Kepler track in 2 days

So I decided to do the Kepler track in 2 days. It actually was a nice track with some really nice views. Very easy to walk and I was usually more than twice as fast as the times given even though I talked to most people I met and did all the side trips. Must have been the lighter load.

There are even possibilities of getting around the use of the expensive great walk huts(there is a standard d.o.c. hut near one of the gw huts for example). I stayed at an expensive great walk campsite though and of course was taken apart by the sand flies (obviously I had forgotten to bring the repellent). Apart from that it's a really nice track though.

I followed the standard itinerary so my first day was uphill to luxmore hut, which is a really nice hut with good views. I left my backpack there for a short excursion to the cave. I went in a bit, but the way is blocked at some point and for longer trips you are supposed to get permission. The cave is being dug out by a little river.
I then returned to the hut to get my backpack and went on my way. After a short uphill section there is the option to go for the
summit of mount luxmore, which I did and spent about an hour there having lunch with almost no wind going and enjoying the view. Then I followed the track again with some very windy parts. I stopped for chats at both shelters. Then I made my way down to the iris burn campsite with the way down dragging on quite a bit.

Finally at the campsite I picked a not so nice spot for the tent in the forest as there were supposed to be fewer sand flies and I was warned that the other spots that were left would be the ones where the smoke from the fireplace was going. Alas the amount of sand flies was still vile.

Three Britons made a fire and after trying out the outdoor meal I bought and chatting with an Aussie family I sat down with them. They were outdoor teachers and invited to a game of pasta pigs (and to a cup of tea in the morning).

The night was really cold (as I learned later temperature apparently went below zero), too cold for my summer sleeping bag, even with the newly acquired silk liner, so I put on my shirt...and then the recently acquired fleece jacket that kinda helped and I found some rest.

In the morning I didn't want to get up due to the cold at first but then decided that it was better to arrive early since it was supposed to rain in the afternoon.
So I got up started to pack everything in the tent then left the tent to get the promised morning tea. After the breakfast I took down the rest of the tent, or at least I wanted to. The floor of the inner was slightly wet so I leaned it against a table so it could dry. I said goodbye to everyone (people started to leave) and then left everything at the site to go for the waterfall. I arrived there when it was hit by the first sunlight. When I returned to site the floor still hadn't completely dried, but it was 10am already and the rain in the afternoon would make sure it would get really wet, so I packed up and left. I caught up with the last people who left fairly quickly at some point met a Danish couple who I met the day before, doing the track in the other direction and finally caught up with the Britons. They offered me a ride back to te anau from the car park saving me quite some distance, so I took them up on that offer.

Now I am back to te anau relaxing and thinking of life and the next steps, not having a data connection sure makes things a bit complicated.