A short walk for our first day, just 5km. So Yannick and I left late afternoon. The rain was non stop until we went to sleep. The only thing of note is that we had to walk over the control gates on the Waiau River that regulate the flow of of water from Lake Te Anau into Lake Manapouri, where the underground power station is. I tried to do a tour of it because it sounded really interesting but unfortunately the power station is closed for maintenance. The first night, it rained non stop. It was also very cold, making for not a very comfortable nights sleep.
Day 2 - Brod Bay to Iris Burn
Today was a tough day, walking 24.6km with 20kg on your back is hard work. But totally worth it, just look at the views! We went to the Luxmore Caves (limestone) and climbed to the summit of Mt Luxmore. Both were great, just look at the photos!
Luckily the rain mostly held off but there was some low cloud which wasn't great for a summit view. The wind when we were walking along the ridges were so strong! You really had to be careful to make sure you didnt get blown off. We even had the luxury of pitching our tents in the dry!
We had a short chat with the ranger for Iris Burn. He was saying that the rangers stay out at each of the backcountry huts for a week at a time. He walks in and occasionally, if hes lucky gets helicoptered out. He's been the Iris Burn ranger for 7 years!
Day 3 Iris Burn to Motaru Hut
We woke up to rain, safe to say the ranger was correct in this being the wettest part of the Kepler track! Luckily we didn't have far to walk today so we had the option to wait out the morning rain. The birds here are amazing, not scared at all. Being deep into a national park, where the only terrestrial access is the track you're walking on, birds seem to take an interest in you rather than just fying away, especially Robins but I guess this is already in their nature. I ran into a guy called Teddy, who I know slightly from London. I knew he was in the area but to run into him on this track - what are the chances?! The Motaru Hut is lovely and totally off grid. It's on the lakefront of Manapouri and it's warm and dry inside! Had some interesting conversations with a man from Maine and a family from Wellington.
Day 4 Motaru Hut to Te Anau
Had a fantastic nights sleep in the hut, which set me up nicely for the final day. We saw a New Zealand Falcon up close and a Wagtail that was practically posing for us. The forests are incredible, there's not really much else you can say except look! I arrived back in Te Anau late afternoon, not as tired as I'd expected however with a few blisters to remember the Kepler Track by! Despite this it's been the hilight of my trip so far.
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