21.17 Highlights from Kepler Track, a great tramp
The commencement point of the Kepler Great Walk (hike) from Te Anau. Weighed down with heavy bags, 3,000 feet to ascend to reach Hut One, Luxmore. Looks like we'll have to camp and sleep during the day, hike at night. Had we brought a shovel, we might have levelled the sign. 101…102…195 …and so on until perhaps infinity. That’s the number of peaks we saw of the Kepler Range. Fortunately, we only had to ascend and descend a few. The hike begins at lake level, the colossal Te Anau, one of many bodies of pristine water in this country. For 3.5 miles, we meandered along the side of the beach and then took a left turn. We headed 3,000 feet higher, broke the tree line (not on purpose) and made our way along a crest for another two-and-a-bit miles, finally arriving at Luxmore Hut, our residence for the night. We left for the 'tramp' at midday Sunday, returned a little after midday on Tuesday after completing twenty-seven miles and accumulating 6,000 feet in elevatio...