Kepler Track - History

History

Māori legend has it that Rakaihautu, legendary leader of the Māori canoe Uruao, is said to have named the great lakes while exploring the interior of the South Island. During a period of wet weather his party found a large and beautiful lake which they named Te Aria Au, meaning cave of rain, and just south of it another lake which Rakaihautu named Roto Ua, the lake where rain is constant. Today we know Roto Ua as Lake Manapouri. The Kepler is situated between the two lakes.

Richard Henry, Fiordland's first ranger, lived at the southern end of Lake Te Anau for many years and often explored the Kepler area. James McKerrow named the range after the 17th Century German astronomer Johannes Kepler.

Early tracks up onto Mt. Luxmore were cut by Jack Beer to provide summer grazing for his sheep. Many tracks in New Zealand have evolved from Māori trails or pioneer exploration routes. The Kepler track however was established in 1988 and opened in February of that year as a Great Walk as part of the Fiordland National Park Centennial celebrations. Funding came from New Zealand Tourist and Publicity Department. It was designed to ease the strain on the popular Milford and Routeburn Tracks. The track had a considerable contribution from the International Expedition Operation Raleigh during 1986/87, when expeditioners from around the world constructed much of the walkways and the Iris Burn and Mount Luxmore huts.

The caves at Mt Luxmore were also mapped and Mount Raleigh was named above the Iris Burn.