For the uninitiated the Kepler Track is a high alpine hike located in Fiordland, (the very south west corner of the South Island of NZ). And is named for Johannes Kepler, a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer (famed for his laws of planetary motion) and who had a spacecraft named for him too. No mention on Wikipedia if he was a keen hiker. Perhaps so.
Fiordland is dominated by a temperate rainforest. Two other 'NZ Great walks' are in the region. The Milford Track and The Routeburn, both are also multi day tramps. Where the Kepler differs from the other two is that it is circular walk starting and finishing in Te Anau. Negating any need to book transport, park up, do the long walk back to your current position. That said if you choose to do the walk in 3 days instead of 4 then there's a bus from Rainbow Reach carpark. But you do need to book this in advance.
So far I had done both the other two. The Milford in 2009, and the Routeburn in 2014. The Kepler presented a familiar challenge. Carrying hefty rucksack with lots of kit up into alpine high country. My previous ‘nz great’ walks have yielded wonderful memories but damn all in the way of photography. Which brings me to the weather it’s wet. Most places measure rainfall in inches, some others in feet. Fiordland measures annual rainfall in metres, 9 metres last year. In fact my arrival in the area coincided with an extreme weather warning for the area as a cyclone was due to hit from the Pacific. Charming! I couldn’t wait to get out there.
Begin at the beginning which for me was the number on the luggage scales, it told a very unhappy truth. A shade over 23 kg. About 50lbs. An uncomfortable number (however I have lugged heavier backpacks). The most penal was a 28kg one along the West Coast Trail. Not a very bright move as I wore the soles off my feet on that occasion. Oh well 23 kg I was destined to get fit quick this week then.
Day 1 of 3
It was early for me (7.30 am) and a heavy dew coated the grass of the campgrounds. The heavens a glorious hue of purest Lapis Lazuli. I headed to the Department of Conservation office on the edge of lake Te Anau. I already had my track pass but they post the most up-to-date weather report. Which given the impending cyclone seemed a good thing to inform myself about. Kepler was supposedly going to be dappled by a bit of drizzle. Really? I didn’t believe that at all. Torrential rain Yes, drizzle ? Na.
From the DOC I headed to the start of the walk some 3km's further clockwise along Lake Te Anau. Which looked wonderfully clear in the morning sunshine. There is simply no finer place to be than NZ when theres a gap in the troubled weather patterns. The slight breeze left few traces on the mirror like surface of the lake.
Owing in part to the absence of very much else wildlife to take notice of I seem to become an ornithologist when I’m there. (Just like almost everyone else who visits NZ). Birds were tickling their vocal chords and several Tui’s tunefully lent a distinctly modernist soundtrack to the start of my hike.
I cinched the waistband of the rucksack another notch tighter and enjoyed the crunch of the evenly graded gravel path. Not far along the lakeside path I came across the 'Punanga Manu o Te Anau' bird sanctuary. A cage held a good number of Takehe, birds I’d only seen a few times before in Wellington’s Zealandia bird Sanctuary. Once thought to be extinct they were found in a valley next to the route of the Kepler.
The Tui’s continued to chirp away and all was well. I reached the barrier gate in good time. The car park held held a healthy number of cars mini bus camper vans, That suggested to me a lot of people were out there already and a large party of students were preparing to start as I arrived. I nipped out ahead of them.
The track from the barrier gate was a charming undulating walk through a leafy forest. Tree ferns covering the forest floor. Beaches forming an emerald canopy above me. The trail closely followed the edge of the lake. Day walkers were in evidence. Distinguishable from the hikers by the absence of oversize rucksacks.
I came across a group of newly minted visitor ornithologists who were intently gazing into the foliage. The object of their attention turned out to be fantail. Tail up and putting on a fine dance on a nearby log.
It was a perfect day for holiday snaps blue vaulted heavens and shimmering highlights on the lake beside me. The camera had it’s first outings as I took aim at the brilliance around me. I felt there was no hurry, the track guide suggested the first day was the easiest. I made the Brod Bay campsite about 11am. But I wasn’t staying there, my destination was Luxmore hut further along the trail. Brod bay has a sandy beach, several kayaks were resting in a neat row it was irresistable so I slipped out of my boots and had a paddle. When my feet were pleasingly numb from their exposure I sat down to have tea and an early lunch. The education group from the Barrier Gate car park were having a break too and I chatted to Jason one of their leaders. We chatted amiably about the walk ahead. It turned out he was a combined guide and safety person, this was to be his 38th Kepler Walk. On this glorious day I would happily traded his office for my own.
I soon found myself alone as he and his party left. Jason putting on his rucksack by the simple expedient of lifting it vertically and dropping over his shoulders. Apparently it reduced the possibility of torsion injury. I thought of my own over heavy pack. Nope not doing that.
Lunch stop over I belatedly followed behind the education party. The trail immediately showed some teeth by turning uphill and winding a gruelling path through the same dense greenery in which i’d started my tramp.
Birdsong drew me on another fantail swooped and perkily flirted its tail at me. Later a black robin stood resolute in the centre of the path daring me to go past. I was almost level before it decided something 100 times it’s body mass wasn’t to be messed with. It cocked it’s head then flitted off to knee height perch to the left, I was allowed to pass and I tipped an imaginary hat in thanks as I went by.
As I progressed the foliage changed, less ferns more beaches, more moss and lichens clinging to everything. I passed Jason and a small group of students the lesson sounded very much like geology. The incline and heavy backpack took a toll on my legs and I began to take pauses. 100 steps , p a u s e, 100 steps , p a u s e ….and so forth. At length I came to another party of students lounging on a rock ledge having a ‘second lunch’ Noisy excited chatter still as boisterous as the start of their adventure. Mobile phones a visible presence and being used. I found later that there was good signal at Luxmore Hut.
Onwards and upwards I carried on, the trees no longer towered above. Their stature diminishing the higher I went.
As I carried on the tree canopy came down to meet me the higher I went. The real indication that I’d done the majority of the ‘climb’ was the alpine treeline, where trees give way to the grassy tussocks for which the Kepler is famed. I felt I must be close for a good twenty minutes or more. Happily the gradient relaxed a bit but I toiled uphill with exactly the same thought rattling around. “treeline must be the next corner”. Eventually it was the ‘next corner’ and I emerged into a BIG sky of glorious sunshine. The landscape ahead was devoid of trees. Tuffs of tussocks about a foot tall stretched away from me.
I am a devoted fan of grasses and reeds. My photographic radar starts twitching looking for panoramic possibilities. The grassy tussocks were a subdued hue compared to many images I’ve seen. A slightly more orange than average hayfield. I later learned that the grass flowers biannually and the vivid colour relates to that. My bad luck, they flowered last year. By the way these were the smaller variety of tussocks. The larger and as I understand it more rare variety can be seen in a conservation area on the road into Te Anau. To my eyes the landscape still looked great. I became intent on photography and ceased to make much progress along the track, the education group marched past.
The first hut on the anti clockwise trail is Luxmore Hut, elegantly positioned facing the direction I’d just come. With a wonderful view panoramic of Lake Te Anau. The education party had taken residence en masse leaving only a few choices of bunk. But any bunk in the mountains is luxury so I was happy. Rucksack stowed I immediately went off to see what else was around. It was at least two hours to sunset, and whilst I had no great expectations a photo foray was well merited. I took just my trusty dlsr a 35mm lens and a tripod.
The sun was still high and despite the altitude it made everything look very flat. I spent a happy hour or so scurrying around the hill. As the sun left the horizon all the energy left my legs, I was done in. I headed downhill to the bunkhouse passed in the other direction by a couple intent on reaching the summit for a nightscape.
The bunkhouse was noisy and warm. Ten people cooking at once on the gas stoves was like having some heating on. I found a workspace and made a credible effort at one of my trademark stirfry. I make no culinary claims but it did nicely fill the hole in my stomach. At this point I had a half formed an idea to have a go at astro photography, a couple of hours in my sleeping bag, then up at 11 or midnight. This was a mere pipe dream. As soon as I laid down I was lost in the arms of morpheus till morning.
Day 2 of 3
Most people get up early when out on trail. The bunkhouse activity roused me before dawn. That’s ok I’d slept well. By the time I was ready to leave the daily weather report had been posted. Outside it was overcast already, and the predictions for fiordland were quite serious, particularly for Routeburn and Milford. Amazingly Kepler was only predicted to get light rain / drizzle later in the afternoon. I didn’t need any encouragement to start promptly. Of course there were plenty of people ahead of me. Including some who decided it was a good idea to start in the dark. Well good luck to them. I like to actually see the landscape. And getting the most well appointed bunk is of no consequence.
I retraced the route I’d taken the previous evening. Behind me the cultivated Te Anau valley gleamed a vibrant green. Of course I fired off the odd snap or two! I snaked up the even gravel path glancing back frequently. As previously advised there was a brook high up beside the path. It’s water was reputedly fit to drink without filtration or chem cleansing. I’d only put a small amount in the camel backwater bladder at the outset. Well any wieght saving seemed worthwhile, even if temporary. As I progressed up the hill slower than most I was passed by groups of different people. One group who passed me were 3 young women. Assuredly chattering as they went. I noted one had a limp. The other two were walking ahead then pausing for their companion. Glad to see they were working as a group. They were a group I was to see a few times later on.
By the time I’d made it to the ridgeline, cloud base was significantly lower, and a breeze made waterproofs and gloves a very good idea. I was happy to forgo the side trip to the Luxmore Summit. Getting higher really wouldn’t improve the view in my opinion. But there were plenty of takers, who left their rucksacks at the trail junction.
I passed the girl with a limp who was now on her own. Concerned I said hello. It turned out she was ahead of her companions who were making the side trip to the summit. I carried along the ridgeline in the footsteps of the early risers. Pausing at length for photographs. Long enough for the limping hiker to overtake me. As the path hugged the contour line she was frequently in view, then out as the path took a turn.
On one occasion I turned a corner to see her leaning down as if to retie her shoelaces above her I watched as a pair of kea wheeled on the wind. One flew off on the breeze whilst the other attempted a landing her rucksack. I think the only reason it chose not to land was that she abruptly stood upright and it too wheeled on the wind and glided rapidly down the valley.
The scale of the fiordland peaks were grand, peaks were clipped by low clouds and lakes filling the valley floors more often than not. In one a small boat charted a course across an imaginary centre line. The ridge is the most exposed section of the kepler. My guess is this could get grim very quickly. Happily the inclement weather always seemed on the next hilltop. It wasn’t exactly benign, as the wind whipped the waterproofs around my legs.
Walkers were strung out in front of me at 800m intervals bent at angles battling their way forward. I stopped here and there for photos but the first real break was at Forest Burn shelter. It was pretty much full of hikers by the I arrived. Finding a corner near the door I sat cross legged and with the aid of my trusty butane burner I soon had a reviving cuppa. No one in the shelter looked particularly energetic. Munching and sipping a wide variety of snacks biscuits, nuts, noodles or even egg rolls. The girl with the limp was resting back to the far wall. As the crowd thinned we struck up a conversation Apparently she’d had both Anterior Cruciate Ligaments rebuilt in surgery the previous summer. This was her fist hike since surgery. A heavy pack wan’t helping things for her. However she was ahead of her friends. I offered to heat some water for a coffee which she accepted. She was cradling the coffee happily as I left the shelter..
The trail took a sharp left on a downward angle, and the view changed entirely. The blackest clouds were behind me and a glimpse of blue graced the sky.
An hour later I go to short sidewalk takes you to a viewpoint for the Iris Burn Valley. My kind of sidetrip.
At the foot of the sidetrip the trail takes an abrupt right hand turn and the trails drops to the treeline through an intense series of hairpins. The first trees were stunted and twisted and lichens, notoriously sensitive to polution the Lichens attested to the pristine quality of the wilderness.
as you approach the valley floor a birdseye view of the treetops.
Getting to the Iris Burn takes a lot longer than the map might suggest. But route follows the water course and drinkable fresh water is a wonderful reward even on a chilly day. In fact I was enjoying rest at the waterside when I happened to learn the girl with limp was having problems. So reaching the cabin I took a snpa of the view. Dropped my rucksack on a bunk and went back to relieve the stress and carry her backpack down to the cabin. She was only a half an hour back up the trail ( needless to say it was a well received offer.)
Day 3 of 3
The plan, was to walk the rest of the hike in one day. In effect miss out on one full day of the usual hike. Only because the last hut was already full when I booked. This meant I had no time for extended photography on the last day, the camera would stay safe (and dry) in my backpack. I meant to march out. Particularly as the foul weather that had closed both the Milford and Routeburn tracks was threatening to arrive at the Kepler as well. Despite the drizzle I dressed lightly. In the shelter of the valley I was expecting to work up a head of steam. There would be no wind chill today.
I didn't fret over the choice not to take photos. I would enjoy the walk, and it was familiar terrain (unlike the high alpine of day 2) Additionally the entire day was to be spent walking inside the very familiar temperate rain forest that NZ does so well. A birch /beach/ moss and fern combination that can readily be experienced on many fine day walks. Okay so I'm rationalising, the Kepler forest is definitely a pristine example of Fiordland temperate rain forest. I could have had a fine time with the camera . Moss, fungi in profusion. Water on every surface simply NZ at it's very best.
Still my mission was to walk out to Rainbow Reach car park and meet the bus. Thereby saving myself 14kms. Given a heavy pack and a lengthy hike, meeting the bus was a welcome prospect. Particularly with rain threatening.
In contrast to the previous two days I was on the move early. Out keeping pace with the go getters that keenly count the km's in their haste to put the landscape behind themselves. A strategy that misses much I value about these experiences. Still today I was head down and walking at a high cadence on the gradual descent following the eponymous Iris Burn. My choice to dress lightly seemed confirmed by the trampers i passed as they changed out of their heavy clothes. the forest smelt wet, a slightly dank odour that seems to me to be a heady concoction of advanced decay and fresh new growth. Birdsong was notable only by it's absence. The occasional chirp echoed in the canopy, but none that I could readily identify. Mostly I heard the murmers of other trampers. The exception was one socially minded couple who had attached a sound system to the outside of a backpack. From which they broadcast an audiobook at a volume that intruded on me from 50 yards away. Blissfully unaware of my annoyance they smiled cheerily as I marched past. They must have had a similar plan to mine to march out as our paces seemed to syncronise. So much so that their presence became a repeated intrusion into my private space as we jockeyed for placing on the hike. It seemed any pause I made and they would cheerily march past, and vice versa.
And of course early on I came to a scene that I really 'had' to make a stop for. It's called the big slip and is a moonscape of large rocks. What made it unique 'to me' were the amazing lichens that had colonised the rubble. A light rain (not visible in this image) meant i was a bit protective of my dlsr. The body is robust and 'weatherproof' according to the blurb, the lens was not. So I made a 'cheeky' handheld pano, dried and stowed my kit. As I carried on the rain pressed in harder and I walked past the larger portion of the moonscape. I'd definitely missed the 'shot', it looked a wonderful and unusual area to explore. Rain drove me away, I was happy to get back under the tree canopy. Perhaps I shall get another chance at the 'big slip' I certainly hope so.
Typically the rain eased almost immediately, still there was no turning back for me. I marched on. The path was mostly graded gravel, level walking with little chance of turning an ankle. The terrain was infinite variations of a theme, but it was trees, moss, black rocks and a stream. Very pleasant indeed, I could easily imagine on a sunny day that shafts of 'god' rays would filter between the tree branches creating a very different atmosphere. But it wasn't that day. It was a day that even the wildlife seemed to have decided to stay tucked up in bed.
Rocky Point shelter was the second 'landmark' on the third day. With so few 'points of note' and no mile or km markers it was good to know my rate of progress. It's also where I came across the first of the hikers walking the kepler 'clockwise'. I enquired how long they'd been on the trail. Sadly language was a barrier. By sign language, and smiles I determined they'd been walking for about 2 hours.
To my eyes both women seemed slightly out of puff, I wondered if they had any inkling of how steep the trail would get past the Iris Burn Hut. We made cheery waves and went our opposite directions. I was irrationally pleased I was walking the route 'counter clockwise'. To my mind the correct way. Still I'd heard that people often walk parts of the Kepler rather than the entire route. Which may explain why Monturau Hut was already full by the time I tried to book it, whilst the Iris Burn and Luxmore Huts had quite a few vacancies.
The route continued in a pleasant meandering alongside the Iris Burn, sometimes it wandered off but we rejoined it as it grew from a mere stream into a larger, stronger watercourse. Unexpectedly the trail took a sharp left and I was making a steep ascent. The terrain had been so uniform I just wasn't expecting it. and my legs immediately complained. The audiobook returned and I redoubled my efforts. It may have only been a short uphill interlude however it severely dampened my mood. Drizzle was collecting on the leaves and becoming a light rain with heavy raindrops falling in the canopy. Midday arrived and I'd anticipated being at Moturau Hut by now. I was overdue a break. and I was sipping water as the audiobook went past. Just round the corner and I was beside a lake. On the map this was Shallow Bay. Progress hooray. Three cheers for me. I arrived at the Hut half an hour later. I nipped into the facilities then hit the beach to have lunch.
The drizzle redoubled ... I camped under a tree, set up the butane burner and unpacked the camera. (Well I can resist the panorama temptation only so long) A hot drink on any walk seems a luxury, this one felt almost medicinal. Chicken soup, croutons, followed by a cuppa (yes PG James) and several digestive biscuits. I'd skipped breakie to make an early start (well I was still full of the stir fry I'd cooked the previous evening)
The image is sombre, but with a hot drink I was in a distinctly happy mood when I took the snap. As were all the people gathered on the beach. I swapped camera tips with a pair of friendly Germans lads who were eyeing my tripod with a degree of envy. Their own tripod was eminently portable, but stood only 6 inches tall. What is not captured in this image is the speed of the clouds across the terrain. They moved with a speed more often seen in timelapse movies. I lingered on the beach till some sandflies arrived to spoil the party.
I was elated, but ready for the walk to end so the last part of the tramp seemed to go on for a long time. The forest thinned and the audiobook went marching past. Notable spots marked on the map seemed dull by comparison of things I seen the previous two days. So I barely paused at the 'fragile wetlands' or at the Waiau River.
I caught up with the audiobook which was turned off as a miniature army of school children advanced up the trail towards us. We stepped aside. They were a uniform 3ft tall and obviously not going far. A teacher towering over his charges gave a cheery grin. I fained exhaustion,
"Please tell me it's not much farther ...." i said.
He laughed and said. "no, it's just around the corner". and he was right, it was.