A walk in the woods...Haast Pass style
The other place we visited while driving over Haast Pass was the Cameron Creek Walk just west of the Blue Pools. The walk is a nice 20-30 minute return trip through lovely old growth podocarp forest to the top of a small ridge with views of Cameron Flats. It was more appealing than the one hour return trip to the Blue Pools in the moderately heavy rain which was falling.
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| The van at the Cameron Creek Track entrance, Mt Aspiring NP |
I was keen but Karen was wet and cold from our other side trips so she elected to stay in the camper van and have a drink while I went for my walk. I donned my rain gear and took my umbrella and set off up the track to see what I could see.
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| It is a thirty minute return trip to the Cameron Creek Lookout |
The Cameron Creek Walk starts from the carpark...there is another of those kiosks at the start with information about the area. It starts out as a flat forest track but almost immediately begins to climb gently up the ridge to the lookout.
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| Start of the Cameron Creek Track, Mt Aspiring NP |
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| The DOC information kiosk at Cameron Creek Walk |
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| Large Beech trees at the start of Cameron Creek Walk |
The track condition was not as good as the walks to the falls but it was Great Walk standard...wide, well drained, flat and with no windfalls on it. There are small bridges over all the side streams so no rivers to cross. It is a very gradual climb 60 meters higher than Cameron Flats so it is totally suitable for just about anyone. It was raining as I walked but with my rain gear on I hardly noticed it at all.
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| The track is all up or down hill...Cameron Creek Walk |
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| It was raining as I walked the Cameron Creek Track |
There is a nice bench seat at the apex of the walk surrounded by a stand of Miro, Rimu and Hinau trees...no views at all but there was plentiful bird life in the forest. It was too wet to sit down but on a warm sunny day it would be awesome.
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| A bench seat five minutes up the Cameron Creek Walk |
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| Heading down to the lookout...Cameron Creek Walk |
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| First view of the lookout platform...Cameron Creek Walk |
The lookout itself is a platform on the edge of a sixty meter high bluff with views out to Cameron Flats and the mountains on the far side of the Makarora River. I was here totally by myself and it was lovely and quiet standing there enjoying the view.
Right next to the platform is the beginning of the Cameron Creek Track which heads another 6-7 kilometers up Cameron Creek to a hut. You have to cross Cameron Creek to get there so no one was going that way with the slightly flooded river.
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| The Cameron Creek Lookout, Mt Aspiring NP |
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| Cameron Creek Track to Cameron Hut |
There would be space on the platform for maybe 6-10 people at one time and it has a guard rail although you should keep a hold of young children as there is quite a large drop off here. You can also see an oxbow in the river below...normally it would be running to the right only but the river was flooded. It had cut across the corner as well and there was basically an island in the middle of the river.
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| Flooded Oxbow in Cameron Creek, Mt Aspiring NP |
The Oxbow in Cameron Creek from the viewpoint
The famous Blue Pools are located about two kilometers east of Cameron Creek..it was too wet to visit them and they would have been swollen and muddy from all the rain anyway. I will have to stop next time I am going over Haast Pass and walk up the track. Hopefully it will be in less than another 20 years...I might need to plan a tramping holiday to Mt Aspiring NP this year.
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| The Blue Pools are on the far side of Cameron Flats |
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| Map of the view from Cameron Creek Lookout |
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| Heavy rain on the far side of the Makarora River, Mt Aspiring NP |
After ten minutes looking at the lovely view I started making my way back to Karen and the van. It rained the whole time I was walking the track but with my rain jacket, pants and umbrella I was fine. It is actually quite nice walking in the rain if you have trees to protect you from the wind. The forest looks more alive and the sounds of the raining falling on leaves and gurgling down the track side drains and streams is soporific.
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| A large Red Beech Tree on the Cameron Creek Walk |
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| ...there are Red Beech, Miro, Rimu and Kahikatea along the track... |
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| Heading back down Cameron Creek Walk, Mt Aspiring NP |
There was a lot of native birdlife in this patch of forest with Paradise Geese, Bellbirds, Tui, Kaka, Mohuta, Fantails and Bush Robins. I also saw another Rifleman this is my second sighting of them in less than a month. According to the information kiosk there are also Kakariki and Whio (Blue Ducks) in the area although I didn't see any of them.
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| ...there is a Rifleman on one of those branches... |
You get the occasional view through the trees to Cameron Creek and the river flats around it. The photo below was taken in a grove of large moss covered Rata Trees. I'm surprised this area wasn't cleared back in the forestry days as some of the trees through here are big. There was probably easier to harvest wood elsewhere.
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| View out to Cameron Flats from the Cameron Creek Walk |
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| A big Rata tree along the Cameron Creek Walk |
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| The track is nice on the Cameron Creek Walk |
Once over the apex of the track it is all downhill or flat track right back to the car park. It was a bit slippery on the down hill sections so take a bit of care if the track is wet and you are out tramping. There is a small section just down from the apex where all the trees are covered in hanging strands of moss. It is very picturesque...
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| Cameron Creek Walk...nice benching along here!!! |
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| There are several boardwalks on the Cameron Creek Walk |
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| Cameron Creek Walk...I like the moss covered trees |
It took me about 30 minutes all up to walk the Cameron Creek Walk...ten minutes to the lookout platform...ten minutes having a look around...ten minutes back down to the van. It was an awesome short walk in an area I have not had much experience exploring before.
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| Back at the Cameron Creek Walk car park |
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| Karen is waiting for me in the camper, Mt Aspiring NP |
I am super keen to get back down to Mt Aspiring NP some time in the future to have a look around. There were at least another 5-6 tracks I would have liked to visit along SH 6 and we would have if it was not raining. I will have to see what I can do about that...
Access: The Cameron Lookout Track can be accessed from SH6 the Haast-Makarora Highway approximately 2 kilometers west of the Cameron Flat campsite.
Track Times: Cameron Creek Lookout Track: 1 kilometer (30 minutes return)
Miscellaneous: Short walk through mature Podocarp forest to a bluff top lookout with views of Cameron Flats and Cameron Creek. Track is to a good quality with some uphill sections, boardwalk and rocky places. Take care when walking downhill in wet conditions as the track can be slick.
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