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15.02.11 Kepler Track: Te Anau (Brod Bay) to Luxmore Hut - 3 hours 30min
Damian and I decided to begin the day with a leisurely coffee in The Sandfly Café and caught the 9.30am ferry across the lake to Brod Bay.. Liz and Jim began their walk at 8.30am after a drop off by minibus at Control Gates. Damian parked the Camper at the DOC centre car park and met me in the Sandfly.
The ferry was a very small craft taking 7 of us including the Luxmore Hut Ranger. This was great because we walked with him up the steep winding forest path and then along the open grassland to the hut with our own personal guide to chat to. We were first at the hut so were able to put our rucksacs on the best positioned sleeping area in the small dorm for 12. We'd walked with a young lady , Tanya from Germany, so the 3 of were able to reserve the lower area which slept 3. The mattresses were thick and comfortable and there was plenty of well thought out storage space on ledges around and under our area, oh and some wall hooks which I didn't dare to use in case I forgot to collect the items.
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon so we made a hot drink and enjoyed the mountain and lake views from the veranda. As the afternoon went on other walkers arrived and joined us. Here were some caves near by, so the Hut Ranger, Chris, gave Damian a big flash light and a map with instructions and we made up a group of 8 all with torches, and did a spot of caving, that is until we came to 'The big squeeze' where Damian couldn't sqeeze through!!!! We were all pleased to turn back as we had already crawled under and over gaps that felt like the big sqeeze. We got about 160 metres out of the possible 180metres so we felt proud. It was very dark and beautiful in places but also wet as a stream was running through. The walkers at the hut were all ages, many nationalities, and from all walks of life which made for a very sociable evening as we all cooked our suppers, admired the ingenuity of various ideas on food .(we had to carry in and out all our food and rubbish). We also had to take our cooking pan and bowls and utensils. There were gas rings set all around the kitchen area of the hut and 3 washing up areas. The dinning room looked out over mountain tops and Lake Te Anau. It was a clear star lit evening so we concluded by watching the moon and identifying stars, including The Southern Cross. We played a new to us card game, yani, with an Israeli lad just out of his 3 year national service and about to go to uni, a retired German doctor, Chris the warden, a 30 something year old Kiwi lady photographer. Bed time was funny, cos there were no lights in the dorm. I had forgotten to unroll my sleeping bag or zip it up and my torch was in an unknown organised place!!! Note to self..unroll sleeping bag in daylight hours!!!
16.02.11 Luxmore Hut to Iris Burn Hut - 14.6km 6 hours
Some people in our dorm woke early for the sunrise so we all did! The clouds were like a cotton wool bedspread in the valley below us and the sun came up above it into the azure blue sky. The lake below was invisible under its blanket of cloud.
By 9.30am we were all packed up and breakfasted ready for our days trudge along the ridges. It was glorious sunshine and forecast to remain so all day. The first clear day for weeks apparently. This is the alpine section of the walk with steep climbs and ridge walks. By lunch time we could see the valleys below when the mist clouds over the lake had dispersed. The 360 views were stunning as we walked the ridges with no wind to hamper our journey. We made frequent refreshment stops because of the heat and were somewhat relieved as we descended into the rainforest towards Iris Burn Hut. This area has many Scottish names.
On our way down we took a refreshing, but freezing, dip in the mountain stream running alongside the track. Our descent was into a hanging valley where in a tussock clearing near the Iris Burn River and a waterfall was the welcome site of our evening accommodation , The Iris Burn Hut.
Tanya had arrived much earlier than us and reserved our bunks for us, so we were able to chill out, swim in the river(freezing) and make supper. There are kiwi here and just after we were all tucked up in our bunk room and lights were out we could hear the calling of the male.
17.02.11 Iris Burn Hut to Moturau Hut - 16.2km 5hours
We were ready to go by 9.30am which seems to be our norm. The walk today was all down hill through mixed forest and ferns. It descended through a gorge with some really fairy and goblin like glens. Near Lake Manapouri the track took us through beech and podocarp forest to a beautiful sandy shallow beach and clearing where Moturau Hut is situated. Again Tanya had reserved us the best bunk positions so we were forced to spend the rest of the afternoon chatting, swimming, relaxing and drinking tea or coffee. After supper some of our group lit a fire on the beach and we watched the suns set and the full moon rise before creeping back to the darkness of our lodge. All lodges are solar powered so lights come on at dusk and go off around 10is depending on their life or timer.
18.02.11 Moturau Hut to Te Anau DOC Car Park - 19km 4hours 30mins
This morning the forecast was for rain later so we were up and out of the hut by 8.30am, our record for organising departure! Today's walk was through beech forest , along the River Waiau and then along the shores of Lake Te Anau to our camper van. The highlight of our walk was the finish where there sat at a well positioned picnic table one of our fellow retirees with an icebox of cold beers and cokes!! He had got up and left by 7am without disturbing us, just to provide a 'finish' for those who walked to the end and didn't get the available shuttle bus!! How great was that.
Following a suitable period of celebration we dispersed to our camper, visited 'Miles Better Pie' in Te Anau for hot venison pies and latte coffee. How delicious the whole chunks of meat tasted after 4 days of tramping.
Having stocked up at the supermarket we headed out to Milford Sound (2 hours away) where we had reserved a spot for our van at The Milford Lodge, very close to the ferry port for our 10.30am Sat morning 2 hour 30min Nature Cruise on the sound.
On arrival at the lodge we did a wash of our tramping gear and hung it in the drying room…this lodge is all set up for the usual 5 days out of 7 rain, so it's washing and drying facilities are superb!
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