Kepler Track: Te Anau – snowline and back: 29.6 km
Steamers Beach

Saturday, March 9: Cloudy at first, clearing, with a weaker wind

GPS Tour
Youtube Video

Lake Te Anau redux. Tree on the right has taken a bit of a hit, and the perspective has changed a little, but eminently recognisable

Consulting the maps this morning revealed that the row to the Monument might take longer than expected, so I chose the Kepler Walk-On instead, meaning to go all the way from Te Anau as far as I could, but starting as early as possible, rather than at one in the afternoon. Went to the DoC, booked my transfers and picked up my tickets for the Milford Track tomorrow, and was ready to go by 10:00.

On the way to the control point I teamed up with a young Japanese nurse, Yoya, and got on well with her for the rest of the day.

Back in the day – a first attempt at a bracket from 2009.

Her pace was a little slower than mine, but company on this track is always good. We stopped at Dock Bay but it was still very cloudy, then at Brod Bay, where we had our lunch. On the way I pointed out the young lancewood to her; as well as one tree that was transitioning. I had two tomato sandwiches with me for lunch, and one tomato. After lunch we continued on up the hill, at a slightly slower pace. Found the spot where I had taken the infamous wobbled dual bracket and took a bracket of ten just for good measure, with all the stops pulled. Then we continued on to the Limestone Bluffs, and then even further to just above the tree line. Here the view was fantastic, dominated by the ridge, which I suppose the Keplerites have to walk across.

Kepler Track (foreground) and the ridge in the background that is crossed on day 2. Detail from the panorama

Should have noticed that the camera had started a new folder on photographing the Bluff. Strange behaviour; will have to keep an eye out for it; but booting directly into CHDK seems to be working fine. Also had forgotten to determine that the raw pictures were to be stored in the folder with the JPGs. Rectified this and took a bracketed panorama of this remarkable view. Met an English guy and then started moving down the track again. At the Te Anau lookout I checked via the file browser and then lookout photos were still there, although the first in the series had been overwritten by the bluff image. Will see soon what the computer says.

Down at Brod I had suggested to Yoya that I run on ahead and fetch the car to pick her up from the car park at the control point, so off I went at full speed. Was back at the motorcamp in 1½ hours and picked up Yoya and a fellow hosteller from Munich (they were staying at the Youth Hostel in the centre of town), who was also very grateful for a lift back home. Dropped them at their hostel and went to look for something to eat – special fried rice from the Chinese fish’n’chip shop for $9.5 – fairly bland, needed salt & pepper here.

Now for the Milford packing.