Kepler Track
A circular Great Walk of 60 km that starts near Te Anau, climbs above the bush line along the Kepler Mountains ridge and returns by Lake Manapouri and the Waiau River.
At a glance
- Loop from and back to
- Kepler Track car park, Te Anau
- Length
- 60 km
- On foot
- 3–4 days
- Countries
- New Zealand
- Best months
- November–April
About the trail
The Kepler Track opened in 1988, built as a Great Walk from the start, and has three huts: Luxmore, Iris Burn and Moturau. The first day climbs through beech forest to Luxmore Hut near a limestone cave; the next follows an exposed ridge high above Lake Te Anau before dropping into the Iris Burn valley. The last stretch is gentle, through forest beside Lake Manapouri and along the Waiau River.
The Great Walks season starts in late October; in winter the ridge is under snow and exposed to avalanches.