Cameron Creek Lookout Track, Mt Aspiring National Park, 13 April 2021

 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. 

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.

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. 

Start of the Cameron Creek Track, Mt Aspiring NP

The DOC information kiosk at Cameron Creek Walk

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. 

The track is all up or down hill...Cameron Creek Walk

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. 

A bench seat five minutes up the Cameron Creek Walk

Heading down to the lookout...Cameron Creek Walk

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. 

The Cameron Creek Lookout, Mt Aspiring NP

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. 

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.

The Blue Pools are on the far side of Cameron Flats

Map of the view from Cameron Creek Lookout

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. 

A large Red Beech Tree on the Cameron Creek Walk

...there are Red Beech, Miro, Rimu and Kahikatea along the track...

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. 

...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.

View out to Cameron Flats from the Cameron Creek Walk

A big Rata tree along the Cameron Creek Walk

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...

Cameron Creek Walk...nice benching along here!!!

There are several boardwalks on the Cameron Creek Walk

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.

Back at the Cameron Creek Walk car park

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. 

Tracks along the Haast Highway: Mt Aspiring National Park, 13 April 2021

 Visiting some tracks along Haast Pass in the rain...

Karen and I have just come back from a camper van holiday around the lower South Island. We went along the West Coast and then over Haast Pass to Wanaka-Aoraki/Mt Cook -Lake Tekapo. We had meant to do a bit of walking on this trip but the weather stepped in and put paid to our plans. It absolutely hosed with rain for the first two and a half days so our walking options were limited.

Fantail Falls from the end of the access track, Haast Pass

As we went over Haast Pass on our way to Wanaka we managed to visit a few of the shorter tracks along the Haast-Makarora Highway. In particular we stopped at Thunder Creek Falls, the Gates of Haast Bridge, Fantail Falls, Cameron Creek Track and a short bush walk in Makarora. Most of this area is a part of Mt Aspiring National Park.

I will cover all but the Cameron Creek Track in this post.

Cameron Flats, Haast-Makarora Highway

The weather got better the further east we travelled...very heavy rain on the western side of Haast Pass and infrequent drizzle by the time we reached Makarora around two hours later. This is the usual pattern in the bottom of the South Island...the Southern Alps form a rain barrier which stops the heavy, wet and warm air off the Tasman Sea reaching the eastern side of the mountains. 

Diagram explaining the rain shadow effect (Te Ara New Zealand)

The eastern side gets less than a quarter of the rainfall of the western side.  

Thunder Falls Track:

I purchased a brochure at the Haast DOC Centre detailing the various viewpoints and tracks along the Haast to Makarora Highway. We used it to chose a few places to visit along the way...it is well worth finding a copy if you are planning a trip over Haast Pass. 

There are lots of tracks along the Haast-Makarora Highway

Because it was raining so hard we had to forgo the longer tracks..20 minutes outside would have left us wet to the bone and dangerously cold. This precluded the Roaring Billy Falls, Haast Pass Lookout and Blue Pool Tracks. So we walked on the ones that were 5-20 minutes return.  

Our first point of call was the Thunder Creek Falls just west of the Gates of Haast Bridge.

Start of the Thunder Creek Walk, Haast Pass

Thunder Creek Falls are 96 meters high and can be accessed along a short 5 minute walk through thick dense Podocarp Forest. The main tree types were Kamahi and Silver Beech with a thick understory of ferns, shrubs and grasses. 

Information about Thunder Creek Falls in the brochure

DOC information about the local fauna and fauna at Thunder Creek

The track is sealed right down to the viewing platform, Thunder Creek Walk

The track is sealed so it wasn't muddy but it was pissing with rain so we had to wear jackets and take an umbrella. 

It is hard to see but it was raining heavily...

Karen at the Thunder Creek Falls viewing platform

The Thunder Creek Falls are spectacular in the rain...the water was thundering down into the pool at the base of the falls. Misty spray was rolling across the river right up to the viewing platform. 

Thunder Creek Falls (96 meters), Haast Pass

The Haast River was flooded...Thunder Creek Falls

In normal flow you can walk down to the Haast River and step out onto the rocks in the river. The river was starting to flood when we arrived so while you could get down to the side of the river only a fool would go past the bottom of the steps. 

You can walk down to the Haast River, Thunder Creek Falls

The sound of Thunder Creek Falls was deafening...

That river would kill you in seconds if you fell in..it was surging and pounding around and over the rocks with a lot of speed and force. I walked down to the side of the river and stood on what remained of the river bank to take some photos. 

There is access to the Haast River from the Thunder Creek Falls viewpoint

Thunder Creek Falls from river level...

After a couple of minutes we headed back to the van in the rain. On the way back you pass through a large clearing in the forest canopy caused by wind fall. The valley is narrow along here so I would imagine the wind funnels through with a lot of force behind it at times. 

A forest clearing on the Thunder Creek walk

Kamahi Trees near the start of the Thunder Creek Walk

Stop here if you are passing over Haast Pass as the falls run all year long...I would imagine they are especially good after a bit of rain. 

At the Gates of Haast Bridge...

We stopped at the Gates of Haast which is a gorge area where a bridge crosses over the Haast River. It is not very easy to stop here as the usual parking spot was occupied by some heavy machinery and workmen who were working on the river embankments. I shot out of the van and snapped a couple of shots as we waited for a set of stop lights to change.  

Road sign at the Gates of Haast bridge, Hast Pass

The Haast River was raging after all the overnight rain...it squeeze's down from over a hundred meters wide to less than twenty here so the water was surging over the rocks. I wouldn't want to fall in when it is like this..you would be dead in seconds. 

I see on the topo map that the Wills Valley Track starts from here with Wills Hut a 4 bunk NZFS style hut about 8 km's up the valley. There is a big gorge for the first couple of kilometers so it would probably be a moderately hard place to reach. Access to the track is closed at the moment as they are working on the bridge approaches. 

Heavy rain meant a full Haast River, Gates of Haast Bridge

It is a dramatic place to visit especially with the weather we experienced and is worth stopping to have a look around. 

Fantails Falls Track:

Fantail Falls is about 6-7 kilometers east of the Gates of Haast and there is a short 10 minute return walk to a viewing spot where you can see the falls. They were also full of water and thundering away...rainy weather is always the best time to view waterfalls. 

The Jucy van parked at the Fantail Falls carpark, Haast Pass

This car park is also the starting point for the three hour tramp to Brewster Hut over the Haast River and up into the catchment area for the Brewster Glacier. I would be keen to go up there some time but the track must be steep as it takes 3 hours to cover about 2.5 kilometers. 

Detail of the Fantail Falls Walk

It is about 400 meters from the Fantail Falls carpark to the viewing point

The first part of the track to the Fantail Falls viewpoint is gravel but then it changes to a sealed path about a hundred meters away from the carpark. The forest is more of the Silver Beech and Kamahi and as it is close to the road so you will hear all the vehicles driving past. 

The Fantail Falls Track skirts the car park

Fantail Falls Track: it is a concrete path for some of the distance

There is another information kiosk at the view point (there are kiosks at all of the stops over Haast Pass) which shows the tracks and viewpoints in the immediate area. It has a nice overhang so you can actually get out of the rain for awhile. 

DOC map showing tracks along the Haast Highway

The falls are shaped like a Piwakawaka's tail feathers so they are aptly named. They fall 28 meters from a lip coming out of Fantail Creek over some rocks and down into the main Haast River. Normally you can walk right out onto the shingle flats to get closer to the falls but there was a overflow stream running so it was impossible to access the area without wading through ankle deep water.

Fantail Falls from the viewing platform

Fantail Falls, Haast-Makarora Highway, Mt Aspiring NP

After a couple of minutes we headed back down the track to have a look at the track to Brewster Hut.

On the way back to the Fantail Falls carpark

Back at the track junction to Brewster Hut

The side track to Brewster Hut takes you about twenty meters to a crossing point over the Haast River. In normal flow it is reasonably easy to wade across to the track which climbs up along Fantail Creek to the hut at 1400 meters. You start at 400 meters asl so that would be a lot of climbing...I think the posted three hours to the hut might be a bit optimistic!!! 

The Brewster Hut Track, Haast Pass

There was just no way anyone was crossing that river on the day we visited...it was deep, swift and dirty looking and I could hear the classic rolling of boulders in the river. Not good conditions to try a river crossing...

Going to Brewster Hut means crossing the Haast River...

Looking upstream from the Brewster Hut crossing

We walked down to another ford point close to the carpark and it looked even worse with big bow waves and a horrible looking run out.

Jon says bugger that for a laugh...

The Haast River was flowing fast downriver from Fantail Falls

The Fantails Falls are not as high as some others along the highway but they were very pretty looking so deserve a visit.

Makarora Bush Walk: 1 km (15 minutes)

We stopped in Makarora to use the conweniences so I took the opportunity to scoot around the short Makarora Bush Walk. It starts right next to the DOC visitor office at Makarora and is a circular loop track through a patch of Podocarp forest.

Explanation of Makarora Bush Walk from the brochure...

There is a nice information kiosk at the start of this walk with information about the history of the area and the type of forest you will encounter here. 

Start of the Makarora Bush Walk, Mt Aspiring NP

DOC information kiosk at the Makarora Bush Walk

 By the time we got to Makarora the rain had stopped and the track was relatively dry...Makarora is west of the Main Divide so it has a much drier climate than even 20 kilometers back along the highway. 

The walk is less developed than others along the Haast Highway

The track surface on the Makarora Bush Walk is a lot rougher than some of the other tracks along the Haast-Makarora Highway but it was perfectly fine to walk on. It is dirt, gravel and some short boardwalk sections over the wetter areas. 

Hinau and Rata Trees at the Makarora Bush Walk

There is an old saw pit with an explanatory panel about half way around the loop...Makarora was once a centre for forestry so much of the surrounding forest is regrowth from after the sawmilling had finished. Eventually the trees in this remnant patch of bush will grow to be giants. 

The old pitsaw site, Makarora bush walk

There is a side track to the summit of Mt Shrimpton along the track...it is six kilometers and five hours return to walk to the summit and back.  If you look at a topo map you are climbing from around 300 meters asl to over 1400 asl to get above the bush line...a bit of a climb. According to the brochure there are good views of the Southern Alps from the top of the track above the bush-line. 

Side track to Mt Shrimpton along the Makarora Bush Walk

 

There are a variety of tree types in the forest..Kamahi, Miro, Hinau, Rata and Silver Beech...typical podocarp species in Mt Aspiring National Park. I also saw a few birds...Bellbirds, Tui, Fantails and Keruru. 

Coming to the end of the Makarora Bush Walk

The end of the track is a short walk back along a road to the rear of the DOC office and around to the car park and toilets located at the start of the track. It was a nice wee jaunt through the forest...

Walking back to the start of the Makarora Bush Walk

I will have to come back down here some time to walk the tracks that I missed due to the inclement weather. You could stay in Makarora (motel and campsite there...) or at one of the campsites at Cameron Flat or Pleasant Flat and do day trips up and down the highway.