Gunns Bush & Milford Sound- Fiordland National Park

Catch-up (Milford Road, Sept 2019)  

The Lake Gunn Nature Walk, a 45 minute loop track beside the DOC camp at Cascade Creek, should be on every Milford Road visitor's itinerary. It's a magnificent stand of beech forest bordered by Lake Gunn, the Eglinton River, Cascade Creek Camp & the Milford Road.

It is oozing in mystical charm, with layers and layers of emerald green mosses and lichen smothering the forest floor, dripping from the overhead branches and inching up the trunks of the beech trees...

The bush and surrounding mountains were used in the Misty Mountain scenes from Sir Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings- The Fellowship of the Ring. 

These photos were taken from the track on various days (hence the light difference in some)

Areas closer to the camp are more open, they have less windfall because campers are allowed to use fallen trees for firewood in the camp fire pits. 

I love the intricate patterns and beautiful colours of the lichen that cling to some of the smaller trucks & branches.

Gunn's Bush is also teeming in birdlife, but as is the case in any of our native forests, you have to be patient (and very quiet) if you want to not only hear the bird song but see the birds up close. Although that doesn't usually apply to the South Island Bush Robin who will introduce himself by silently gliding in when you're not looking. If you rough up the leaf litter or turn over a rotten log he'll be your new best friend.

Aside from the usual suspects; Robins, Riflemen, Tomtits, Brown Creepers, Grey Warblers and several non endemic birds, we briefly saw for the first time, several Kakariki/Yellow Crowned Parakeet. These noisy parakeets usually spend their time in the upper canopy of the forest so it was a thrill to see them down near the ground, if only for a few moments.

You'll have to excuse my bird photos, many of them were taken at the end of my lens reach or with exposure settings wound out as far as possible when shooting in very dark bush. They are quite 'noisy', that's the grain (digital noise) you can see through the photo. 

I had seen (and heard) a flock of Kaka (our large forest dwelling parrot) flying in and out of Gunns Bush while we were parked at Cascade Creek so I knew they were about but I hadn't spotted any while I was bush walking. On one my walks, while I was standing listening for other birds, great clumps of bark and moss suddenly stated raining down on me from above. I thought a branch might have broken lose in the canopy but no, when I looked up...

...I saw that it was a Kaka tearing apart a rotten tree, tossing everything it pulled free over the side.

It took no notice of me below and I had to duck out of the way as some big clumps headed in my direction.

I was disappointed that the Kaka was right up in the top of the canopy but grateful to be able to zoom in and then crop the photos later to see what it was up to.

I followed it from tree to tree for over an hour, I could hear his flock calling but he took no notice of them as they flew off up the mountain beside the lake. He just carried on tearing apart any rotten branch or tree he could get his beak on.

And it wasn't until I processed the photos that I could finally see what he was after- big fat huhu grubs! Check out the 2nd photo. (Huhu grubs are the larvae of a longhorn beetle that is endemic to New Zealand)

This kaka must have been quite happy with his own company, I found him by himself high in the trees most days. I just had to stand awhile and listen for the thuds, rustles, cracks and other tearing noises as his cast offs crashed through the branches and landed on the forest floor nearby.

One day as I was making my way back to camp after taking photos of the bush and checking for the Kaka, David gave me a hell of a fright when he popped out from behind a nearby tree as I passed by. He didn't mean to scare me but he didn't want to step out sooner because I was taking a photo.

He reasoned that I must have seen his head and I'd know he was there. I didn't & when I checked the photos we had a good laugh; there was a tiny wee head peeking out from behind a tree trunk (see red arrow). Yes, you'll need to super-size it to see anything, but he is there.

I love the sign on the DOC loo in the carpark although I can't decide if it means the person disposing of the rubbish will have to remove it by hand or the DOC cleaner will have to. I hope it means the person dropping the rubbish, this should be on the doors of all the DOC loos!

After a few days the weather started to close in so we made a quick dash through to Milford Sound; you can't drive the Milford Road without driving to the end, no matter that we've been to the end twice before. You never know, it may look different this time!

Hollyford River just past Marian Corner

First stop is at the Falls Creek Waterfall which flows into the Hollyford River. I know I've said it numerous times in the previous post but this area, from Marian Corner through to The Chasm, is now badly damaged by the recent rain storm that saw 1.2metres of rain fall over 5 days. You can see why the river above wiped out much of the road here.

Falls Creek Waterfall

The mountains tower over the road past Monkey Creek (a popular place to stop for photo opportunities and where Kea often hang out). Monkey Creek also took out much of the road along this section.

It's disappointing that there are many 'Avalanche Area, No Stopping' signs along the road and around the entrance to Homer Tunnel- a head's up, don't visit in early spring if you're wanting to photograph the stunning views and scenes along much of the Milford Road. There'll also be no stopping today to check for the elusive Rock Wren/Piwauwauout in the Rock Garden which is beside the tunnel entrance.

Our next stop is at The Chasm, I leave David shooing off a kea who is intent on checking out the ute and do the quick loop walk to where the Cleddau River disappears....

...through a very narrow....well, chasm. Hence it's name! And once again this walk is now closed due to damage from the storm. 

I wonder if the large logs that were jammed in some of the crevasses in the chasm have been dislodged. I can't imagine the amount of water that was forced through here during the storm. 

Milford Sound is very busy, we have to drive around a couple of times before we find a carpark. It's early afternoon and many visitors are out on cruises or just about to go. The outlook isn't actually the best as it's low tide and Mitre Peak has her head in the clouds. 

In the reeds on the far side of the the muddy estuary I spot what I think is the elusive Milford Sound White Heron/Kotuku, a lone bird that spends some of it's time here at the top of the Sound. I zoom in on it, only to discover that it's not a heron but a long white stick doing a very good impression.

We walk around to the boat terminal and there, much to my surprise, is the heron in the shallow water on the inside of the wharf. 

This is third time lucky for me. The heron is perched on a submerged log catching little fish that swim by.

We have our own lunch at one of the picnic tables along the wharf pier and watch as tour boats come & go.

On our return along the pier we find the heron now resting on the breakwater rocks, unfazed by all the activity around it and posing nicely for a few more photos as we pass by.

Back at the carpark the tide has now come in a little covering the mudflats and making the scene a lot more pleasant, although the tip of Mitre Peak is still hiding. 

We head off back to camp finding blue sky on the other side of the Homer Tunnel. That's it, our third visit to Fiordland National Park, done & dusted!

It’s Not Called a Rainforest for Nothing

Realtime

We are back in Te Anau again after five rain soaked days down the Milford Road. Yes, the weather forecast was for rain before we left but we figured we’d head to Cascade Creek and see how we went. It’s the middle of summer, right? The rain wouldn’t last for too long, right? Wrong. The forecast just got worse by the day, a stalled weather system above Fiordland National Park brought rain off and on for the first couple of days and then heavy rain for the next three and even now back in Te Anau the forecast is still for heavy rain for the coming four days as well. As I told a few tourists who asked if the rain would stop soon, “you can't have a rainforest if you don’t have rain”.

It’s just as well the last time we visited the Milford Road we had fabulous weather for the nearly 2 weeks we stayed at Cascade Creek exploring the National Park and Milford Sound. It was sunshine every day bar one- the one we walked a section of the famous Milford Track. That day it was torrential rain, the track was flooded, we couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of us and we were soaked to the skin by the time we returned to Milford and our vehicle. But the drive home was magic, the mountains came alive with hundreds of waterfalls cascading down the sheer rock wall faces as we drove through the valleys.

We’d seen the park in all weathers so we weren’t too concerned this time, we were re-visiting Milford Road to complete a couple of walks we’d missed the last time, do some bird-watching and see some of the areas in a different season.

We stopped at the DOC Camp at Cascade Creek again, the last DOC Camp on the Milford Road and still 43km from Milford Sound itself. It felt like coming home when we pulled into the camp, our same patch in the wilderness was available too! Although if we’d arrived much later in the day I’m sure the site would have been taken. It’s the height of the tourist season and by early evening there were over 120 vehicles parked around the perimeter of the camp and I’m sure more arrived later in the evening. Lucky Cascade Creek is a large area and most campers headed for the bush. This was taken from the doorway, there are nearly as many vehicles in the other direction as well.

The 45 minute loop Lake Gunn Nature Walk is right beside Cascade Creek and is, in my opinion, one of the best short walks along the Milford Road. For people on a tight time schedule or those with less mobility, this walk is a must. The understory is phenomenal, a thick carpet of emerald green mosses smother everything in sight, fallen trees which litter the forest floor are quickly reclaimed by the moss and fungi- moss and fungi that require rain to work their magic. Rotting trees fall apart at the slightest touch. It’s no wonder the Lake Gunn walk and surrounding mountains were used by Sir Peter Jackson in the Misty Mountain scenes in the Lord of the Rings- The Fellowship of the Ring.

The bird life is also amazing…if you stop to listen and observe. It never fails to amaze me how many people comment about the lack of bird life in our bush. I’m sure they must be the ones that stride along the tracks loudly proclaiming to their fellow walkers that there’s nothing to see. Hidden behind trunks, running along branches, flitting about in the undergrowth, are some of New Zealand’s tiniest birds. These little birds are a bit like Kiwis (the people,  not the bird), quiet and reserved- ok, just kidding. If you listen carefully the forest is alive with tiny pips and tweets; contact and alarm calls between birds and their families.

This is New Zealand’s smallest bird, a juvenile Rifleman/Titiponamu (female). She was part of a family of 5 hunting for insects through the lower canopy of the forest.

A male Tomtit/Miromiro is just a little large than the Rifleman but a lot easier to spot as they launch themselves off trunks to catch insects on the fly. Their call is also a little louder, their alarm call a lot louder.

The clouds hung low over Lake Gunn (Misty Mountains?) and Cascade Creek most days, rain squalls passing through on a regular basis for the first two days.

One of the walks we missed last time was the walk to Lake Marian, a small alpine lake in a hanging valley high above the Hollyford Valley. We could see the lake from across the Divide when we walked to the top of Key Summit, part of the Routeburn Track, on our last visit. That was a gut-busting walk and this one proved to be as well.

The Marian Falls, a series of cascading waterfalls are a major attraction at the bottom of the walk, a swing bridge crosses the Hollyford River and a short walk leads to a board walk and viewing platforms that hang off the side of the rock walls.

Beyond the falls the track becomes a seriously tough climb (especially if you take a wrong turn), up and onwards towards the lake that feeds the falls below, it's a 3km, 3hour return walk. We took an extra half an hour as it was very slow coming down, David twisted his knee and had to step carefully and go backwards. Luckily he did no major damage, I had visions of setting off our EPIRB at one stage! :)

It was raining and the cloud was low when we left Cascade Creek but by the time we arrived at the lake carpark (just 8kms or so down the road) the cloud had lifted, the rain stopped and blue sky appeared. It was the only blue sky we were to see on our visit to Milford.

Climbing up this rock slide was tough work, we had just emerged form our ‘wrong turn’ track to see people that had been behind us, out in front.

We have no idea where the wrong turn was but others had done the same as the track was formed although really rough and hard to negotiate. Later on we spoke to another couple who had done the same thing. David think’s it was when a side track led to a view over the river, instead of turning back we carried on along the track. We should have clicked though, as there were no orange DOC markers. I looked for the turn on our way back down but still didn’t see where we went wrong.

Finally the track levelled out and after a short distance the bush opened up to reveal a beautiful snow fed alpine lake, Lake Marian…

…and a mermaid!

Not quite what you expect to see high up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere on a relatively cold day. And not one mermaid either, but two and a few Neptunes as well! It must be a thing they have on their ‘must do’ list when visiting NZ- ‘swim in an alpine lake’, there were two other groups that arrived and had a swim too. I say swim but in fact it was more of a quick dip, a yell of surprise and a quick dash for the towel.

We had lunch on the rocks beside the lake listening to the calls of the kea soaring about above us, the squeals of the swimmers as they splashed about in the water and exclamations of joy as others arrived through the gap onto the lake shore behind us.

After lunch I walked around the lake edge to see if I could find the river outlet but it was hidden amongst the boulders in an unreachable corner where the water was this beautiful colour.

The blue sky had disappeared by the time we reached the lake with the cloud rolling back in. By the time we got back to our vehicle the rain had arrived again. We had timed the walk just right! On the way back down the track I found a tiny patch of native NZ Greenhood Orchids poking their heads out of the jumble of overgrown ferns.

It rained heavily overnight and all through the next day which suited us fine as we took the day off to rest our weary bones after the climb to Lake Marian.

It was still raining the next day but we decided to drive through to Milford Sound anyway, well in fact as the rain got heavier and heavier as we progressed through the mountains, we thought we might only go as far as the Homer Tunnel.

We stopped at Monkey Creek, a very popular lookout point down the Upper Hollyford Valley (when the weather is clear), it’s also where Kea (NZ’s alpine parrot) sometimes hang out and sure enough there were 4 or 5 bouncing around the carpark, one pulling at a guys shoelaces as he was preoccupied with his head under the bonnet of his car. A couple of tour buses pulled in behind us and as soon as the people started to appear the kea quickly came over to check them out. Well most of them did, a couple disappeared under the nearest bush.

I know the feeling mate- wet and bedraggled a kea and it’s juvenile chick take a back seat for while.

Even in the heavy rain there was plenty of traffic moving to and from Milford Sound, so many tour buses and motorhomes along with rental cars, the road was extremely busy. I’ve read figures on the DOC blogs that mention on peak days there are over 1,000 vehicles visiting Milford Sound each day.

We pulled over at the Homer Tunnel to check out the waterfalls cascading down the rock walls.

Many others did too, some venturing close to the water. Can you see the person at the bottom of the falls?

We decided as we’d come this far we might as well carry on to Milford Sound where we found the carparks overflowing and the rain gone for the moment.

We’ve already cruised Milford Sound- on a fine day. We wandered down to the wharf to check it out. Mitre Peak had its head in the clouds.

Most of the tour boats were out on the Sound…

…with a couple waiting to board passengers or just departing on their next cruise.

Looking back towards the tiny village of Milford from the wharf with Sheerdown Peak behind.

We left Milford and headed back into the mountains where is was still raining. We pulled into the Chasm carpark thinking we might have lunch in our vehicle while watching the tour buses arrive and depart but it was just too wet for me to organise a cup of tea on my seat while standing in the rain so instead…

…I joined the throng of tourists with their colourful umbrellas and wet-weather ponchos and walked the short distance to view the Chasm, a place where the Cleddau River is forced into a 22m deep and narrow ravine. I’d seen it on our last visit but thought I might as well see it again, who knows when or if we’ll be back this way in the future.

I did feel sorry for the busloads of tourists, most would have left Queenstown in the morning where it was fine and sunny. This would be their one and only chance to visit Milford and while the waterfalls are spectacular there’s nothing that can compare to the stunning views of the mountains along the Milford Road on a clear day.

The cloud lifted and the rain stopped for a brief moment as we drove up the Cleddau Valley towards the Homer Tunnel…

…but just a minute later, both were back.

We pulled into a layby just below the tunnel and decided we’d now have lunch overlooking the valley below- the rain started just as we stopped. A few tour buses on their way to Milford also stopped to let their passengers out to see the view. We were soon surrounded by trigger happy tourists but thankfully the heavy rain soon had them scurrying back to the bus. Though our view disappeared too- underneath the approaching rain cloud and behind the fogged up windows!

We waited for the lights to change before we pulled up to the head of the queue to wait for the tunnel lights to change again, it's a 6 minute wait which is great if you’re wanting to take photos. Last time we stopped here we were accosted by a lone kea begging for treats. There were none waiting today.

We made it home safe and sound and not too wet all things considered. With heavy rain forecast for the next few days (at one stage, 500mm for the weekend) we decided we’d head back to Te Anau. We’d done the one walk we’d missed last time and a couple of the others I had in mind we would have been re-doing some sections so they can wait until our next visit…if there is another visit. I was disappointed to not get some bright time in the forest with the birds but again, all things considered, I still managed a few half decent shots.

Milford is definitely a fabulous place to visit, but I think I prefer it when it’s sunny. But…as I kept telling anyone who’d listen, you can’t have a rainforest without rain.


Realtime- I thought I’d add either Realtime or Catch-up to the start of my blog posts because I know I sometimes get confused when I look back at the blog posts as to whether they are current or a catch-up post and I’m sure some of you do too, so now you’ll know.