remainder of the trip is predominantly down hill with some small climbs from time to time. About half an hour in, the forest turns into a clearing with good bird spotting potential before heading back into tree cover alongside the river
2.5-3hr | Moturau Hut
Continuing along the side of the river, Moturau Hut will be reached in about 2.5hrs. It’s right on the lakeside and provides a nice setting to relax and unwind.
Moss covered forest floors are common in the forested sections of the trail
15.5km | 4-5.5 hours
1.5-2hr | Rainbow Reach Carpark
Heading towards the first carpark with similar conditions under tree cover, a good side trip is the lookout over the swampy area along the way. Finish at Rainbow Reach Carpark if you have organised transport to here or continue along the track to Kepler Track Carpark. The Rainbow Reach Carpark bridge is a good side trip for those continuing.
2.5-3.5hr | Kepler Track Carpark
This part of the track is full of gentle undulations and is generally quite easygoing being mostly flat.
Bridge connecting the Rainbow Reach Carpark to the trail
Some of the best ridge line tracks in New Zealand
Cheeky Kea birds hanging out at Luxmore Hut
Instagram spot between Luxmore Hut and Iris Burn Hut
Iris Burn Falls
South Island Robin - Always curious
Waiau Pass Route
A diverse landscape with pristine alpine lakes and several mountain passes to navigate
Milford Track
NZ’s most popular walk through ‘The land of the perpendicular’
