Cascade Creek- Fiordland National Park

Catch-up (Sept 2019) 

It's purely by coincidence that my next few blogs are from our visit along the Milford Road back in September. Sadly in the past week a major rain storm has severely damaged the Milford Road, many tramping tracks and the Milford village with flooding, washouts, landslides and slips. An incredible 1.2 metres of rain, 240% of Fiordland's monthly rainfall at this time of the year has fallen in just five days. 

We left Winton, after staying with our Southland family for a few weeks, and headed west through Nightcaps and Ohai before coming out on SH99 at Clifden.

Clifden Suspension Bridge

We were heading on to Te Anau and then up the Milford Road for another visit to Fiordland National Park. We stopped at the freedom camping area beside the historic Clifden Suspension Bridge for lunch. Since we were last here the Southland District Council have improved the parking (and camping) area, opening it up, leveling, graveling and tidying up the plantings around the edge of the site.

This sign beside the entrance to the bridge (which is pedestrian only) made me smile- 

'Louie's Daffodil. I am 5 year's old. $2 Thankyou this money is for a motorbike.'

The daffodil bucket was empty and inside the yoghurt container, with a large slot in the top, I could see several gold coins. What an entrepreneurial young lad. And a trusting one too. I was worried that someone would come along and steal his money, there was only one house within view of the bridge and that was about 500 metres away up a farm track.

We stayed at the Te Anau NZMCA Park for a few days while we waited for the weather to settle. We've stayed here during the colder months several times in the past and   with very few neighbours. Only the hardy (or mad) brave Southland winters.

We strolled along the lake front and into town for lunch once the weather cleared...

...and then walked further along the lake front to check out the marina. The lake level was much lower than we'd ever seen it before (after this latest weather event it will no doubt be very full, possibly right up to the top of the marina walls).

One of the reasons I wanted to visit the marina again was to check on a Australasian Crested Grebe pair that had nested in the marina a couple of years ago. I thought they might have been nesting again but there was no sign of them this early in the season. 

We headed off up the Milford Road on a stunning blue sky day, and even though we have stopped at all the scenic viewpoints & attractions several times before,  we stop again 'just in case', just in case the view has changed, there are no people to get in the way, the weather is better, there's snow etc, etc. Some of my best shots are from 'just in case' times.

Although this time at the Eglinton Valley viewpoint I have to share the view with several busloads of tourists (which also means they'll be stopping at all the attractions further up the valley).

I walked out towards the middle, away from the 'crowd' and captured a couple who had also moved away from their fellow passengers, they give some perspective to the grand expanse of the valley. Eglinton Valley was carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago, now the Milford Road runs alongside the Eglinton River up through the valley for it's entire length.

We pull out before the buses have gathered together their passengers. Our next stop near the top of the valley is at the famous Mirror Lakes. The buses soon catch us up and disgorge their passengers en-masse. I weave my way through the tourists as they slowly meander along the short board walk while David (who's seen it all before) drives the rig to the other end of the walk and lines up with the buses who have done the same.

Many of the tourists are taking selfies along the way or have no interest in the lakes and are chatting with their friends in small groups blocking a way through the throng. I can see that there are no reflections on the Mirror Lake today, a light breeze is ruffling the water along with a few NZ Scaups (a small diving duck). I maneuver my way to the front of the platform, take a couple of shots and then hurry along the boardwalk passing through just as many tourists coming in from the other end.  

We beat the buses back onto the road and have a clear run through to the DOC camp at Cascade Creek we're we'll be staying for a few days. 

The camp is empty and it's had a major overhaul since our last visit. I had heard that this was being done and was worried that herding campers into gravel parking areas and marking out the camping spaces would detract from the natural setting and wide open spaces of the old camp where you could park up wherever you liked. With over a hundred & twenty vehicles staying here during the height of the summer season I'd hoped it wasn't going to be little more than a large gravel carpark.

 I was pleasantly surprised to see that this wasn't the case at all and in fact it had been very well done. There were multiple large landscaped parking areas with picnic tables, dining shelters and toilet blocks strategically located throughout the camp.  This was pleasing to see as there was just 2 or 3 longdrop toilets in the old camp, nowhere near enough to service the number of people staying on a busy night. 

Although it was disappointing to find that the toilets, except for one at the entrance, were all locked up. 

Eglinton River & Cascade Creek DOC Camp

We drove to the far end of the camp and parked beside Cascade Creek looking south down the Eglinton Valley. This was the fabulous view from our front door-

We had great weather for the first couple of days, waking each morning to low cloud clinging to the surrounding mountains before it lifted and cleared for the day.

And then one night it got very cold, the next morning snow covered the mountains in the distance...

...with a nice dusting on the bush clad slopes surrounding Cascade Creek.

By the end of the day the temperature had taken another dive and we had both diesel heaters keeping the freezing cold out of the van as the wind howled and swirled outside. Just as daylight faded snow started to splatter against the sides of the rig.

On opening the door the next morning I was greeted by a snow covered doormat & steps ...

...and this stunning view, it wasn't the solid whiteout I was expecting (and hoping for) after the sound of snow falling on and off all night but it was still a good dusting.

It was easy to see which way the wind had been blowing though, the south side of the ute and 'out There' were coated in snow, it looked like someone had sprayed the sides with one of those whipped cream cans.

With my fluffy white dressing gown and gumboots on (looking very much like the abominable snowman), I headed off to take photos around the camp before the snow melted.

I walked to the far side of the camp crossing over the Eglington River, which flows from Lake Gunn and borders the west side of the campground, so I could take a photo looking back over the camp.

While I was taking photos I was surprised to find a pair of Tomtits/Miromiro flitting about in the long grasses very close by and I managed to take a few photos before they moved off into the bush. Female tomtits (left & right) are notoriously shy so I was pleased to be able to capture her up close while this time the male (centre) was less confiding. I have no idea how these tiny birds survive the harsh winters.

Puffed up against the cold, this Welcome Swallow watched me from a log in the river as I stomped about in the grasses chasing the tomtits.

Soon after taking the bird photos, I was thinking I should really get back home before I get caught out, far away from the rig, in my fluffy white dressing gown and gumboots. 

Back in the safety of doorway I took a few panoramic photos of our view before retreating inside to the cosy warmth. By mid afternoon the snow had melted and the camp returned to it's usual bush greens and rustic tussock colours; campers arriving later in the day oblivious to the stunning beauty of the morning. 

In the next blog you'll see photos from the Lake Marian swingbridge which has now been washed away, and photos of  a gently flowing Hollyford River which has now contributed to some major damage in the area.

Cascade Creek

After 10 days at Manapouri it was finally time to move on. Next stop was Cascade Creek, a DOC campground located on the remote & isolated road from Te Anau to Milford Sound. I say remote & isolated in relation to any towns and cities. It’s definitely not isolated from people. The Milford Sound Highway, part of the Te Wahipounamu- South West NZ World Heritage Area & would be one of the most tourist travelled highways in New Zealand. It is a “must do” on most people’s itinerary and every day hundreds of rental cars, rental motorhomes & tourist buses make the pilgrimage along the 120kms of winding, scenic & spectacularly dramatic highway into the Milford Sound village where they then usually board a boat for a cruise on the Sound. Over 400,000 people visit Milford Sound  each year and most of these are during the summer season.

Then the journey is repeated in reverse later in the day as most people push on to complete their busy schedules. The busloads of tourists that leave Queenstown early in the morning have a 12-14 hour day of travel and over 600kms ahead of them before arriving back in Queenstown later in the evening. People camping in tents, sleeper vans & motorhomes have another option. They can explore the highway over 2-3 days as they are able to stay at any one of the 10 DOC camps that are located along the road. We intended to stay at least 10 days so we had plenty of time to sight-see & explore.

Other than a DOC camp the only other option for accommodation is a lodge carpark at the Sound itself or a small “old time” campground with cabins located along the Hollyford Valley Road, the only side road on the highway. This is the wilderness though and there are no luxuries out here.The DOC campgrounds are very basic and really only offer a minimal amount of long-drop toilets & a few firepits for cooking & warmth and a safe place to camp (freedom camping is not allowed anywhere on the highway). Water is available usually from a stream or river that passes by the edge of most of the camps. Being self contained and self sufficient we had no issues with parking up well away from any “amenities”.

Cascade Creek, located at the eastern end of Lake Gunn is the second closest camp to Milford Sound and one of the more popular sites as it large & sprawling, the tiny Lake Gunn camp at the western end of the lake is the closest. These both are still 45kms from Milford.
The only minor issue we could see was that travelling back & forward to camp each day would use up our valuable diesel and with no fuel stations on the road & only a 24hr credit card pump at Milford itself we would need to make sure our tank didn’t get too low.

This was my first visit to Milford and I was eagerly looking forward to travelling the highway. And it didn’t disappoint. It was magnificent, around every corner the views were spectacular. Our first stop was at the beginning of the beautiful tussock covered Eglinton Valley formed by a glacier thousands of years ago and surrounded by the Earl & Livingston Mountains.

As we moved up the valley towards the head where Lake Gunn is situated the steep walls of the mountains closed in on us and we moved away from the tussock plain and into the beautiful beech forest with it’s lime green moss covered forest floor.

Cascade Creek camp ground is located at the junction of two rivers; Cascade Creek which flows down from the Livingstone Mountains which you can see in the photo below & the Eglinton River which leaves Lake Gunn in the bush at the end of the camp ground in the other direction.

Sadly, in the 10 years since it was first discovered, the introduced and very fast spreading didymo or “rock snot” as it’s sometimes known, has virtually taken over many of the once pristine rivers & waterways of Fiordland and elsewhere around the South Island. It is thought that the algae was unintentionally introduced via fishing gear from overseas visitors. The irony is that these visitors come to NZ to fish our world renowned trout fishing rivers. The algae kills off valuable food sources both for trout & wading birds. So far, with intensive prevention procedures in place, Didymo has not made it to the North Island.

We found a flat site in the tussock half way along the gravel road and just after it branched in two. Most of the sites were in under the bush and along it’s edge with a few small gravel patches formed here & there for vehicles to park on. We didn’t want to be near the bush because we know how vicious the sandflies are come a dull day or in the cool of the evening. It amazed us how many did camp along the bush edge though, and spent most of their time dancing about or swatting at their arms, legs & faces. Once again, thank God for our flyscreens.

David had been to Cascade Creek before. A very long time ago though. It was Christmas Eve 1968 and he had just arrived with his English wife from the UK. His sister Carole & her husband, who were already here, took them on a tour. There was a lodge at Cascade Creek then (long gone now, although we saw a few of the foundations) and David remembers beating down the flowering lupins while trying to pitch the tent. The lupins are mostly gone now too, DOC have been religiously spraying and removing them every season although I managed to find one hardy flower for him. The lodge owner invited them for Christmas dinner the next day, goose & all the beer they could drink for $3 a head. He remembers being overwhelmed by the hospitality of his newly adopted countrymen.

We had some great weather while we were at Cascade Creek, although the mornings were crisp & cold especially with a good frost on a couple of the days. Like Mavora Lakes the sun took it’s time reaching the valley floor in the morning and disappeared over the opposite ridge early in the evening. Fog & mist settled over the river most mornings & evenings.

Every evening a steady stream of vehicles would arrive to set up camp. It was fun watching as they drove around deciding where the best place was to park, some missing out on their choice as others, more savvy with the way the camp grounds work, grabbed the first available site. I have never seen so many different varieties of rental motorhomes & sleeper vans in one place before, rental businesses are obviously doing a roaring trade. Being Kiwis we felt like the odd ones out, occasionally another member of the NZMCA would drive past & waving out to each other was like greeting an old friend.

 The prize for the weirdest tent goes to this couple below, it’s suspended between trees and they climb into through an opening in the side. It’s like a big sleeping hammock. I guess it keeps them off the damp ground but what about “roll together” and I wonder what happens when there are no trees. Certainly the strangest thing we’ve seen.

In the little blue sleeper tent next door were two of David’s new friends, a young Cech couple who are travelling & working in NZ for a year. He joined them for a beer around the camp fire a couple of nights and they certainly made sure he enjoyed happy hour; one night in particular!

Not only did we have all the camp traffic passing through we also had a few tour buses (& Downer road trucks accessing the shingle pile at the back of the camp). The Lake Gunn Nature Walk started near the entrance to the camp and sometimes the bus drivers would carry on in to show the people on board what a DOC camp looks like I suppose, or perhaps to use the toilets (yuck). One morning the smell of bacon, onions & sausages filled the air. Tucked into a corner of the camp beside the Creek was this BBQ tour bus with a whole load of Japanese tourists sitting round on camp chairs enjoying a cooked breakfast! Now that is initiative, a tour with a point of difference to offer the masses.

We loved our time at Cascade Creek & all the comings & goings at either end of the day and having the peaceful mid-day solitude after everyone had disappeared on some of the days was awesome. The bird life was prolific and the sandflies nasty but best of all, the beauty and tranquillity of this section of the highway surrounded by mountains, was inspiring.