The Kepler Track, New Zealand
Some great hiking in the southern alpsThe basics:
This a good walk, no a "Great Walk." Okay, sorry about the pun. New Zealand has a whole series of hiking trails, spread out between the two islands, and these tracks are called The Great Walks. I do not know who conferred upon them the title of greatness, but I do know that they are all reputed to offer some pretty incredible scenery over the course of several days.
Now the Holy Grail of all these walks is The Milford Track, which takes about 4 days and leads out to the fjords of Milford Sound on the South Island's lonely west coast. A trekking permit for this walk is highly coveted and people sign up months ahead. Many people ignore the fact, though I hear this is changing, that only slightly south of the marvelous Milford is the Kepler Track. The Kepler does not lead out to the Sound, but for a walk that you can register for less than a week in advance it has some beautiful and diverse scenery to offer. (Basically they offer permits for the walk based on the number of dorm beds and campsites they can offer at the designated stopping points.)
(some more pictures of the Kepler Track)
The Kepler Track takes about 3 days and the trail head is within walking distance of the town of Te Anau, which most trampers use as a base camp. It is a loop track and so it can be walked in either direction quite easily from the same starting point. The walk encompasses beech rainforest, alpine ridges, and some excellent lake views. Usually people do half of the alpine section on the first day, stopping at the hut just above treeline. The second day they finish the alpine section and stay in the hut at the head of a valley descending into the beech forests. Then on the final day they hike the forest section and get picked up at the trailhead or they hike back to town.
The alpine section has some good climbing, but the walk should be a pleasant experience for anyone who is moderately fit. And if you are able to secure a place in one of the huts, you should get a bed, a roof over your head and a stove to cook on which cuts back on the gear you need to carry.
Nonetheless, because of the alpine sections, the track can be dicey in wild weather and can be subject to closures if a snowstorm comes through, and this can happen right through the peak summer season. So it does pay to be prepared with at least the essentials--some extra food and warm practical clothing. Most any gear items you need can be rented in Te Anau at a reasonable price.
My experience:
We did a few things differently than the usual Kepler trampers, many of these things we did inadvertently, and these are what I want to discuss here.
Because of some big snowstorms a few days before we registered for the walk (this was late December, peak season, but hey!) the alpine section of the trail was actually closed when we started walking, so we did the track backwards. We started out with the forest section, which we did in two days, and finished with the alpine section and walk back to town, which we did in one long grueling day. We could have taken a couple days to do the alpine section but we were camping, and there are no campsites above treeline (though there is a hut). Our walk was a fabulous experience, and except for some sore feet after our last day, we felt really good when we got back into Te Anau.
It wasn't until a few days after our walk, when we were talking with some people near Christchurch, that we realized what a different experience we'd had doing the walk backwards. And we were really glad that our circumstances had dictated this because we never would have thought of going backwards otherwise. The scenery was completely different, and we found that we were glad of the time we'd gotten to enjoy in the forest before taking in the spectacular beauty of the mountains.
Now a word on equipment. As I said earlier, we were camping, not staying in the cabins. When we decided to camp we didn't factor in the presence of droves of mosquitoes and sandflies and so we only brought along a simple rain tarp. The first night we stayed at a campsite that is not actually on the track and so were able to grab a bed in an unmaintained cabin. Though old and musty, at least it provided respite from the bugs and it was free. The second night we suffered through a long, sweltering night cinched into our sleeping bags with thermal tops draped over our faces to fend off the sand flies. So, to make a long story short, if you wish to camp comfortably, bring a tent. You can rent one easily, and cheaply, in Te Anau.
In terms of other camping gear, we didn't bring much. We ate cold food from cans or packets. We had pretty decent quick dry travel clothes with us, sturdy walking shoes and raincoats, but we didn't buy or rent anything special to take the walk. And yet, I think that was part of the beauty of it all.
Despite our awkwardnesses and discomforts, we found that you don't have to have all the fancy high tech gear to enjoy the Kepler. We had some basic camping things such as matches, tarp, army knife, but we didn't have a stove, a tent or genuine hiking boots. Maybe we were lucky, but I'd like to think we were enjoying the walk as it is meant to be, simple and unadorned, and close to nature.
