Kepler Track Day Walk

The scenic final stretch of the Kepler “Great Walk” makes for a super easy and pleasant day-walk. This one-hour slice of the 3-4 day Kepler Track leaves from the Rainbow Reach carpark, quickly crosses a long swingbridge over the Waiau River, then ambles through dense forest over to the shore of Lake Manapouri. Everything about this easy track is lowkey beautiful. The beautiful track surface is flat and wide—good for long conversations, as there’s no heavybreathing the entire route. The beautiful Beech forest is silent except for singing birds and chirping cicadas. The forest features both an endless undulating carpet of lush green moss and an open under-story enabling you to see deep into the woods. And then, for a nice finale, you get the beautiful Lake Manapouri beaches with a backdrop of snow-capped Fiordland mountains.

Nearing the lake you come to a junction and a choice to make to head either to the Moturau Hut along the Kepler Track or the Shallow Bay Hut on a dead-end spur track. Choose Shallow Bay! The Moturau Hut will probably have a heap of Kepler backpackers boisterously splashing off their trail filth, while Shallow Bay and its sandy beach will have warmer water and fewer people (few Kepler walkers will add the extra out/back length to Shallow Bay, except for hut overnighters who tend to leave early). If you continue past the Shallow Bay hut just another 5-8 minutes along the shore you’ll find even nicer sandy beaches and the mouth of the Waiau River surging into the lake. Bring picnic, sunscreen, bug spray, and birthday suit—if it’s sunny you’ll want to stay a while.

For either an overnight backpack trip (or a fast trail-run), this almostflat track is perfect. There are plenty of tent sites along the shorelines of Shallow Bay. Also, if Te Anau is drizzly, the Beech forest is still very nice for a rainy-day walk.

WALK: Cross the initial bridge and go left. At the next odd junction stay left. Now about 50 minutes to the beach-choice junction.