Tom NapperLuxmore Hut Overnighter - Kepler Track
Day 1 - Luxmore Hut & Caves
Lake Te Anau from Luxmore Hut - Prints available
Wooho, what an amazing trip! Time to test my gammy hip with a "proper" adventure with @troutbumminnz. A tramp up the first section of the Kepler Track Great Walk to spend the night in Luxmore Hut and the first big hike in two months.
It was so darn good to get back out in to the kiwi flora and fauna. We made it up to the hut with plenty of time to crack out the paints and Adam painted for the first time since high school. Affectionately naming his creation "Hot Garbage" 😍 He was thrown in the deep end as painting at the end of the day is super hard with the rapidly changing light.
The highlight of the day (I won't stop telling everyone about it) was Luxmore Cave. Ten minutes off the track, this unassuming cave entrance with zero safety warnings just points you down a tunnel... which goes on...and on...and on... Half an hour under the ground and things got tight, but still seemingly went on forever! I came alive exploring it's tunnels and a return trip is needed! Or at least some more caving! 🙌
That night we were treated to a perfect clear night and then I signed off with a terrible nights sleep because I had the noisiest camp mat combo in the world. I had to lay stiff as a plank else the creaking would wake up the whole cabin 😑
Did I mention the cave!?
Day 2 - Mt Luxmore
View from Mt Luxmore - Prints available
Day two of our Luxmore adventure saw us getting up pre-dawn and racing the sunrise up the extra 400m to Mt Luxmore summit.
To be completely honest I hadn't paid too much attention to the Kepler Track because it's website implied it was a load of tussock. Boy was I wrong! We spent an hour and a half painting one of the most beautiful views I've ever sat in front of. @troutbumminnz was thrown in the deep end with the constantly shifting clouds and created "Hot Garbage 2". I painted this, which is probably my favourite so far. I could have stayed up there all day.
On the way down the hiking god's were smiling on us. We made three new friends and cackled with laughter all the way back to the carpark. (Not forgetting an obligatory winter swim in Te Anau). We just spent the last three days together and there'll no doubt be more adventure. Yay for the outdoors connecting people 😊
So good to be back up mountains where I belong.
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