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Kepler Track

Freedom walk Fiordland National Park's longest 'Great Walk'. Tracknet are able to collect you from your accommodation in Te Anau and travel to or from The Kepler Track Carpark (Control Gates) and Rainbow Reach (Swingbridge). The below transport options are only available during our Summer season (29th October 2019 to 1st May 2020). Please contact us if you require transport outside of these months.

Kepler Track Bus Transport Package

Special rate of $20.00 per person for all transport, as below:

From Te Anau to the Control Gates and from Rainbow Reach back to Te Anau.

OR

From Te Anau to Rainbow Reach and from the Control Gates back to Te Anau. Contact us to book this option

To receive the special loop rate of $20.00, please choose 'Kepler Loop Package'. Please note this booking will automatically book you for 3 nights stay on the track and the set times are: Te Anau to Control Gates at 9:20am & Rainbow Reach to Te Anau at 10:00am. You are able to amend these times in the notes upon booking. Alternatively, please contact us to make your booking or for further details

* Please note if you book each sector separately online, it won't apply the discounted package fare.

Kepler Tracknet Info

The below transport options are only available during our Summer season (29th October 2019 to 1st May 2020) – please contact us if you require transport outside of these months. Be collected from your accommodation in Te Anau and travel to/from The Kepler Track Carpark (Control Gates) and Rainbow Reach (Swingbridge).

Book your travel by sector (i.e. Rainbow Reach to Te Anau and Te Anau to Queenstown)
The Control Gates is sometimes referred to as the Kepler Car Park. Our bus stop is at the Kepler Car Park. Rainbow Reach is also known as the Swingbridge
Rainbow Reach to Te Anau at 10:00am & Control Gates to Te Anau at 10:10am services connect with the 11:30am Te Anau to Queenstown service and has a 1 hour & 10 minute stop-over in Te Anau
Rainbow Reach to Te Anau at 3:00pm & Control Gates to Te Anau at 3:10pm services connect with the 5:00pm service from Te Anau to Queenstown and has a 1 hour & 40 minute stop-over in Te Anau
Tracknet transport is at Rainbow Reach at 10:00am and 3:00pm daily during the Great Walks Season, regardless of bookings. For all other times, bookings are essential, as we only run with confirmed bookings

Bookings: You can check availability and departure times online. Book online for sector transport and receive an instant email confirmation. To receive the Special Kepler Loop rate from Te Anau to Control Gates & Rainbow Reach to Te Anau, please choose 'Loop Packages' and you can amend date and time requirements for the Transport Package. Alternatively, contact us to book the loop package in reverse, or for further information.

Kepler Track Shuttle	Departure Times				Travel Time
Te Anau to Control Gates	8:30am*	9:30am	11:15pm	2:40pm	10mins
Te Anau to Rainbow Reach	9:30am	11:15am	2:40pm	4:15pm*	20mins
Rainbow Reach to Te Anau	10:00am	3:00pm	4:00pm*	5:00pm*	20mins
Control Gates to Te Anau	10:10am*	3:10pm*	4:10pm*	5:10pm*	10mins
Rainbow Reach to Control Gates	10:00am	3:00pm	4:00pm*	5:00pm*	10mins
Control Gates to Rainbow Reach	9:40am*	11:45am*	2:45pm*	4:45pm*	10mins
Queenstown to Te Anau	6:55am	10:35am	2:00pm	4:35pm	2hrs & 45mins
Te Anau to Queenstown	7:15am	10:30am	11:30am	5:00pm	2hrs & 45mins

* Indicates that service only operates on demand (pre-bookings essential)

Image from: DOC

Kepler Track Info

Fiordland National Park's Kepler Track is a 60 kilometre loop walking track of moderate difficulty that takes three to four days to complete. It traverses lake and river edges, beech forest, alpine mountain tops and a U-shaped glacial valley.

Reasonable fitness is required to complete the full circuit and trampers must be well equipped. During winter and spring the alpine section of the track can be closed by snow and ice. Sections of the track are suitable for day walks year round.

Stay in Te Anau the night before you intend to travel, you will wake up fresh and ready to begin your walk. Check out Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park, where there is a large range of accommodation. Te Anau is easily accessible by road and has a full range of accommodation, shopping, hire services and car storage.

Most trampers start the Kepler Track at the Control Gates, but this will depend on which hut tickets you have booked. The Tracknet bus takes walkers to the Kepler Track Carpark (Control Gates). This entry/exit point is a short drive by Shuttle from Te Anau.

Booking during the 'Great Walks Season' is essential – contact the Department of Conservation to reserve your hut tickets or campsite on the Track. Please book your hut tickets with the Department of Conservation before you organise your bus transport.

The first day is a journey into the Kepler Mountains with the first night spent in Mt Luxmore Hut. This is the best place to assess the weather for the next day’s walking across the open tops and have most of the climbing behind you.

The second day is up over the top of Mt Luxmore, here is where you can get marvellous views of the surrounding mountains before descending over the Forest Burn Saddle and into the Iris Burn Valley to the Iris Burn Hut.

The third day is a steady tramp following the Iris Burn River through beech forest to the shores of Lake Manapouri then along the Lake shore to Moturau Hut for a night.

The final day is a gentle stroll through beech forest to Rainbow Reach. Here, cross over the Swingbridge and catch the Kepler Track Shuttle to travel back to Te Anau, Same day connections also available to Queenstown.