It’s early June, the bulk of the snow is yet to come, but with the now white frosted tip of Mount Luxmore visible from our kitchen window, it calls us. The surrounding mountains look amazing and with forecast blue skies all week, Nath and I grabbed the opportunity to get out amongst it. Packing our kit, we set out for a Kepler day hike, on a mission to find enough white stuff for a snow fight.
Nath is eleven and always up for hikes in and around the amazing Fiordland trails – the promise of snow on this journey an extra incentive. I love our adventures together, and I’m not mad about his growing skill as a photographer either – he always offers to takes some photos of me on my big camera, and I’m grateful these provide a personal keepsake and evidence of our missions together.
We left the Kepler Carpark Shelter just before 9:00am taking with us water, snacks and that paradoxical mix of warm winder clothing, but also sunnies and sunscreen. Through the shade of the beach forest it’s a chilly run/hike to Brod Bay, 5.5km of undulating trail that closely hugs the shore of Lake Te Anau.
From the Brod Bay Campsite it’s a hard left turn and you’re straight into the climb. The next 6km of switchbacks covers approximately 1,000m of elevation, taking you beneath the impressive limestone bluffs (where Nathan writes his name with a rock alongside the others that have done so before us), up a few stairs, and onto more taunting switchback trails. Beyond the bluffs there is evidence of the snow to come, with frosted plants lining the edge of the icy track. The beautiful contrast of green and white is utterly magical. Finally, with cold hands and tired legs, the bush line breaks and after a few more steps were basking in the warm sun and treated to panoramic views of Te Anau and our surrounding mountains.
With every step the snow and ice thicken. What starts as soft slippery slush on the side of the track, brown from trampled muddy boots, turns white beautifully powdery snow. Nath loves the icy puddles on the trail and the frozen ponds just off to the side of the track. We throw snow balls onto the tarns and perfect our technique so as to make them explode on impact, or skate across to the other side.
It’s another couple of kilometres onward to Luxmore Hut, the journey made quite a lot slower than our previous hikes due to the slippery boardwalks and loosing our feet in deeper sections of snow. It takes some focus but we stop frequently to admire the views and colours. Every direction is jaw-droppingly beautiful.
It’s our first visit to the hut in the Winter season and a slightly new experience. The hut itself is eerily quiet and empty. There is literally no one around, not even the Kea. We learn quickly that the pipes are all frozen and the only water source is from the outside tap, one left to run continuously, so as not to turn to solid ice. The upstairs toilets are all closed too, bar one. The ‘Winter Loo’ is tucked in the corner – a flash in house outhouse that I hadn’t even noticed on prior visits. We unpack some of the bench seats in the kitchen so we can sit at the tables and tuck into our lunch. Chat soon moves to the possibility of continuing our climb and hiking further up toward the summit. We agree to at least see what it’s like past the hut.
The track immediately beyond Luxmore Hut is steep and rocky, not that you can tell when it is covered in knee deep snow. We make our way onward, getting only about 300-400 meters beyond the hut before we realise that this might be our turn around point. It’s incredibly slow going and each step upward gets increasingly harder. We make the call to trek back down to a little plateau, pausing there to take in the vastness of our surroundings. Nath makes a wee snowman on the track.
We got what we came for… I ball up a clump of snow and throw it at an unaware crouching Nath. He stands up at the perfect moment and I get him right on the chest, the cold snow imploding and crumbling down the inside of his jacket. His look says it all. Game on!
When the carnage eventually ceases we take a few more photos and I am rewarded for risking a jump shot in the snow. Cheers to my amazing photographer who nailed it in one shot. I manage to not break an ankle, and Nath last minute pockets some snow, vowing he can get it home safely before it melts.
We head back down the mountain, retracing our steps the same way we came. Still not a single person spotted until we reach the trail between Brod Bay and the carpark. A 10/10 day!
Total Distance 28.08 km
Time 6:04:24
Elevation 1,032m
