Ramble
Quest - Kepler -- The Magic Path.
The first thing that strikes you about the Kepler is how amazingly well-maintained it is. One reason for this is that they run an annual race here. Why anyone would want to race through such beautiful country is a bit of a mystery to me, but I guess it's a good choice for a challenging run. Since it is next week the trail is even more spotless than usual. Indeed, along the stretch up to Luxmore hut I spend as much time admiring the trail as I do the fine scenery.
Luxmore hut is large, modern, and fantastically situated just above the tree line, near some fine caves and looking out over the lakes far below. The warden here leads a great evening nature walk that is extremely informative. Too bad this was the only hut I saw in New Zealand where they did this.
Since Kepler is popular and without many huts you find yourself meeting the same group of hikers at the largest huts. This can be a blessing or a curse depending on the group you get stuck with. Fortunately, I'm lucky enough to meet some great people, including Rob, Kerry-Ann, Todd and Lisel, and two fellow Chicago women. (BTW, the Chi-town pair thought they had to sneak through the control gates at the entrance to the trail instead of simply opening the gate and walking through. Funny because I initially had the same thought for a few seconds. In Chicago, they only put gates around things to lock you out.) Actually, almost everyone I meet on this hike is either American or German.
After Luxmore the path heads along some impressive ridge walking in high alpine territory. Amazing! Like walking along the spine of a great, green dinosaur looking far down at fabulous views from both sides. This turns out to be the best alpine hiking I did in NZ, even better than Routeburn's great alpine.
Of course the high ridge hiking is extremely exposed and comes with a price, both with wind and the danger of getting stuck up there in bad weather. I take a sidetrip up to the top of Mt. Luxmore and almost get blown off on the way down. But an unexpected danger awaits. Catching up to Rob again on the path (we are always the first out the door) I see him being harassed by a pack of about 20 kea! It's quite a freaky sight to see them circling and dive bombing him. I'm happy to see that they don't actually attack though, as they are known to do to sheep. So when they do the same to me I'm less frightened than I would have been had I not seen Rob survive. It's still creepy the way they follow you, even waiting on the roof outside of emergency shelters. The bigger threat from them is when I drop my pack to climb peaks. I have to race up and down quickly to chase them away from ripping up my pack.
Climbing down to Moturau passes through an amazing wide range of different forests: drier, mossy sub-alpine, to twisted, old growth trees, to lush fairyland rain forest and everything in between. Moturau is also in a perfect location, right along picture perfect Lake Manapouri. Despite the frigid water temperature almost everyone elects to go swimming. If it weren't for some sandflies and the keas this would have been an absolutely perfect hiking day!
The hike out is easy and through completely different terrain. Thousands of spider webs glisten over a grassy bog. A large river runs through a rocky forest. Before I know it I'm back hiking along the lake towards town. After sneaking a shower in a holiday park I run into Rob and Kerry-Ann and have a quick brunch with them before jumping on a fast and roomy Catch-A-Bus towards Dunedin.
This hike was everything I could have hoped for in a last jaunt. Overall it isn't quite a flash as Routeburn or perhaps Able Tasman, but it has the best alpine and great variety.