Kepler track - tips
Here are some useful tips for the track:- Even if you are planning to sleep in the camping sites, we advice to book just the first day in Luxmore Hut. The first camping site is making the first day very short (5.6 KM, 1.5 hours) and the second day very long (22.8 KM, 8.5-10.5 hours), which would be not convinent. Instead, you can sleep the first night in Luxmore hut and the other nights in the camping sites.
- Sandflies are cruel, mean, nasty, vicious, brutal, ruthless, …whatever you can imagine. Especially in campsites! Take a lot of Mosquito spray.
- If you have a nice weather on the first day it’s better to leave your gear in the hut and climb up to Luxmore summit. You never know what will the weather like on the next day and you definitely do not want to miss these views.
- The track is very popular so you must book the huts in advance in the high season (Dec-March) or register to our service and get an email when somebody cancels so that you can immediately book a place and enjoy the breathtaking scenery
- If you want to make the walk shorter on the first day you can leave your car in Rainbow Reach and take a water taxi that will bring you to Brod Bay (it will save you the shuttle bus on the last day and 4 hours walking).
- Be prepared for any kind of weather - it is possible to experience sunshine, torrential rain, high winds and even snow all in one day, even in summer. Before your trip, check the latest weather and conditions so you know what to plan for. Take a waterproof raincoat, waterproof pack liner, woolen hat and gloves - yes, even at summer, we walked on January (which is Summer in NZ) and it was freezing in the morning.
- Ear plugs are strongly recommended!! From my experience there will always be somwone snoring at night. After a long walk, you would definitely want to avoid these “noisy motorcycle” sounds in the middle of the night.
- And the most important thing - come with a good mood, try to meet new people, enjoy the beautiful views and take a lot of pictures!
