The only great walk I did in NZ.

As the name suggests it is indeed a great walk through diverse terrain and a complete nature retreat.

The whole trail is 60 km, and it is a 3 to 4-day walk depending on your own pace.

I went on this walk right before the beginning of the Great walk season at the end of Oct.

This is a perfect time if you want to avoid the crowd and take advantage of off-season hut tickets as it is much cheaper (it comes at a price, of course).

Besides, booking is often filled up quickly during the peak season. And for me, walking some ridgeline covered in snow.

Kepler Track car park to Luxmore hut — estimated time 6 hours, 13,8 km.

We started early in the morning from Kepler Track car park and left the car there, better start early to get a spot in the hut that we have been told.

It was a beautiful morning, perfect for a walk in the forest.

We were walking along the shore of Lake Te Anau, admiring the sparkling water reflecting the sunlight over Dock Bay.

There is only one campsite from the car park to Luxmore hut, it is Brod Bay shelter and Campsite.

As we made our way through the beech forest, it was so fresh and enchanting — I was in such a good mood since the first part was quite flat.

The sun was shining through the beeches, I took a deep breath, it was so refreshing.

As soon as we passed the campsite, it was a constant uphill climb. And it was like this until you reach the hut.

To be honest, it was the most challenging part for me throughout the hike — I was not fit for this.

As my friends were heading forwards, I was really falling behind, I had to take a break after 10 minutes.

One of the girls in our group was quite fit and she kept pushing and encouraging us, she kept saying "It's almost there" — after a while, no one trusted her anymore LOL. But thanks to her, we were getting quicker, not crawling up the hill.

We stopped halfway for some snacks — all I need is water, even though it was not that hot.

I was huffing and puffing by the time we passed the bush line. We stopped to put on some more sunblock without knowing that we nearly reached the hut.

Leaving the bush line behind, we were walking through an open area with a fantastic view of Kepler mountain and over lake Te Anau.

Luxmore hut

The first thing when we got there was reserving a spot, I remembered it took us about 5 hours and a half, and a dozen already arrived before us.

This is quite a big hut with 54 bunks with mattresses. Before the Great walk season, facilities are greatly reduced, but we still have running water. The gas stove was not provided, but I can share that with my friends.

My mate also brought beer, it was funny but everyone was giving him a jealous glance, how refreshing was that! He really knew how to pamper himself after all the hard work.

I only packed the necessaries and it already weighed around 15 kg, so the lesson learned is to work out a bit harder if you want a great reward LOL.

You are not going to believe it but it was one of the best meals I have ever had, just tuna sandwiches with sweet carrot and red pepper, all the walking worked up a real appetite, I could eat a horse.

The keas never say no to the visitors.

Explore Luxmore cave

It is a 10-minute walk from the hut. Unlike the heat outside, it was cool when we moved deep into the cave.

It was small and dark, we cannot see anything without the headlight.

As we venture further, the ceiling is becoming lower and lower, we basically had to bend down.

You could hear the water drips, the cave is really well-preserved maybe because it is so isolated, we also saw some magnificent formation that takes thousand years to form.

It was short, but quite an adventure.

Mount Luxmore 1472 m

Actually, we could climb it later since it is on the way to Iris Burn hut, but we got the whole afternoon to explore the area, why not do it now.

It turned out to be a good decision as the weather turned wild the next day. (I share more about that in part 2 of this hike).

It was a flat walk along the ridge, some parts of the track are quite narrow and only fit one person at a time.

Then, it is a steep climb to the top.

Luckily, it was warm the sky was so clear, part of the track was blanketed in snow, most of them are rocky and rough.

I was out of breath by the time we got to the summit, but the view was so worth it.

Taking in panoramic views of Lake Te Anau basin and snow-capped mountains.

It was a 1.5-hour turnaround from the hut.

My friend tried to take some water from the creek and melting ice, it tasted amazing and very fresh, however, we were advised not to drink it.

By the time we headed back to the hut, it had been packed with hikers, everyone really made use of a couple of weeks before the new season.

During dinner, the ranger collected the hut ticket and briefed everybody about the weather forecast tomorrow.

We were warned to take extra caution and be ready to go back if the wind condition is too severe.

It's projected to get to 70 or 80 kph.

This was definitely not good news as the trail from here to Iris Burn hut is quite exposed, the high winds can also come with a temperature drop and you do not want to imagine yourself in that scenario.

Sighing and all kinds of emotions were expressed across the room as people started to get worried, some groups had been planning to go back to the car park if the weather worsened.

As it was getting darker and chillier, people started to gather on the deck, either chatting or singing. There was a guy with a ukulele as well, it was so fun.

We decided to sleep on the upcoming windy conditions and enjoy (hopefully) a good night's sleep.

Have you been here?

Let me know in the comment, I'd love to hear about your trip if you do this hike in a different season.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this hike as we crossed the ridge in strong winds.