Adventure Run · Fiordland, New Zealand

Kepler Track — 2-Day Adventure Run

A 60 km loop above the fiords of Lake Te Anau — the Luxmore ridgeline, glowworm caves, kea, and a Lake Manapouri beach swim, hut to hut on a Great Walk built for runners.

~60 km
Distance
~2,600 m
Elevation Gain
2 Days
Running
1,400 m
High Point

Route Map

A full loop from Te Anau — up over the Luxmore ridgeline, down the Iris Burn, back along Lake Manapouri. Numbered markers = overnight stops · triangles = passes & landmarks.

Start & Finish (Te Anau)
Overnight stop
▲ Pass / landmark

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Click any day to expand · Pick a start date above

Day0
Arrival — Queenstown → Te Anau
Travel Day 🇳🇿 Fiordland
▾

✈️ Getting There

Fly into Queenstown (ZQN), then bus or shuttle to Te Anau (~2 hr) — the lakefront gateway town to Fiordland National Park and the Kepler trailhead.
💡 Notes: Pick up your hut tickets and check conditions at the DOC Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre — it sits right on the lakefront, a short walk from town. Then a lakefront dinner watching the light fade over the mountains you'll be on top of tomorrow.
TypeArrival day
Transfer~2 hr
Overnight
Te Anau (210 m)
Booking.com →
Day1
Te Anau control gates → Luxmore Hut → Mt Luxmore ridgeline → Iris Burn Hut
Very Hard Alpine ridgeline ~28 km · 7–8 hr
▾

Highlights

Luxmore Caves Luxmore Hut view over the South Fiord Alpine ridgeline traverse Kea encounters Iris Burn waterfall (evening walk)
⚠ Notes: The big day. Climb through beech forest from the control gates to Luxmore Hut, perched above Lake Te Anau's South Fiord — detour 10 min to the Luxmore Caves (bring a headlamp). Then the crown jewel: the ridgeline between Luxmore and the two emergency shelters is fully exposed alpine running with fiords on both sides — wind can shut it down, so go early. Watch for kea at the shelters. Long switchback descent into the Iris Burn valley; after checking in at the hut, take the 20-min evening walk to the Iris Burn waterfall.
Distance~28 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,500 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,100 m
Moving Time7–8 hr
DifficultyVery Hard
Overnight
Iris Burn Hut (497 m)
DOC Bookings →
Day2
Iris Burn → Moturau Hut → Rainbow Reach → Te Anau — Finish!
Hard Lake Manapouri swim ~32 km · 6–7 hr
▾

Highlights

Moturau Hut · Lake Manapouri beach Rainbow Reach swing bridge Fiordland beech forest Waiau River terraces
🎉 Notes: Rolling, runnable beech forest all the way home — this is the fast half of the loop. Cruise down the Iris Burn valley to Moturau Hut on a sandy Lake Manapouri beach — swim stop, non-negotiable. Then wetlands and river terraces to the Rainbow Reach swing bridge and along the Waiau River back to the control gates and into Te Anau. Fun fact: the Kepler Challenge race covers this whole loop in a single day each December — you're doing the two-day "luxury" edition.

🚌 Shortcut: a bus/shuttle option from Rainbow Reach cuts the final 9.5 km if the legs are done.
Distance~32 km
Elev Gain↑ ~600 m
Elev Loss↓ ~900 m
Moving Time6–7 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Te Anau (celebration!)
Booking.com →

Route Highlights

Fiordland's runner-friendly Great Walk — alpine ridgeline, caves, kea, and lake beaches.

Day 1
Luxmore Caves
Limestone caves 10 minutes from Luxmore Hut — pack a headlamp and duck into the dark before the ridgeline.
Day 1
Ridgeline above the fiord
Hours of fully exposed alpine running with Lake Te Anau's South Fiord a kilometre below — the crown jewel of the loop.
Day 1
Kea
The world's only alpine parrot patrols the shelters — brilliant, curious, and they WILL untie your shoes.
Day 1
Iris Burn waterfall
A 20-minute evening leg-stretcher from the hut to a waterfall pounding into a mossy amphitheatre.
Day 2
Moturau beach swim
A sandy Lake Manapouri beach at the hut door, 20 km into the day — the best mid-run swim in Fiordland.
Day 2
Kepler Challenge heritage
Each December racers cover the whole 60 km loop in a day — you're running a legend at half speed.
Day 2
Fiordland beech forest
Rolling, mossy, root-cushioned singletrack — some of the most runnable forest trail anywhere.
Day 2
Te Anau finish
Close the loop on the lakefront where you started — burger, beer, and the ridgeline you crossed on the skyline.

Trip Planning

Everything needed to make it happen.

Total Distance

~60 km
~37 mi · full loop from Te Anau

Elevation Gain

~2,600 m
~8,500 ft — nearly all on Day 1

Daily Average

~30 km / day
Alpine Day 1, runnable Day 2

High Point

1,400 m
Luxmore ridgeline (Mt Luxmore 1,472 m side trip)

Best Season

Oct–Apr
Huts serviced late Oct–Apr (southern summer)

Lodging

DOC Great Walk huts
Bunks, no meals — carry food; gas stoves in season

Permits

None
But hut booking is mandatory

Character

Loop
Start = finish — luggage stays in Te Anau

Pairs perfectly with the Routeburn run for a Fiordland double — both stage out of the Te Anau / Queenstown corridor. Track info at doc.govt.nz.

✈️ Access

In: Fly Queenstown (ZQN) → bus/shuttle to Te Anau (~2 hr). The trailhead (control gates) is a 50-min lakeside walk or short shuttle from town.

Out: It's a loop — you finish back in Te Anau. Return to Queenstown by the same ~2 hr bus.

⚠️ Route notes

🍽 Food: Great Walk huts have NO meals — carry your own dinner/breakfast (dehydrated works best) plus stove-free backup options. Gas rings are provided in the huts during the Great Walk season, so no stove needed.

🦟 Sandflies: legendary in Fiordland, worst at Iris Burn and Moturau — repellent is non-negotiable.

🌬 Weather: the Luxmore ridgeline is fully exposed and there is no alternative lakeside route — if a storm parks itself on the tops, you wait it out. Go early in the day and check the forecast at the DOC visitor centre.

🧭 Navigation: the track is benched and impeccably marked — the challenge is weather, not routefinding. Track info: doc.govt.nz.

💵 Money & booking

All prices NZD. Great Walk hut bookings open ~May–June for the following Oct–Apr season at bookings.doc.govt.nz — Iris Burn fills up, but the scramble is less brutal than Milford. Te Anau lodging is plentiful outside the Dec–Feb peak.
📅 Booking Timeline
DOC Great Walks bookings open ~May–June for the following Oct–Apr season, and popular huts sell out fast. Book Iris Burn Hut the day bookings open at bookings.doc.govt.nz, then build everything else around that date.
Day0
Te Anau
Fiordland 🇳🇿
Booking.com →
Easy — lakefront gateway town
Day1
Iris Burn Hut
497 m · Fiordland NP 🇳🇿
DOC Bookings →
Book when DOC opens ~JuneBunks only · carry food
Day2
Te Anau (finish night)
Fiordland 🇳🇿
Booking.com →
Celebration dinner on the lakefront
✈
Flights + shuttle
Queenstown ↔ Te Anau · Rainbow Reach pickup 🇳🇿
Maps →
Book ZQN flights + Tracknet-style shuttle