I'm back! Sorry for the hiatus, but there was Christmas and work has been busy. Finally got a chance to escape for a long weekend of gallivanting in New Zealand's Fiordland. I promise this will more than make up for the long time between posts.
Preamble
New Zealand's Department of Conservation has a series of multi-day hikes set up throughout the country called "Great Walks". They are meant to showcase New Zealand's beauty, promote conservation, and attract tourists from around the world. They are well advertised, and the people we encountered on our hike were generally from outside NZ. The tracks are extremely well maintained and have fairly nice "accommodations" (huts) spaced at relatively equal intervals (about 6 hours of solid hiking). The tracks are extremely accessible and generally accommodate people of all hiking experience. As far as I know, nothing quite like this exists in the United States.
Kepler Track
The Kepler Track is a Great Walk that was very carefully designed (versus others that evolved from old hiking trails). It lies in the southwest corner of New Zealand's South Island in what is known as Fiordland, an area carved out by glaciers in the last ice age. It is a 60 kilometer (37 miles) loop that begins and ends in the mountain town of Te Anau. There are 3 huts spaced at somewhat equal intervals along the track, but some trampers (that's what they're called in NZ) complete the circuit in 3 days / 2 nights rather than 4 days / 3 nights. The huts feature 40-50 bunk, a large kitchen (gas stoves) and dining area, and flush toilets. While you do have to pack all your food for 4 days and take all your trash out, the huts make for a extremely pleasant experience.
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| 8 hour drive from Christchurch to Te Anau |
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| Map of the Kepler Track |
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| Profile of the Kepler Track - 1200m (4000ft) total gain |
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DAY 1 - Control Gates to Luxmore Hut
The first day starts with a meandering flat walk through the Beech forest along Lake Te Anau. The forest is vivid green with mossy cover and tall ferns and is very reminiscent of Endor from Return of the Jedi (though I didn't see any Ewoks). There is a nice shelter at Brod Bay about 2 hours into a 6 hour hike that marks a good spot to stop for a snack. Shortly after this rest, the trail begins to ascend the 900m (3000ft) to Luxmore Hut. The climb is arduous, but you are rewarded with panoramic views of Lake Te Anau and the surrounding peaks when you go above the bush line. Luxmore Hut is a nice one with 55 bunks (completely full). The four of us (Erik, Jane, and Erin) enjoyed tortellini for dinner. Enjoy the photos below.
FULL ALBUM HERE.
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| Departing the Carpark. Me, Jane (coworker), Erin (Jane's friend), and Erik (coworker) |
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| Beautiful Beech Forest (Endor) |
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| Somebody threw a blanket of moss over everything |
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| Crossing a footbridge in the Beech Forest |
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| Common sight. Shallow-rooted overturned tree peels up the earth. |
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| Emerging above the bush line after about 3 hours of intense uphill |
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| Luxmore Hut and view |
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| View from Luxmore Hut as the sun sets |
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| Sun setting |
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| Bunks in Luxmore Hut |
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| Kitchen at Luxmore Hut |
DAY 2 - Luxmore Hut to Iris Burn Hut
The second day is far and away the most scenic. You spend 4 of the 6 hours above the treeline and hiking across a ridge. The ridge path was generally 3+ feet wide, but some of the drop-offs on either side were extreme. The wind was constant at 30-40 mph and probably gusting to 50. However, the skies were clear and we really lucked out.
LOOK AT THIS ALBUM!!!
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| Departing Luxmore Hut |
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| View of the Fiord |
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| The views don't stop |
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| The Flag at Mt. Luxmore summit! |
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| The South Fiord |
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| The South Fiord |
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| The ridge line |
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| Starting the descent. |
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| View from the Iris Burn Hut |
DAY 3 - Iris Burn Hut to Moturau Hut
Day 3 finally flattens out for the most part. You spend the majority of your time next to the Moturau River and engrossed in Beech Forest.
FULL ALBUM HERE.
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| Leaving Iris Burn Hut |
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| Gorgeous 45 ft waterfall |
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| Playing with my camera's shutter speed |
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| 3ft freshwater eel |
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| Moturau River |
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| Fern Forest |
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| Moturau Hut |
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| Night shot at the lake |
DAY 4 - Moturau Hut to Rainbow Reach
We cut the last day a bit short by catching a 10AM shuttle by the Rainbow Reach Swing Bridge...to make the 8 hour car drive a little less bad on Sunday night.
FULL ALBUM HERE.
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| Swing Bridge |
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| Rainbow Reach Swing Bridge |
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| Finally off the track. |
