Kepler Track — A Complete Guide to One of New Zealand’s Greatest Great Walks
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There’s a moment on Day 2 of the Kepler Track where you’re supposed to stop, look out across the Murchison Mountains, and feel like you’re standing on top of the world.
We couldn’t see a thing. We were in the clouds, battling 50km/h winds and -10°C wind chill on a snow-covered ridge that had been closed for the previous three days. The comment “I bet it’s a good view from here” became something of a running joke.
And we loved every minute of it.
This is our complete guide to the Kepler Track — 60km of Fiordland in late April, with everything from logistics and booking to day-by-day detail. But it’s also the story of how this walk became our benchmark for Everest Base Camp preparation, and what it told us about where we stood heading into a much bigger challenge in October 2026.
What is the Kepler Track?
The Kepler Track is one of New Zealand’s eleven Great Walks — the gold standard of multi-day hiking in a country that does multi-day hiking exceptionally well. Located in Fiordland in the south-west of the South Island, it’s a 60km loop through some of the most dramatic scenery in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Great Walk huts are a step above standard backcountry huts — think flushing toilets rather than long drops, gas stoves provided, and wardens on site. The tracks are maintained to a higher standard than typical backcountry routes. For trekkers used to the rough end of tramping, it feels almost luxurious. For those new to multi-day hiking, it’s an excellent introduction to what’s possible.
The Kepler is recommended as a four-day walk using three huts: Luxmore, Iris Burn, and Moturau. There’s also the Kepler Challenge each year — a race to see who can run the whole thing fastest. We were firmly in the walking camp.
This was only our second Great Walk, after the Rakiura Track in 2023. Great Walks are notoriously difficult to book — they sell out months in advance during peak season — but we’ve completed plenty of other multi-day hikes and hundreds of day hikes in the years between.
Getting There — Te Anau and the Logistics
The closest town to the track is Te Anau, a couple of hours drive from Queenstown which is the nearest major airport. Coming from Auckland, that’s a day of travel just to get to the start — Jetstar from Auckland to Queenstown, then the Tracknet bus to Te Anau.
We stayed the night before at the Distinction Luxmore Hotel in Te Anau, which set us up to start early on Sunday morning. Tracknet also operates luggage storage and transfers — we dropped excess bags with them and caught their bus to the Control Gates at the southern end of Lake Te Anau, where the loop begins and ends.
A note on the water taxi: You can get a water taxi from Te Anau across the lake to Brod Bay, cutting 5.5km off Day 1. We decided against it — we wanted the full 60km — but it’s a genuine option if you want an easier start or are short on time.
Day 1 — Lake Te Anau Control Gates to Luxmore Hut (14.2km, 4.5 hours)
The route: Flat lakeside beech forest for 6km, then uphill to Luxmore Hut at 1,100m.
The first section is a gentle introduction — flat, sheltered, and forgiving on legs that haven’t yet found their rhythm. The beech forest along the lake edge is genuinely beautiful in the autumn light, mossy and quiet. You reach Brod Bay at roughly 5.5km, a good spot to adjust layers, have a snack, and enjoy five minutes of lakefront before the climb begins.
From Brod Bay the track heads uphill. The forest continues until you’re about 45 minutes from the hut, then the bush opens up and the views begin. We were met by a kea — New Zealand’s alpine parrot — who had strong opinions about whether our snacks were available for redistribution. They were not.
Luxmore Hut sits at 1,100m with panoramic views back over Lake Te Anau. On a clear day it’s spectacular. On the day we arrived, the cloud was sitting low enough to tease rather than obscure — and the warden was waiting with news.
The track above the hut had been closed for three days due to snow. The ridge section on Day 2 was icy, the winds were forecast to be significant, and anyone who didn’t fancy it could get a refund and head back to Te Anau.
A few trekkers in the hut decided not to risk it. We’d come prepared — layers, poles, proper boots — and the conditions sounded challenging rather than dangerous. We went to bed early.
Day 2 — Luxmore Hut to Iris Burn Hut (15.5km, 6.5 hours)
The route: Ridge walk skirting Mt Luxmore, exposed open ridge, descent back into forest to Iris Burn Hut.
This is meant to be the day of views on the Kepler Track. The ridge section is the highlight — open, exposed, with the Murchison Mountains to one side and Lake Te Anau to the other on a clear day.
We saw nothing. We walked into a complete white-out, with 50km/h winds and a forecast wind chill of -10°C. The path was icy underfoot, the cloud was sitting on the ridge, and for several hours the world was reduced to a few metres of visibility and the reassurance that we were still on the right track.
There are two shelters on the ridge — one at each end — and they were genuinely welcome. Sitting in these modern, enclosed shelters while the wind roared past outside is one of those moments that makes you feel very small and very alive simultaneously.
We also encountered two kea on the ridge, in the snow and cloud, attempting to break into a pest trap. They were entirely unbothered by the conditions. We admired them greatly.
Once we came off the ridge and dropped back into the bush, the temperature rose almost immediately. The steep downhill section back into the forest was a relief — warm, sheltered, and mercifully still. The hut took longer to reach than the signs suggested, and the rain coming in for the last 20 minutes meant arriving at Iris Burn felt like arriving somewhere genuinely important.
It was the hardest day of the four. It was also the best one.
Day 3 — Iris Burn Hut to Moturau Hut (17.5km, 5 hours)
The route: Valley walk down Iris Burn, flat and forested, finishing on the edge of Lake Manapouri.
A beautiful start. The mountains above Iris Burn were catching the first light as we ate breakfast, and a collection of kea put on a show while we packed. After the previous day’s battering, Day 3 felt like a gift.
The valley walk is relatively flat — 17.5km that never feels like 17.5km because the landscape keeps changing. The Iris Burn river runs alongside for much of the route, and there are clearings where the light does something different. We stopped several times just to sit in the sun, which felt earned.
The track arrives at Lake Manapouri for the final few kilometres. The lake is immense — deep blue, mountain-rimmed, and completely different in character to Lake Te Anau. Moturau Hut sits close to the lake edge, with a small beach a short walk away. After the ridge and the rain, it felt like arriving somewhere peaceful.
Day 4 — Moturau Hut to Control Gates (16km, 4.5 hours)
The route: Forest walk along the Waiau River, finishing at the Control Gates on Lake Te Anau.
Day 4 started with a frost on the beach and a sunrise that made the early alarm worth it. We had a transfer booked from the Control Gates at 3pm — the first schedule constraint in four days — so there was a loose sense of purpose to the morning.
The day is mostly forest walking, quieter than the previous three days. There’s an exit at Rainbow Reach, about 6km from the hut (roughly 2 hours), which Tracknet and other transfer providers can pick up from. We continued the full 9km along the Waiau River to the Control Gates — we’d come for 60km and we were going to walk 60km.
We had 30 minutes to sit on a bench in the sunshine, looking out over Lake Te Anau, before our pickup arrived. It was a good 30 minutes.
Ways to Shorten the Kepler
Two practical options if the full route doesn’t suit:
Water taxi from Te Anau to Brod Bay — cuts 5.5km off Day 1 and saves the flat lake section. Good option if you want to preserve energy for the ridge.
Exit at Rainbow Reach on Day 4 — cuts 9km off the final day. All the main transfer providers offer this pickup. The last 9km along the Waiau River is pleasant but not dramatic — if you’ve had four days and want to finish earlier, this is a reasonable call.
What We Carried — Kit Notes
We used the Deuter Aircontact 65+10 for this trip — which isn’t comparable to the Fjällräven Kaipak 38 (Andrew) and Abisko 35 (Elaine) for EBC, which will be significantly lighter. The full Deuter loaded to around 15kg, which is heavier than ideal for the Kepler but gave us a realistic load to train against.
The Kathmandu Ridge 3L Gore-Tex jacket earned its place on Day 2. The Macpac Sundowner was essential in the hut evenings and on the exposed ridge. Salomon X Ultra 4 GTX boots — same ones going to EBC — handled the snow and ice on Day 2 without complaint. The Petzl Tikka+ torch was useful in the huts for early starts without disturbing other trekkers, and the Garmin Instinct 3 tracked every step.
Everything we carried on the Kepler is on the EBC packing list, with the pack now updated for the smaller requirements of the EBC trek.
What the Kepler Told Us About EBC Readiness
This is the part that matters for anyone reading this as EBC preparation context.
Going in, I’d been recovering from a knee issue from running. Multi-day hikes can be unkind to knees — cumulative load, heavy pack, uneven terrain. The Kepler was the first proper test.
The knee held. More than held — it was fine throughout, including on the steep descent off the ridge on Day 2.
More broadly, none of the usual multi-day complaints materialised. The body doesn’t always take kindly to the first few days of a heavy pack — tired legs, stiff back, the general protest of muscles being used differently. None of it happened this time. By Day 2 we were moving well, by Day 3 we felt strong, and by Day 4 we were disappointed it was ending.
At 15kg on our backs, in genuine winter conditions at 1,400m on Day 2, the fitness and the gear held up. The Kepler isn’t altitude preparation — the highest point is around 1,400m, nowhere near the 5,364m we’re aiming for in October. But it confirmed that the physical foundation is there, and that we can manage multi-day load and fatigue without the body breaking down.
That’s not nothing. It’s actually exactly what we needed to know.
Practical Information
| Distance | 60km loop |
| Duration | 4 days recommended |
| Huts | Luxmore (54 bunks), Iris Burn (50 bunks), Moturau (40 bunks) |
| Season | Late October to April (Great Walk season) |
| Booking | DOC Great Walk booking system — opens months in advance, sells out fast |
| Nearest town | Te Anau |
| Nearest airport | Queenstown (approx 2 hours) |
| Transport | Tracknet buses and transfers; water taxi from Te Anau to Brod Bay available |
| Cost | Great Walk hut passes priced per night — check current pricing at doc.govt.nz |
Photo Guide — Images in This Article
| Image | Location | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Fiordland National Park sign | Control Gates, Lake Te Anau | Start |
| Beech forest bridge | Lake Te Anau section | Day 1 |
| Luxmore Hut deck | Luxmore Hut, 1,100m | Day 1 |
| Snowy ridge selfie | Mt Luxmore ridge | Day 2 |
| Mountain at golden hour | Above Iris Burn Hut | Day 3 |
| Lake Manapouri sunrise | Moturau Hut beach | Day 4 |
More From Above the Cloud Treks
- How to Train for Everest Base Camp
- The Honest EBC Packing List
- How Difficult is the EBC Trek?
- Sleeping Bag for EBC — Hire vs Buy
- EBC Trek Guide for Non-Mountaineers
Andrew Dillon is a data consultant, runner, and triathlete based in Auckland, New Zealand. He is trekking EBC via Gokyo with Evertrek in October 2026. Follow his journey at abovethecloudtreks.com.