Stage start
Rainbow Reach
Trailhead · 208 m
The swing bridge over the Waiau River and the Rainbow Reach car park, 12 km from Te Anau: many walkers finish here by shuttle instead of the last 9.5 km to the car park.
Rainbow Reach to the Kepler Track car park
Kepler Track · Stage 6
9.3kmStage distance
200mMapped ascent
6Stage number
Along the Waiau River back to the control gates and the car park.
Best season: 27 October to 30 April (the Great Walks season). The Department of Conservation's 2026/27 Great Walks season runs from 27 October 2026 to 30 April 2027: the huts have rangers, gas and heating, and huts and campsites must be booked. Avalanche risk on the alpine section can last into December, when DOC may close it. From May to October the tops are an alpine route with avalanche paths, for well-equipped, experienced parties only. Iris Burn Hut is closed for renovations until mid-October 2026; the planner counts it closed until 27 October, and the Iris Burn campsite stays open. Before you go
Loading topographic map…
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Moderate (10–15%)
Green: Rainbow Reach to the Kepler Track car park. Grey: full trail. Elevation follows this mapped track.
Rainbow Reach to the Kepler Track car park
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Where this stage starts and ends
Facts read from the guide's sources and OpenStreetMap on 27 September 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with your accommodation before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage end
Kepler Track car park
Trailhead · 209 m
The start and finish at the control gates, 5 km from Te Anau (a 50-minute walk from the visitor centre). In season, shuttles run from Te Anau.
Walking time for this leg
- Rainbow Reach to Kepler Track car park: 2 hr 30 min to 3 hr 30 min. Our estimate for this stage is 2 h 17. doc.govt.nz, read 27 September 2026
Make it your trip
Book the huts and campsites
In the Great Walks season every hut and campsite night is booked on DOC's booking system; campers may not use the huts. Luxmore Hut needs a booking all year; outside the season the other huts are first come, first served. Book the shuttle or water taxi with it. The planner's nights are the huts: campers choose Brod Bay or the Iris Burn campsite on DOC's booking.
The loop from the Kepler Track car park
The whole loop in four days, a night at each hut.
Plan this journeyKepler Track car park to Rainbow Reach
Three days, leaving at Rainbow Reach by shuttle instead of the last 9.5 km.
Plan this journeyWeather this week
Loading the forecast for on the trail (222 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this stage, around 197–247 m. Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Day / night | 20°/9° | 20°/9° | 18°/8° | 15°/6° | 12°/4° | 9°/2° | 9°/2° | 11°/2° | 13°/4° | 15°/5° | 17°/6° | 19°/8° |
| Rain, mm | 115 | 135 | 165 | 113 | 161 | 160 | 138 | 110 | 127 | 119 | 162 | 105 |
| Snow at high point | – | – | – | – | – | – | Frost | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight | 15 h 18 | 13 h 58 | 12 h 29 | 10 h 52 | 9 h 30 | 8 h 44 | 9 h 01 | 10 h 10 | 11 h 42 | 13 h 17 | 14 h 48 | 15 h 38 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Prepare for the Kepler Track
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Prices
Each hut night in the Great Walks season costs an international adult NZ$132 and a New Zealand resident NZ$88 (children $66 / $44); a campsite night $42 / $28. Off-season, Luxmore $35 and the valley huts $30 an adult night.
DOC: Great Walks pricingThe alpine section
Between Luxmore and Iris Burn the track runs along exposed tops with no reliable water. In winter it crosses nine avalanche paths, most of which can reach the track; DOC says to go then only with an ice axe, crampons, avalanche gear and a distress beacon. DOC's webcam looks toward Hanging Valley Shelter.
Kepler Track webcamSignal and help
Phone coverage cannot be guaranteed: carry a distress beacon. The hut rangers have radios in the season. For search and rescue call 111. The Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre: +64 3 249 7924.
DOC: distress beaconsGetting there
Connect your journey
Travel around Rainbow Reach to the Kepler Track car park.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
Te Anau and the car park
The Kepler Track car park is 5 km from Te Anau, a 50-minute walk from the visitor centre. In the season shuttles serve the car park and Rainbow Reach (12 km from Te Anau) daily, and a scheduled water taxi crosses to Brod Bay.
Tracknet: Kepler TrackTake your trip with you
Offline maps
Prepare every day while you still have a connection: DOC says phone coverage on the track cannot be guaranteed.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
- Open this trail in the app. Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
- Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
- Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
About this map
The Department of Conservation gives a 60 km loop from the Kepler Track car park, walkable either way; DOC lists it by Luxmore first, as here. The line here is the track's relation on OpenStreetMap (planet of 21 September 2026), 58.1 km, cut at DOC's stage ends; the times are DOC's.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 27 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Department of Conservation: Kepler TrackMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation