Kepler Track – Hiking Services
Our passion lies in helping you get out there and back happy.
KEPLER TRACK HIGHLIGHTS
- An ‘adventure above the clouds’, the Kepler Track was created for your outdoor pleasure and to showcase the very best of Fiordland.
- Luxmore Hut, overlooking Lake Te Anau and mountains beyond is a very special place for a relaxing with your hiking buddies. If you are wanting something a little more ‘lodge style’ with hot showers and a wine list, sorry you are out of luck but that’s kind of the charm. Easyhike food packages are fun, tasty, and make meals a pleasure. Full of goodness, we choose meals according to your tastebuds – selected from foods that have previously delighted ours.
- Easy to follow with bridges, boardwalks and steps, walking the Kepler Track is a pleasure. With 3 huts along the way, you can choose to complete the 60 km loop or finish after 50km and skip the last bushwalk. Walking from Iris Burn Hut out to Rainbow Reach is a decent walk, but easily doable depending on your fitness. Hurrying for the bus can make people nervous and many groups choose to have their car waiting so they don’t have to wait for the bus once they finish.
- If you are looking for quality gear, Easyhike has clean and comfortable hire gear that’s light your on back and suited to the track. With hotel drop off before you go, borrowing couldn’t be better.
TRACK LOGISTICS
DISTANCE: 60km loop circuit. Transport required. There are two access points so you can finish after 50.5km.
DURATION: Your choice – most people spend 3 Days / 2 Nights but it is possible to spend 3 nights or more.
START: Kepler Track car park or Brod Bay via water taxi from Te Anau.
FINISH: Rainbow Reach car park or Kepler Track car park.
ACCOMMODATION: Department of Conservation huts (bunks and shared facilities) or limited camping.
KEPLER TRACK HIKING SERVICES
Packing food and gear for a hike is a hassle when relaxing on holiday. Get on the track and back with Easyhike, and enjoy the ease.
Our specialty is car relocation, and delivering on food and gear, but our true passion lies in helping you get out there and hiking happy.
2 Nights 3 Days
3 Nights 4 Days
Premium Package Inclusions
Local Support
& Advice
Hut
Bookings
Car relocation or bus transfers
Hiking Food
Premium
Gear Hire
Kepler Track Premium Package
2 nights $1275 / 3 nights $1595- We'll get you to the track and back with efficiency and ease. Enjoy a better hiking experience.
- Avoid the hassle and stress when hut bookings open. Our success rate is 100%! 2 or 3 Nights Included.
- Self drive to start/finish when you wish and walk in your own time (we'll relocate your vehicle if that is the case) or take the bus from Te Anau and/or back to Te Anau. Includes Water Taxi if you wish to take it. You choose.
- Select easy, nutritious meals from our tried and tasted hiking menu. Most dietary requirements available.
- Borrow our specially chosen, light and comfy hiking gear or bring your own. Have confidence in your gear & skip luggage hassles.
What is included in our premium package?
HUT ACCOMMODATION
Bunk accommodation in the Department of Conservation Great Walk huts with shared facilities. (Subject to availability).
We will book your DOC Hut tickets as soon as the hut bookings open. DOC will advise by 30 April, at the latest, of each year when the hut bookings will open for the season starting that same year.
For example, on 30 April 2024, DOC announced that the bookings for the 2024-2025 season would open on 28 May 2024 for the Milford track, on 5 June 2024 for the Routeburn track, and on 6 June 2024 for the Kepler track.
UPDATE 26 March 2026: DOC has now announced their opening dates for the Kepler Track for the 2026-2027 season: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
TRANSPORT
Choose between car relocation (recommended) or bus transport.
Included are your Water Taxis needs + Car Relocation or Bus transfers from/to Te Anau
Find out more about how our Car Relocation works. See below for the Milford track bus timetable (subject to change).
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING
Appropriate outdoors clothing and footwear. Make sure you wear in your hiking boots before getting on the track. This will minimise blisters and ensure your feet are comfortable.
Rain jacket (Essential! Even in summer and even if there is no rain on the forecast as the weather can change quickly) and rain pants (it is a love it or loathe it situation with rain pants and you will need to decide what suits you). Those are such a personal choice and a personal fit, we do not include them in our packages anymore.
Clothing, personal items and toiletries. There are no showers in the huts. You will have access to flush toilets and sinks with cold water.
A medium level of fitness is required, make sure to go on walks, preferably carrying a backpack), to prepare.
FOOD
Easy to prepare, lightweight, tasty and nutritious. You select your preferences from our menus and we do the rest. Dietary requirements are catered too. Find out more about our Hiking Food options.
GEAR LIST
High quality, lightweight and easy to manage gear plus a few extras to enhance your hike. Including:
- Backpack / backpack cover/ backpack liner
- Hiking poles
- Sleeping bag / sleeping bag liner / inflatable pillow
- Cooking and eating tools (pot/plates/cups/utensils/kitchen tidy kit)
- Thermos
- First aid kit
- Care package (including insect repellent, sanitiser, earplugs, and tissues)
- Head torch
DELIVERY
Our base is in Te Anau, you can pick up your gear and food from us the day before your hike starts.
However, we can also deliver your hiking gear and food to your local accommodation (Queenstown or Te Anau) the day before your hike starts, if that is more convenient.
Kepler TRACK KEY POINTS
Suggested Itinerary
Day 1: Broad Bay via Lake Te Anau to Luxmore Hut (3 ½ – 4 ½ hours, 8.2km)
Day 2: Luxmore Hut to Iris Burn Hut (5-6 hours, 14.6km)
Day 3: Iris Burn Hut to Rainbow Reach car park (6 ½ – 7 ½ hours, 22.2km)
See the DOC Kepler Track brochure for further details on the terrain covered each day.
Insider Tip:
- You can choose to walk the Kepler in either direction, we suggested starting in Brod Bay and walking up to Luxmore Hut first, depending on hut availability.
- The entire Kepler Track is a 60km, 3-night loop, however, most people choose to walk it over 3 days/2 nights and skip close to 16kms. They skip the first 5kms, with a water taxi ride over Lake Te Anau to Brod Bay, and then skip the last 9.5kms by finishing in Rainbow Reach and either meet their car there (with our awesome car relocation service) or by waiting for the bus from Rainbow Reach to Te Anau as the scenery is much the same. We recommend this option, which means covering 22km from Iris Burn to Rainbow Reach car park on the final day.
DOC Huts
During the Great Walks season, the huts have basic cooking facilities, heating, bunks, mattresses, heating, toilets, solar-powered lighting, running cold water and A DOC ranger in residence. There are no cooking utensils or showers in the huts and bookings are required.
The Kepler Track is extremely popular and we recommend you plan your trip early so you can secure your ideal dates. Our Premium package includes DOC hut tickets if you want us to take care of booking these for you.
Transport
The Kepler Track has several starting and finishing points, accessible by road and water taxi, which we can help you with.
We recommend starting the track by taking a 10-minute water taxi ride from Te Anau township to Brod Bay and finishing at Rainbow Reach car park with our car relocation service.
You can also access the start/finish of the track:
- From the Fiordland National Park Visitors Centre in the township of Te Anau (approximately 50-minute walk along the lakefront) or
- From the Kepler Track car park (5km from Te Anau) or
- From Rainbow reach car park (12km drive from Te Anau). Our recommended finishing point.
Weather
The weather in New Zealand and Fiordland National Park is very changeable. Even if the forecast is for fine weather or it’s the height of summer, you should always be prepared. Heavy rain, strong winds, cold temperatures, snow can happen at any time of the year so make sure you have the right clothing including warm layers and a rain jacket. Check the weather forecast before heading out – here is the Metservice weather report for Fiordland National Park.
Fitness
A good level of fitness is needed to walk the Kepler Track and you should make sure it suits your abilities. By starting at Brod Bay, your first day will largely be uphill as it is a gradual climb up to Luxmore Hut, which gets the hard part out the way first, but either direction is equally rewarding. Talk to us about tramping poles which are an excellent tool to assist you throughout the hike.
What To Take
See our Great Walks Packing List for what you need to take, or book our Great Walk Gear Package and we’ll supply it all for you! Your footwear is one of the most important factors to consider. Most people opt for hiking boots over trainers but it’s a personal choice. Factors you should consider when deciding which footwear include your hiking experience, fitness level and how heavy your pack will be. We recommend hiking boots for support and comfort, but either way, your footwear needs to be well worn in and used to your feet, otherwise – hello blisters! No one wants blisters…
Food-wise, you’ll want to make sure you have enough to last the 3-day walk, plus contingency. Food should be lightweight, tasty, nutritious and provide you with much-needed fuel! Our Food Packages take care of this.
Safety
The Kepler Track is well-maintained and easy to follow, but some sections are steep and can be slippery. Always stick to the track and look out for your fellow hikers. DOC rangers are stationed in the huts during the Great Walks season, but you should always check the weather before you go, and tell someone of your plans. The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council have some fantastic resources on keeping safe in the great outdoors.
Bookings & Hiking Season
The Kepler Track is really popular and the busy months usually sell out 6 months to 1 year in advance. We recommend planning and booking your trip as early as possible to secure your ideal dates.
The Great Walk Season runs from late October until late April every summer. If you are looking at hiking outside of the season, talk to us to find out more about walking in ‘winter’.
Kepler Track Transport
The Kepler track is one that can be hiked clockwise or anti-clockwise, in 3 or 4 days.
If you intend to walk in 4 days / 3 nights, we would suggest you do the full loop. It starts at the Kepler Carpark, and finishes at the Kepler Carpark. No need for transport if travelling by car, and buses from/to Te Anau if travelling by bus.
If you intend to walk in 3 days / 2 nights, you might want to skip some parts of the track.
If going anti-clockwise, you could be starting at Brod Bay (with water taxis from Te Anau lakefront to Brod Bay – skipping the first 5 kms) and finish ‘early’, at Rainbow Reach – skipping the last 9kms). The reason why hikers do that is because the scenery for the first 5kms / last 9kms remian unchanged, walking along the river, and the beautiful views are at the top!
The same applies going clockwise, you can start at Rainbow Reach (skipping the first 9kms of the track) and finishing either at Brod Bay (taking a water taxi to Te Anau and skipping the last 5kms), or keep going to Kepler carpark.
If you are travelling by car, your vehicle can be relocated from/to any of these points: Te Anau lakefront, Kepler carpark, or Rainbow Reach, depending on where you start and where you finish. Alternatively, the bus will get you on and off the track at scheduled departure times.
1. Te Anau to Kepler carpark or to Brod Bay
If going anticlock-wise:
Self-drive or take the bus to the Kepler Carpark. The bus departs Te Anau at 8.45am, 9.30am, 2.20pm, or 3.40pm.
Alternatively, you can catch the Kepler Water Taxi to Brod Bay, skipping the first 5kms of the track, and arriving full of energy to tackle the hike up to Luxmore hut.
The water taxi ride lasts 15mins and departs from Te Anau lakefront at 8.30am, 9.30am, 10.30am, 2.30pm.
2. Hiking the Kepler Track
Hike the Kepler Track! Enjoy the gorgeous views from Mt Luxmore and spot a Kea.
3. Rainbow Reach or Kepler carpark to Te Anau
To finish, you can choose to skip the last 9kms and end your hike in Rainbow Reach. There you can meet your relocated vehicle or catch a bus back to Te Anau. There are departures at 10am, 3pm, and 4pm.
If you decide to keep until the Kepler Carpark, you can meet your relocated vehicle there or catch a bus to Te Anau. Departures are at 10.10am, 3.10pm, and 4.10pm.
The reason hikers get a head start or finish ‘early’ is that the scenery for the first/last 9kms remain unchanged. The full loop would start at the Kepler carpark (Control Gates) and finish at the Kepler car park (Control Gates).
or... Do it clockwise!
1. From Te Anau, self-drive to either Kepler carpark or Rainbow Reach. If taking the bus, it departs at 8.45am, 9.45am, 2.20pm, or 3.40pm and will stop at Kepler carpark and/or keep going to Rainbow Reach
2. Hike the Kepler track.
3. Finish either at:
– Brod Bay and hop on a water taxi to Te Anau (departs at 2.45pm or 4.30pm), or
– Kepler car park and hop on a bus to Te Anau (departures at 10.25am, 3.10pm, or 4.10pm), or
– Rainbow Reach. The bus to Te Anau departs at 10.15am, 3pm, or 4pm).
4. If travelling by car, we can relocate your vehicle from Rainbow Reach to Kepler carpark or Te Anau, or from Kepler carpark to Te Anau.
Kepler Track Transport Package
- 1. Choose where you start: Te Anau lakefront with a water taxi or Control Gates
- 2. Enjoy your hike
- 3. Choose where you finish: Rainbow Reach or Control Gates
- Your options
- Kepler no return – water taxi only ($30pp)
- Kepler return by car, incl. water taxi ($125 per car + $30pp)
- Kepler from/to QT by bus, incl. water taxi (from $187pp)
- Kepler from/to Te Anau by bus, incl. water taxi (from $53pp)
Kepler Track Car Relocation
Te Anau or Control Gates Carpark to Rainbow Reach- Collect a lockbox and fix it to your car when you park in Te Anau
- We relocate your car to Rainbow Reach or Kepler carpark
- Drive away when you finish and return the lockbox on the way
- Add your water taxi to your booking and all your track transport requirements are done in one go!
- Water Taxi transport: Adult $30, Child (4-14) $15
Kepler Track Bus Timetable
Queenstown to Te Anau: 6:55am, 8.00am, 10.30am (Departs from Queenstown Central and Queenstown Airport)
Te Anau to Kepler Carpark (Control Gates) or Rainbow Reach: 8.45am, 9.30am, 2.20pm, 3.40pm (Departs from DOC Visitor Centre or Lakeview Holiday Park)
Rainbow Reach to Te Anau: 10.00am, 3.00pm, 4.00pm
Kepler Carpark (Control Gates) to Te Anau: 10.10am, 3.10pm. 4.10pm
Te Anau to Queenstown: 7.00am, 11.30am, 5pm (Departs from DOC Visitor Centre or Lakeview Holiday Park)
Kepler Track Bus
From $187/Adult ex/to QT
From $23/Adult ex/to Te Anau
+ Water Taxi from $30pp
Kepler Track Water Taxi
Water Taxi: Adult $30
Child (4-14 years) $15
Departures:
Te Anau to Brod Bay
8.30am, 9.30am, 10.30am
What People are Saying…
We wanted to thank you as everything was perfectly organized, from the food to the gear to the car relocation. And all the small details such as the post cards with the personalized messages and the time spent to answering to our infinite questions contributed to an overall great experience.
