Kepler Track

Walk Overview

This walk is one of New Zealand’s nine “Great Walks” as designated by the New Zealand Government’s Department of Conservation (DOC). It is one of three Great Walks that are located in the famed far south-west “Fiordland” region of New Zealand’s South Island. Whilst very popular, it is slightly less so than the better known Milford Track and Routeburn Track, so can sometimes be accessed when the other two are fully booked.

The walk takes you into a remote, rugged alpine area that boasts dramatic ridgelines, limestone bluffs and spectacular views of the vast surrounding mountain ranges. Walking time above the bush line is longer than for the Routeburn and Milford. Just as enticing  - and more so for some - are the valleys and lakes that lie below the high country. Sections of the walk follow the shoreline of Lake Te Anau, the largest body of fresh water in Australasia, and Lake Manapouri that lays claim to being the most beautiful. The highest point on the track is Luxmore Saddle at 1,400m.

Unlike the Milford and Routeburn tracks, Kepler was purpose-built for walkers. It’s also a relative newcomer having been opened in 1988. It was designed and routed to attract walkers by show casing the best views and features of this part of Fiordland. The track is very well-constructed and maintained, with many boardwalks to protect fragile ecosystems and steps in steep sections.

The walk is a circular walk and can be walked in either direction. Doing the walk in an anti-clockwise direction means that the highly exposed alpine section from Luxmore Hut to Iris Burn Hut is undertaken on Day 2. This section of the track is susceptible to closure due to high winds, snow, whiteouts etc. If that happens and you need to retrace your steps from Luxmore back to the start, you only have one day’s walk. For that reason, the anti-clockwise route is more popular and generally recommended by the DOC.

The Kepler Track is located in the Fiordland National Park, which forms part of the larger South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. The Fiordland National Park itself covers an extraordinary 1.2 million hectares, while the World Heritage Area extends to 2.6 million hectares.

Given its popularity, use of the Kepler Track is quite regulated, especially during the “Great Walk Season” (approximately mid-October to the end of April). There are three DOC huts along the track located at intervals that enable the walk to be done over four days. Camping is only permitted at two designated campsites along the track, meaning that if you want to do the track camping only, you need to do it in three days. During the season, huts and campsites must be pre-booked.

Further information:

• A four day itinerary is described below.

• For more information on walking in the Fiordland National Park, click the button below.

Itinerary

The walk takes 4 days to complete. An itinerary completing the entire track is shown below.

Day 1

Kepler Track Car Park to Luxmore Hut

Distance: 14km

Time: 6 hours

Accommodation or Camping: Huts

Day 2

Luxmore Hut to Iris Burn Hut

Distance: 15km

Time: 6 hours

Accommodation or Camping: Huts

Day 3

Iris Burn Hut to Moturau Hut

Distance: 16km

Time: 6 hours

Accommodation or Camping: Huts

Walk Options

Guided

Due to DOC rules, there is only one tour operator offering the full walk as a guided trip. That is the We are not aware of any tour operator currently offering the full Kepler Track as a guided trip.  There are a number of tour operators offering guided walking trips in the region that include portions of the track, but not the full track. Included amongst those offerings is a helicopter trip to a point close to Luxmore Hut and then a day walk from there and a combined jet boat ride and walk.

Assisted self-guided

Some tour operators provide self-guided services for the Kepler Track. Typically, the service includes some or all of the following (customers select what they want):

• Information pack

• Booking service for DOC huts

• Accommodation at Te Anau/Queenstown

• Vehicle transfer between start and end of track

• All hiking equipment/gear

• Walk provisioning

During the season, the DOC huts include bunks with mattresses, running water, cooking facilities with fuel, heating, flushing toilets and a resident DOC ranger. Outside the season, gas is not provided (so no gas for cooking facilities or heating), running water inside the huts is turned off and there are no resident rangers.

Accommodation options in Queenstown and Te Anau are extensive.

Independent

Given the high demand, use of the Kepler Track is quite regulated, especially during the “Great Walk Season” (approximately mid-October to the end of April). Camping is not permitted on the track except in the two designated areas and, during the season, huts and campsites must be pre-booked.

The DOC huts take between 40 and 50 people. DOC hut places book out quickly, so a decision must be made a number of months out. Mid-December to mid-February is the most popular period.

During the season, the DOC huts include bunks with mattresses, running water, cooking facilities with fuel, heating, flushing toilets and a resident DOC ranger. Outside the season, gas is not provided (so no gas for cooking facilities or heating), running water inside the huts is turned off and there are no resident rangers.

Essential Information

Access

The start and finish of the Kepler Track is the Kepler Track car park which is located at the southern end of Lake Te Anau, 5 km from the town of Te Anau. Whether you do the walk anti-clockwise or clockwise, it’s possible to carve off a few kilometres from the first and last day with some forward planning.

There are no public transport facilities directly to the track, but private shuttle buses operate from Te Anau to the trail head (saving the 5 km walk from Te Anau).

Park entry

No entry permit is needed for access to Fiordland National Park but tickets must be obtained for use of the DOC huts and campsites on the Kepler Track. Tickets can be bought online and printed yourself or collected from the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre at Te Anau.

best time

While the track can be walked year round, the best time to do the walk is during the “Great Walks Season” which is mid-October to the end of April. Outside the season, the winter environment in Fiordland National Park can be very challenging, with ice and snow at the higher levels. Also, facilities at the DOC huts are reduced (eg no gas for heating or cooking and limited water) and DOC rangers are not at the huts.

Difficulty

This walk is rated by the DOC as “Intermediate: Great Walk/Easier tramping track”.

Accomodation

In addition to the DOC and private huts described in ‘Walk Options’ above, there are many excellent accommodation options at Te Anau, Queenstown and Manapouri. 

Accommodation options range from camping, caravan park cottages and cabins through to upmarket hotels and resorts. 

Some of the accommodation providers are attuned to walkers’ needs or offer amenities suited to walkers. 

We can assist walkers in choosing the accommodation options which best suit their needs.

Other activities

As a popular tourism destination, the Fiordland National Park region offers many attractions in addition to the Kepler Track. For one thing, there are the other Great Walks in Fiordland, being Milford Track and Routeburn Track (partly in Fiordland National Park and partly in Mt Aspiring National Park).

Non-walking attractions include: jet boat rides, fishing, lake/sound/fjord cruises (Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound being two standouts), visit to glowworm caves, kayaking, mountain bike riding and helicopter rides.

Assistance

We can assist walkers with various aspects of their walking holidays.