A spring weekend in the Kepler Mountains.
This was one of those club trips when I ended up walking on my own most of the weekend, despite coming up with over 20 people.
When the weather threatened and the others stayed close by, I took the opportunity to climb higher above the hut, to capture the power of the storm in the distance.
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The track from Te Anau starts with a few kilometres along the lake. Here, at Brod Bay, we say good bye to the flat forest walk and start nearly 800 metres climb to the bushline.
We saw the cloud above our heads from the lake. So it didn't surprise us to find ourselves in it. Surrounded by clouds and no wind makes for a beautifully quiet and serene climb.
Above bushline and above the clouds, Takitimu Mountains are greeting us from across the valley.
Lake Te Anau way down below as we are crossing the open tussocks.
There is some weather brewing over Murchison Mountains, just as forecasted.
I don't mind a bit of weather. So while everyone else decided to stay around the hut and caves, I took my camera and kept climbing to Luxmore summit. And it was certainly worth the effort. Wind, snow, rain, dramatic lighting - simply perfect conditions for a landscape photographer.
Every now and then the clouds would open to give me a fleeting view of the lake.
I never saw storms as dramatic as those in Murchison Mountains.
Coming back to Luxmore Hut was like entering yet another world.
While I was walking to the summit, everyone else already visited the caves. So I just ducked out for a quick one on my own. It would be a shame to walk all the way there and not to enjoy their beauty. I am not a caver, but I appreciate the raw feeling of being in a cave without any concrete footpaths and railings.
By the time I finished my cave tour it was time to go and cook some dinner.
Sunday morning greeted us with a stunning sunrise.
Then we strolled back over the tussocks, taking in as much of this beauty as possible.
One last look at Mount Titiroa dominating our South horizon.
And then through the sunlit forest back down to the lake and our vehicles at control gates car park.
Tomas Sobek lives in Dunedin and is often tramping with the Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club .
He is a keen photographer and makes his images freely available on his website .
