Day three Kepler track

It was 16.2 KM from the Iris Burn Hut to the Moturau Hut. It is described as a steady tramp through beach forest and a gorge, generally following the Iris Burn. Nearing Lake Manapouri the track turns left through lowland beech and podocarp forest. We then followed the lakeshore to the Motorau Hut, situated beside a beautiful beach with panoramic views of Lake Manapouri. All four of us enjoyed a cleansing dip in the lake where the water was moderately warm. That evening the Phil the Ranger gave a fascinating talk on what turned out to be a major success story of the New Zealand environmental movement that resulted in the level of Lake Manapouri remaining the same rather than being raised 30 meters to create more electricity to power the Aluminium smelter at Invercargill.