Kepler Track 

15-18 October 2024

The club had attempted this trip in June 2018, but deep snow resulted in slow travel and the possibility of avalanches, so that party only got as far as sighting the Forest Burn Shelter before turning back. This time we were all watching the avalanche advisory for Fiordland and fortunately, the risk of wind-slab avalanches had dropped to low, and the moderate risk of wet-slab avalanches was minimised by an early start on the day we traversed along the tops. Di wasn't taking any chances though, and had a plan B with a gas stove and canisters in case some of us wanted to visit the Great Walk Huts from either end of the track if the avalanche risk had stayed moderate.

We drove down to Te Anau and stayed in the Lake View Holiday Park, which was reasonably priced and previously used by the PTC.  Most of the group went out for a Thai meal, which they had sitting outside in the sun, but Frank and I cooked our main meal in the communal kitchen and then went out for dessert. The next day Raymond and Gary very kindly dropped most of us off at the Control Gates, and relocated the two cars around to the Rainbow Reach car park, which meant they'd be walking the entire loop of the track. The first section of the walk was level, alongside the lake to Brod Bay but then we spread out, climbing up gradually through beech forest, which included a very attractive traverse under limestone cliffs. Eventually we all arrived at Luxmore Hut. On the way we encountered others heading for the hut, including an Australian father and son who hailed from Brisbane, Sonja's neck of the woods.

We were alerted to the news that 24 or so teenagers were on their way to join us at the hut, so we selected the smaller bunkroom that accommodated our six plus a few other companionable adults. The teenagers were Duke of Ed students from Sydney and were well-mannered. I persuaded Pete to accompany me to the Luxmore Caves as Frank's recently injured leg wasn't keen to do any further exercise that day. Raymond's knee was also a bit sore from his longer, 23km walk in. A couple with a placid seven-month-old bubba, turned up and bunked down by the wood stove which remained unlit on this mild night. We enjoyed Sonja's delicious chickpea and brown rice curry and Di's chocolate-coated ginger lumps. Pete was happy to share the big bunkroom with the students and had a good night.

We woke to a stunning day with not a cloud in the sky and looked down on a fog-covered Te Anau Basin. Three very inquisitive kea arrived to entertain us and inspect our gear! We left the hut at around 7.40am, slightly delayed due to 40 or so people having to share one toilet! The weather was surprisingly mild and the hard snow soon softened, so we didn't have to use crampons. Some keen folks summited Mt Luxmore en-route. Some sections of the track had steep run-outs, so we kept our ice-axes at the ready, but there were no slips off-track. Di suggested that it would be a good idea to keep going until we'd crossed the last avalanche path, before we had lunch at the Hanging Valley Shelter. Both shelters have a water tank but the second tank needed to have the snow pushed off to unscrew the lid to access water.

The two Australians hadn't walked in snow before, so we shared our spare poles to improve their stability on an unfamiliar medium. They were very grateful for our assistance as they had only intended to go as far as Luxmore Hut, and they loved being up high in the mountains, with the awesome views of the South Fiord, the snow-clad Murchison Mountains and Mt Irene. We couldn't quite see as far west as the terrain that Janet Macnab and I had traversed on our 54-day journey through Fiordland many years before.

We descended to the Iris Burn Hut via gentle zig-zags and numerous bridges crossing perilous gullies. The hut was still in the sun and was a real heat trap—great for airing our socks etc. Raymond treated us to a chilli con carne with quinoa. His addition of corn, kidney beans and a bit of mince gave it a great texture—must get the recipe! Ginger chocolates featured again with Raymond also providing some for us. Amazingly the couple with the baby turned up at 9.30pm, after we'd all gone to bed. The lights on the track which we thought were reflections of the full moon on the snow had been their head-torches!

The third day took us down the attractive Iris Burn Valley, past the big slip of 1986, which altered the nature of the valley, forming a big lake at its base. We were traveling through mossy beech forest, and later through an understory of crown ferns. Further on, we were fortunate to meet up with some local hunters, one of whom's father had hunted extensively in the area in the 1940's. We stopped for lunch and a brew in the shade of the Rocky Point Shelter but Di and Gary opted to sit by the pretty Iris Burn. The Rocky Point bridge was swept away in a recent flood but on this day the side creek was very low.

We arrived at Shallow Bay in strong sunshine. Di lay on the sand embraced by its warmth and I emulated her. Then Gary and I went in the lake to freshen up. Surprisingly it was not that cold and I only got one sandfly bite. Very worthwhile. Others went for their swims at Moturau Hut, while Frank, Pete and I were off hut-bagging Shallow Bay Hut. We shared the hut with around 20 boys from a Dunedin school. The boys were very happy to be there and were provided with scroggin and a multi-course meal of soup and bangers and mash. Later, they cooked damper on a bonfire with jam and butter. They play-fought with their sticks and were permitted to go for a swim under supervision.  It all made for a good vibe.

It was my turn to provide the final meal. The brief had been to provide a vegetarian meal, so I came up with a Paul Garland sweet fruit curry. Unfortunately, to my mind it tasted weird but folks ate it, though the curry was too hot for Di, so as usual, I ate what was left. Raymond shared out the last of his ginger chocolates. The MSR stove behaved itself and the back-up MSR stove never made an appearance.

We got up early for the long drive back to Christchurch. On the walk out we diverted to an attractive wetland with interpretation panels, outlining fauna and the transition of vegetation from the lake-edge back into the forest, though no one heard or saw a fernbird. We crossed the Forest Burn and came to the mighty Waiau River, where there are view-points with some perilous overhanging banks. And then there was the bridge to the Rainbow Reach carpark where our two vehicles awaited us.

Thank you to Raymond for all the organising and distributing of gear, scoping accommodation and organising the transport and meals. Thank you to Sonja for another lovely curry and for driving, and a big thank you to Di for her driving and great company. Di showed me how to use cruise-control in her car. Thank you to Pete for his companionship in our side-trips and to Gary for his caring companionship and support for the relocation of Di's car. We were: Sonja Risa, Frank King, Raymond Ford, Peter Umbers, Gary Huish, Di Mellish and Honora Renwick  HR