kepler track

The track is outstanding. Beautifully groomed and in pristine condition. The huts are very clean and there are a couple of areas where you can camp. It is sign posted very well and gives you realistic times together with having a different time for fitter walkers.

Kepler Track was enjoyed amid good break in January weather (Summer in NZ). The strong wind has passed, but the rain did not come till I completed the track. Thank God! Great views on first two days, for moderately fit climbers who complete the track in anti clockwise direction (carry enough water!). Watch out for those mischievous kea (mountain parrot) which do not hesitate to pick up items left outside the building. Keith

Walked this awesome trek in 2013. Although I had been a walker for many years, this was my first multi-day trek. Following failed back surgery in 2010, I was looking for a challenge to motivate me to increase my exercise and beat the invalid tag. We had visited Fiordland twice before and each time walked into the track a little further, walking the control gates to rainbow reach in 2012. I had a few injury setbacks during my training and ultimately just aimed to start the walk with minimal pain. I did lots of planning which I thoroughly enjoyed and managed to get my pack weight down to 9kg. My husband carried the food and cooking gear and ended up with 12kg. We had great gear and were prepared for all weather. I took along a 1m x 400mm piece of memory foam to make the bunks in the DOC huts a little softer. I also took along a large heavy duty garbage bag so that I could lie down if I needed to decompress along the track. This worked really well and as I fatigued I just had a brief rest and then started again. I took a Kindle so that I could rest on my bunk and read as I wasn't able to socialise for long in the evening at the huts. The trek itself was absolutely wonderful. Huts with beautiful views and passionate, entertaining wardens. The beech forest sections of the track were cool and easy walking. I had prepared mentally for the hill on the first day and felt a great sense of achievement at the top. I found the second day was the toughest with quite a lot of climbing, and small descents, finishing off with the 90 or so switchbacks down to the second hut. I was slow and steady and had a laugh when a young athlete preparing for the Kepler Challenge skipped past us along the tops and was 3 peaks away before I had time to stick another band aid on my several hotspots. My biggest fear before the walk was that I would freeze because I have a pretty bad fear of heights. I had visions of embarrassing helicopter rescues but I successfully employed a tactic which has since proved useful on the Routeburn and Milford tracks - I just didn't look up from the path where it dropped off steeply. Worked a treat! Occasionally I would sneak a glance and as the second day along the tops wore on I did get used to the height and my confidence grew because I knew I could control the panic if I needed to. Made the rookie mistake of boots which were too small. They felt great on the limited walking prep I did but I ended up with lots of blisters and 3 less toenails by day 3. Luckily I took a pair of runners and wore those on the final day. I have since bought boots at least one size bigger which have been great for subsequent treks. My only other tip would be to take walking poles. They were awesome and really helped spread the load and take the pressure off the knees and feet. Thanks to DOC and all the volunteers who look after the track. It provides an opportunity for folk like for a grand, spectacular adventure in safety and reasonable comfort.

We had great weather and the scenery 'above the clouds' was wonderful. Huts are somewhat primitive with some of the bunk spaces much more desirable than others. Because of the first come/first served system, the speedy young hikers get the best spots leaving us oldies to struggle with the upper level bunks and difficult access.

We stared at the control gate and walked up to the Luxmore Hut starting at around 9 am. We reserved two tickets for a tracknet bus but we were worried whether we'd make it back in time to make our bus back to Te Anau leaving at 5:10 pm but it was no problem. The track is so beautiful and even though we hiked only a few hours but the landscape change a few times what makes perfect for people who don't want to walk the whole 64 km.

this is a extremely well maintained and not too difficult track. We walked two sections of it, from the control section past Dock Bay the first time, about 1 1/2 hr return and from Rainbow Reach to the Moturau Hut, the 2nd, about 3 hr return. Both were beautiful, but I think I preferred the Rainbow Reach walk and it's views of Lake Manapouri.

Myself and my great friend Brent travelled this Great Walk on February 17th - 19th 2015 with many thoughts, inspirations, challenges and emotions. We had decided to walk the entire length and camp at the two campsites on each side of the mountain. Day 1 we started at 2pm and had a 7 hr hike to the first campsite. Our ambition was high and we decided to take several stops for vacation pictures etc. We arrived at Iris Burn campsite at approx. 9:15 with about 15 minutes to spare to set up out tent and get something going to eat. We purchased a small burner and two small propane tanks to heat up our freeze dried entrees. Day two arrived and was the most challenging day as we had to not only ascent but also descent the mountain to arrive at the second campsite on the other side. Day 2 proved to be the most challenging as we were hiking for 11 hrs to reach our destination. We stopped at beautiful Brod Bay and set up camp for the second time. By the time I reached the end of day 2, my body was completely spent and lacked any energy to do anything. We woke up after a better nights sleep than Day 1, bine and joints still aching. We packed up our stuff and marched on to the finish line which would prove to be the shortest hike (5hrs) but seem like the longest hike. I can honestly say that this has been my Bucket List Trip of my lifetime and I had always pictured myself of being right here, in this place at some point in my life. I have nothing else to say except, Damn!!! I did it and I am so thankful for it. This was the best part of my trip personally and emotionally and I am so glad that I got to spend it with my friend Brent form Sydney Aus. I would really recommend to anyone that is approaching their bucket lists to give this a go. Cheers to all and congrats to all folks who have accomplished. I would recommend one thing to the park itself. It would be much greater if you posted more signs of time to reach destinations along the way.

This track is within walking distance from our motel. Depending on your level of fitness it has 2 to 8 hour hikes,and feel it's suitable for all ages. Well worth the experience.

Incredible experience. This challenged me both physically and mentally but the views and the satisfaction of having done it more than made it all worthwhile. Thank you Department of Conservation for your part in making this available to the world. There is nothing that I can say that will give the Kepler Track justice, just get out there and do it!

Well, when you're 11.5k miles from home with 4 young children you might as well have a different experience and this was it. Outstanding scenery, track and huts. The walking is easy - no problem for our 14 & 13 year olds, the 11 year old thought there should have been fewer cols (saddles) on day 2 according to his map and the 8 year old was tired by the end of day 3 but a swim in Lake Manopouri fixed that. The rather officious iSite staff in Te Anua suggested the track is not recommended for under 10s. Maybe in the winter season with the exposure it could be dangerous but with good weather in the middle of summer there's more risk from the sand flies...

The landscape and views are great. We did just a part of the whole track and it was amazing. Start near the golf course at the parking lot...

We walked Kepler Track Sunday to Wednesday last week. Having completed most of the other NZ Great Walks we can say that this track is truly amazing. Be prepared though for very sudden weather changes: we started in sunny conditions, had sleet and snow all the next day and freezing cold conditions when walking the alpine areas, then descended through the bush in beautiful sunny weather. The standard of the DOC huts is very good and the rangers really helpful. So lucky living in such an amazing country offering experiences like this. Highly recommended.

As per the other Great Walks...this one also blows your mind! Our group received pretty poor weather to the point where it snowed on day two, crossing some of the steeper terrain and ridges. While initially I thought all was lost, I was more than pleasantly surprised at the incredible beauty that the snow provided in transforming the landscape. Stock standard: always pack appropriately for alpine conditions. Even smack bang in the middle of Summer, the snow put my abilities to the test. Well worth the effort as at the end of the day you're treated to very comfortable DoC huts, great company and very informative conversations with the DoC rangers. The hut surroundings provide great exploration, whether you're into the flora or fauna. Definitely a must if you're in the South and got a few days to spare.

The previous day we had hiked on the beautiful Milford Track for a few hours. This day, our host drove us around to the other side of the lake so we could hike some on the Kepler Track. We were always amazed at the variations that could be found in different rainforests. This one, at least in the section that we walked, was covered with low-growing fern as opposed to the taller tree fern we saw elsewhere. There were larger hardwood trees and also a lot of moss growing everywhere and on everything. We were afraid to stand still for fear of becoming moss-covered ourselves. A beautiful and unique rainforest. There was a sign where we got on that said Kiwi Zone, but we didn't see any.

The huts were very comfortable and the rangers were very nice and informative. Make sure you check the weather as a bad day would be awful if you don't have the right gear.