By Casey Greig (Otamatea High School)

We started the morning in Te Anau, leaving the campground at 8am and walking around Lake Te Anau to the Kepler Track. It was about three kilometres around the lake before we got to the control gates that lead to the beginning of the track. The Kepler Track started off very flat, so that meant the whole first day was a relaxing flat walk where we spent most of the day walking alongside Waiau River. We then stopped at Rainbow Reach for a quick lunch break. From there, we walked down to a Shallow Bay Hut for a quick look. 

Shallow Bay was so pretty, but the water was freezing. After that, there was not long left until we reached our hut for the night – Moturau. The hut was so nice right on the waterfront. Along the way there were so many different types of fungi made up of many different colors. On this day, my friend Lisa and I were leading the group and we made everyone dinner for the night.

The next morning we had a nice relaxed start, leaving Moturau Hut at 8am. We walked the flats all day and through the valley between two mountains that lead to Iris Burn Hut. It was such a nice view once we got out of the bush into the open. We also walked past a huge single-drop waterfall and the big slip. Along the way, we saw some deer tracks and more fungi. 

Once we got to the Iris Burn Hut, we settled in and had some nice hot drinks to warm ourselves up before walking down to the Iris Burn waterfall for a look. The waterfall was amazing to watch – filled with so much power. It was starting to get cold, so we headed back to the hut. At the hut, there were a couple keas staying around it, which are so funny to watch. We then had our nightly game of five crowns to end the day.

Day 3 of the Kepler Track began with a nice start at 8am leaving the Iris Burn Hut. On this day, we were heading up into the tops of the track. The first section of the track was zigzagging up the mountain, which took us about an hour-and-a-half to get up onto the first ridge. Once we got to that point, we had to stop and take in the beautiful views as we could see some fog coming in. Fog meant we had to try to get up to the top quickly. We started heading to our highest point, which was at the Hanging Valley Shelter where we had a quick snack. When we were walking up to the shelter, we walked past snow and over icy stairs. We found that as soon as we stopped walking we got cold, so we got moving to warm up again. 

It was crazy to walk along the ridge between Hanging Valley Shelter and Forest Burn Shelter because on the left of us, I could look all around and not see a thing through the fog. But then on the right side, you could see so much and it was very pretty. 

We then came across Luxmore Summit and decided to summit it, so we dropped our packs and climbed up rocks to the top. We got to the top just in time for the beautiful views. I was so glad we decided to go to the top to get those views. Then came the down hill heading to Luxmore Hut. It was a pretty view of the south arm of Lake Te Anau and a relaxing walk down to Luxmore Hut.

On our final day on the Kepler Track, we started the morning by experiencing a very heavy frost and being entertained by two keas who were very much at home around the hut. We walked about ten minutes to go down into the Luxmore Cave. We all had our head torches on while climbing through some parts on our hands and knees, experiencing what it is like to be down in a cave.  Once we were deep in, we all turned our torches off to see the pitch black. 

We learnt what we would have to do if we were ever in that position where we were stuck in a cave. You have to follow the stream upwards which should lead you up to the top. Afterwards, we went off track to look at some tiny lakes where the top layer on all of them had frozen-like glass. We were all picking bits of it off and throwing it back onto the lake watching it shatter. 

We then went back to Luxmore Hut to grab our packs and start heading back to the bottom. Most of the way was zigzagging down the hill. Once we got to the bottom, we stopped at Brod Bay Shelter for lunch on the side of Lake Te Anau. The lake was so pretty, but the water was way too cold for me to go swimming. A couple people from our group did though and loved it. Afterwards was a flat walk back to the control gates and into Te Anau by the afternoon. 

This was an amazing trip and we were all so lucky with the beautiful weather with which we were treated. I have so many lifelong memories from these trips through DOE.  Doing this was such an unforgettable experience and I have learnt so many new skills that have made me so much more. 

Thank you very much to FMC and the Maerewhenua Trust. This grant made a huge difference to growing my leadership skills for the future, along with my skill set and confidence in the Great Outdoors. This will definitely NOT be my last outdoor adventure!

We’re delighted to share another trip report from recent recipients of FMC’s Youth Award Grant. These grants are awarded four times a year, so if you’re inspired to get some financial support, head over to FMC’s website to apply.