Compare · New Zealand · 2026/27

Kepler Track vs Tongariro Northern Circuit

A comparison of the two New Zealand Great Walks in our catalog — Kepler Track and Tongariro Northern Circuit. Not a ranking of all Great Walks. We do not hold Milford, Routeburn, or the rest of the set. Country: New Zealand.

Attribute	Kepler Track	Tongariro Northern Circuit
Type / length	loop, OSM 61.6 km* osm:relation:1385141 · 2026-08-24 · osm · provisional	loop, OSM 44.2 km · Verified osm:relation:173345 · 2026-08-24 · osm
Difficulty	DOC: Great Walk / Intermediate · SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1	DOC: Great Walk (in season) · SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1
Great Walks season	Great Walks season 27 Oct 2026–30 Apr 2027; winter = alpine skills	Great Walks season 23 Oct 2026–30 Apr 2027; off-season 1 May–22 Oct = not a Great Walk, alpine skills Whakapapa Village to Mangatepopo Hut is closed after the 2025 Tongariro fire and is not available for the 2026/27 Great Walk season. DOC shortens the walk to 35.5 km and recommends starting at Mangatepopo car park (same DOC page, checked 2026-08-24). This is a status/closure datum, not a change to the Great Walk grade.
Hut / campsite fee	DOC Great Walk hut/campsite booking In the Great Walks season (27 October 2026 – 30 April 2027), bookings are required for the three huts and two campsites (DOC Kepler Track page, checked 2026-08-24). There is no separate walking permit. Overnight fees are published on that page (international adult hut $132 per person per night in season at Iris Burn, Moturau, and Luxmore; international adult campsite $42); they are overnight fees, not a trail walking fee. Bookings were open for the 2026/27 season when checked. Bookings sell out; confirm on the DOC page before travel.	DOC Great Walk hut/campsite booking Great Walks season (23 Oct–30 Apr): adult NZ hut NZ$44 / international NZ$66 per person per night; campsite NZ$19 / NZ$28. Off-season (1 May–22 Oct): adult hut NZ$25 either visitor type. Hut and campsite bookings are required year-round (DOC Tongariro Northern Circuit, checked 2026-08-24). Overnight fees are not a walking permit. For 2026/27 the Great Walk is available again after Oturere Hut replacement; the Whakapapa Village–Mangatepopo Hut section is closed after the 2025 Tongariro fire (DOC reduced published distance to 35.5 km from 44.9 km and recommends starting at Mangatepopo car park). That seasonal closure is a condition note, not this OSM line. Bookings were open for 2026/27 when checked. Confirm on the DOC page before travel.
Key hazard	Exposed alpine section between Luxmore Hut and Iris Burn Hut; weather can change quickly and DOC may close that section or use a bad-weather route when avalanche hazard is present (https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/kepler-track/, checked 2026-08-24). No reliable drinking water on the alpine section until Iris Burn Hut — fill at Luxmore Hut (same DOC page, checked 2026-08-24). From May to late October the Kepler does not operate as a Great Walk / easier tramping track. DOC requires ice axe, crampons, and avalanche kit (beacon, probe, shovel); avalanche paths cross the alpine section and DOC does not manage that hazard in winter (same DOC page, checked 2026-08-24).	Active volcanic region: the circuit passes through volcanic hazard zones — even when the track is open, volcanic risk is present. Monitoring does not ensure personal safety (https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/central-north-island/places/tongariro-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/tongariro-northern-circuit/, checked 2026-08-24). Whakapapa Village to Mangatepopo Hut is closed after the 2025 Tongariro fire and is not available for the 2026/27 Great Walk season. DOC shortens the walk to 35.5 km and recommends starting at Mangatepopo car park (same DOC page, checked 2026-08-24). This is a status/closure datum, not a change to the Great Walk grade. Exposed, difficult, uneven terrain; extra caution on the steep, slippery descent from Emerald Lakes into Oturere Valley (same page, checked 2026-08-24).
Access	ZQN/IVC → Te Anau → Kepler Track car park / control gates	AKL/WLG → Waimarino (National Park Village) → Whakapapa Village

Which suits you

Match the record to the walk you can actually do — not a preference ranking.

Not a preference, and not “the best” Great Walk — we do not hold the rest of that set. On length, Kepler is the longer stored loop (61.6 km OSM, provisional) against Tongariro’s 44.2 km OSM, verified. Tongariro’s 2026/27 walking season is shortened after the 2025 fire; that is a status datum, not a change to the OSM line.

Seasons overlap in the austral summer. Kepler’s Great Walks window on the record is Great Walks season 27 Oct 2026–30 Apr 2027; winter = alpine skills. Tongariro’s is Great Walks season 23 Oct 2026–30 Apr 2027; off-season 1 May–22 Oct = not a Great Walk, alpine skills. Alpine ridge weather (Kepler) and active volcanic terrain (Tongariro) are different public hazards, not a single difficulty score.

Overnight hut and campsite bookings are required in season on both DOC pages. Those are overnight fees, not a walking permit — amounts stay on each record above.

Also in this desk: Permit & season calendar · Compare index.

Questions

Is Kepler or Tongariro harder?

This desk does not rank them. Kepler is listed as DOC: Great Walk / Intermediate · SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1. Tongariro is listed as DOC: Great Walk (in season) · SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1. Kepler’s published hazard is the exposed alpine section (Luxmore) and winter avalanche terrain. Tongariro’s is active volcanic ground, plus the 2025-fire closure of Whakapapa–Mangatepopo for 2026/27. Different hazards, not a single difficulty winner.

When can I walk each?

Kepler: Great Walks season 27 Oct 2026–30 Apr 2027; winter = alpine skills. Tongariro: Great Walks season 23 Oct 2026–30 Apr 2027; off-season 1 May–22 Oct = not a Great Walk, alpine skills. Tongariro’s 2026/27 Great Walk is shortened after the 2025 fire — start at Mangatepopo; the OSM loop length on the record is unchanged. Both windows are from the DOC records, not a combined Great Walks calendar.