Camping at Lake Ohau, Waitaki District, Otago

Catch-up  March 2021

Don't ask. And yes, I know I'm waaaay behind with my blogs but I just don't know where the time has gone these past few months. And while I might not have caught up yet, I am making some headway through my backlog of  photo processing, photo queries and cottage chores amongst others on my long list of tasks. Let's hope I can do a few more regular blog postings before summer arrives & it's full on again. 

We spent a week in March at the Round Bush DOC Camp on the shores of Lake Ohau in the Upper Waitaki District.

The camp is off Lake Ohau Road, 26km from the main road turnoff, just south of Twizel, the last 3km are narrow & gravel. And while this is a great campsite don't be tricked by my tranquil looking photos. Lake Ohau is an alpine lake, it's in the mountains and the weather can turn on a dime, from calm & sunny to brutally cold with ferocious winds. There are also sandflies the size of helicopters!

The view from the front door. Straight across the lake to Ben Ohau, the small mountain at the end of Ben Ohau Range. Lake Ruataniwha & Twizel are on the other side of Ben Ohau.

We struck it lucky with only one day of inclement weather. David put the Takacat up, it was time to go fishing. Lake Ohau, like Lakes Pukaki & Tekapo in the Mackenzie basin are alpine lakes. They are big lakes and long. Very deep & very cold as they are fed partly from the snow melt off the Southern Alps. David said he felt pretty insignificant bobbing along in his little 3.4m inflatable.

How's that for a mirror finish? It's not too often Lake Ohau is as calm as this, we were lucky enough to have three or four windless days on this visit.

I was also lucky enough to catch the Southern Lights from the lake front one night. Initially I was disappointed that my southerly view was obstructed by Ohau Range and I was thinking I might have to drive back out towards the main road to capture the full width of the aurora. But after a few test shots I realised that the composition wasn't too bad afterall; with Ben Ohau & the Milky Way joining the Aurora Australis. 

Round Bush is surrounded by native bush & beech forest and is great for bird watching. The Lake Ohau area is also one of the highest ranked South Island priority areas for mistletoe conservation. The endangered native scarlet mistletoe flowers in early December and if visiting the lake then, the Southern Beech trees that host the mistletoe, have great splashes of red through them (I prepared a photo for you earlier). 

A rather 'flea-bitten' male Tomtit/Miromiro (top right) & a male Bellbird/Korimako (bottom right) made bird watching easy when they came in close to the camp. Then after hearing a NZ Falcon/Karearea calling to a juvenile nearby I tracked them through the lakeside bush until they flew higher up the mountain. On the way back to camp I came across this hunting/fishing lodge hidden away in the bush, I hadn't seen it on previous visits to the camp. 

Takacats rule!

While David went fishing (he caught a couple of catch & release trout), I drove further up the road to explore. I stopped to take a photo of one of my favourite South Island views; looking up the lake towards the Hopkins & Dobson River Valleys with Mt Glen Lyon in the centre. I have this scene on a canvas in Kahu Cottage, although I took that photo when the manuka in front was in full flower.

I walked across the road to check out the lake view and who do you think was tootling along far below me? Click on the photo to check out exactly how insignificant he really was. 

The view back down the lake was fabulous.

I drove down the otherside and onto a track that took me on a bumpy & rutted route through the manuka until I reached the lakeside. I zoomed in on the Dobson Valley side of Mt Glen Lyon. On a clear day you can see the tip of Aoraki/Mt Cook, NZ's tallest mountain, peeping over the top of the mountains (see bottom right). 

I carried on past Ohau Station until I reached the Maitland Stream where the main (single lane) bridge is being repaired. A narrow bailey bridge or a ford were my options to take if I wanted to get to the other side. I swear the bridge was far too narrow for the Ranger, even though a worker on the main bridge was beckoning me on; he didn't have to answer to David had I hit the mirrors, so I took the ford. And cleaned a bit of the dust off while I was at it. 

Taken from the other side after I crossed the ford

The road continued on up past the vast river delta of the Hopkins & Dobson Rivers.

I stopped at the Temple Stream bridge to check for fish & birds; the water was crystal clear and looked very cold.

Once across the bridge I turned left and climbed a small hill beside the stream. The road is narrow and there's nowhere to pass for a short distance through the bush; luckily the vehicle I met coming out was able to back up a short way to let me past. I wanted to check out the Temple DOC camp.

Temple Stream bridge

Once through the bush the valley opens up and the short track follows the stream to the bush line.

 

There are large water filled potholes & it's quite rough in patches but doable in a smaller campervan or if you take your time perhaps you'd make it in a larger motorhome. The DOC campsite is large & flat and would be a great place to camp, there are plenty of sandflies here too. There are several day walks and tramping tracks up the two branches of stream; North Temple Valley & South Temple Valley.

I walked to the junction of the two branches and as I moved in and out of the bush I caught a glimpse of movement & colour way off in the distance. I zoomed in with my camera & was surprised when I caught sight of two trampers & their pack horse disappearing up the south branch (bottom right). Other than Mavora Lakes, I've not seen people with horses in the conservation parks.

I had my lunch at one of the picnic tables in the camp and them did a bit of bird watching in the bush along another track. I found another male tomtit, looking in a very much better condition than the one back at camp, and several Rifleman/Titipounamu, New Zealand's smallest bird. Unfortunately they were on a food finding mission and didn't stay still long enough for me to photograph.  

From Temple Stream I carried on further up the valley, passing mobs of merino sheep and crossing several cattle-stops along the way.

Mt Glen Lyon stands proud and alone at head of the lake. Back in Twizel, the cottages are on Glen Lyon Road. It's 40kms from the cottages up the other side of the lake to Glen Lyon Station, both named after this mountain.

And it's also 40km up this side of the lake to the end of the road. Well, the end of the council maintained road that is. 

A 4WD track continues on up the Hopkins River valley providing access to the Huxley River catchment and many of the tramping tracks and huts in this area of the Southern Alps. I am tempted to check the track out but decide this will be as far as I go. Today. 

I turn around and head back to camp.

And then convince David to take me back up there the next day. 

He decides to take the bailey bridge over the Maitland Stream. I'm sure only because I get out to see him through (and I wanted to see how close it was). Of course there's plenty of room but you know how it is when you're inside and the rails look so close. I will add that he decided on the ford on the way home; much more fun! 

Once through the road end gate & onto the track, the river valley opens up ahead of us.

There are a few muddy bogs to cross near the entrance and then several large rock slides further on. An approaching ute waits for us to cross a gnarly patch over the top of a section that has had a few washouts (that's his vehicle disappearing over the top in the bottom right photo.)

What doesn't show in the photos is the gale force wind that is whipping down the valley stirring up dust and sand. You can see a some of the dust clouds in the photo above.  

After 4-5km we reach a very large and wide rock slide with deep channels and decide that this is far as we'll go today. We could have inched our way across it but as is usual for us when we're exploring 4wd tracks we don't push the boundaries. The ute tows our home, any damage or breakdown and we're stuck where we've parked the 5th-wheeler for however long it takes.

And if you're wondering how large is large, can you see the vehicle approaching us from the other side? Click on the photo to enlarge. We wouldn't have had to just cross the slide but drive up it as well to find the track to continue on. 

Another two vehicles pass us heading out of the valley while we were stopped; hunters who had been staying at the huts further up the river. The 4wd track goes quite a distance up the river, crossing it in places too. These hunters told us they only made it to the first of several huts; Monument Hut.

We find a relatively sheltered spot behind the matagouri and out of the wind to have lunch. Afterwards David scans the mountainside looking for his elusive deer & tahr (one day he'll spot something) while I take a few more photos.

And then we head back to camp. Ahead is the vast shingle flats where the two rivers; Hopkins & Dobson meet, the grazed paddocks of Glen Lyon Station show along the base of Ben Ohau Range.

There was a spectacular sunrise on the morning of our departure from Round Bush. I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked out, as I do most mornings checking to see if there's going to be an interesting sunrise to photograph. It's not too often I strike it like this though. 

The famous Canterbury nor'west arch cloud formation was stretching across the sky high above the lake with a fiery orange colour just starting to stain the far end. It was a mad scramble as I grabbed my camera gear, threw on some warm clothes and rushed outside to take photos. 

The colour grew more intense as I hurried along the lake shore and around the point to take photos looking up the lake. A storm was brewing in the mountains at the far end of the lake. 

And instead of the usual subtle rosy pink behind me it was brilliant oranges & yellows (I am always telling people to look behind when they take sunrise shots, often the scene is just as spectacular).

I needn't have hurried (this time), the colour lasted for well over 20 minutes and I was able to take a few dozen photos while the fiery colours gradually bleached out of the cloud as the sun rose higher...

...leaving behind a just as spectacular dark & brooding nor-west arch. 

It was just as well we'd planned to vacate anyway & we pulled out just before the storm arrived.

Winter at Glendhu Bay, Lake Wanaka

Catch-up

From Cromwell we headed to one of our favourite holiday parks, Glendhu Bay Motor Camp on the shores of Lake Wanaka, for a couple of weeks of relaxation.

Glendhu Bay is 8kms from Wanaka town on the road to Mt Aspiring National Park. This is overlooking Parkins Bay, across to Glendhu Bay which is behind the point of land, with Roys Peak up behind.

And speaking of Roys Peak, I took the photo below on our way to Glendhu Bay. This is the carpark for the 16km return 'walk' (steep climb) to Roys Peak, a very popular day walk thanks to Instagram posts of travellers standing on the narrow peak with the lake and mountains behind. And no, I can't post a photo because I haven't done the walk yet. I was building up to do it this time but chickened out when I nearly died walking 12kms of the Millennium Walk around the lake. My winter fitness hasn't quite been up to scratch. 

This new carpark is nearly full and it's only the middle of winter albeit a beautiful midwinter's day. Cars used to spill out of the old carpark and along both sides of the narrow road for a few hundred metres in the summer. Somehow I don't think they've solved the problem. 

We were able to park very near our regular site right on the lake front. It was great to be plugged into power and have a break from running the generator every day. Solar intake is just about non-existent in the bottom half of the South Island during winter when the sun sits low on the horizon and the days are short. 

Regular chores of filling with fresh water and dumping grey water in the chilly daytime temperatures are much easier to do in a campground too. Although, for the first time in 7 years we had a very rude neighbour who wanted to hog the water supply tap all to himself. 

David put the dinghy up and while he went fishing...

Mt Alta after a good coating of snow overnight

...I caught up on photos and computer work, although it was a hard not to be distracted by this beautiful view from my seat.

We certainly had some beautiful winter sunshine and blue sky days during our stay; the lake was often a millpond and especially as the sun dropped towards the mountains.

Glendhu Bay, Lake Wanaka

Glendhu Bay and Mt Alta-

With no clouds in the sky the setting sun turned the sky a stunning pink.

But my favourite sunsets were when the fiery colours were reflected off the cloud in the sky.

Some nights were extra chilly and in the morning we knew that when the low cloud lifted a dusting of snow would be revealed on the surrounding mountains, including Roys Peak above us.

On August 14th (yes, I'm that far behind in my blogs), between midnight & 5am the Perseid meteor shower was due to pass over New Zealand. It was described by Nasa as 'One of the best meteor showers of the year', 'The nightsky would be lit up by a fireball meteor shower' others said.

So with a stunningly clear night sky (and temperatures hovering around zero) I headed down to the lake edge to see if I could shoot the meteor just after midnight. The one negative was that there was a full moon which doesn't help with astrophotography as it lights up the sky too much. I had my wide angle lens on, camera on the tripod, found the direction the meteor shower was meant to be following and started shooting some long exposure shots.

When I looked on the back of the camera I could see a bright flash at the top of the photo. 'Woohoo' I thought, 'How's that?', I managed to shoot the meteor first shot. I clicked off a few more shots and a bright flash appeared in every one. In exactly the same spot. So I looked closer at my camera back and zoomed in on the streak. That's when I realised it wasn't a meteor at all, it was a flamin' lens flare off the moon! It's going to be a long night I thought.

I went and got a deck chair and sat out on the beach for over an hour but I still didn't see a thing! I did have fun though, shooting left, right and centre as I moved about trying to keep warm- this photo was taken at 1:10am, look at all those stars in the sky (and the neighbours outside light, it was brighter than the moon!)

By 1:30am and with no sign of a meteor shower, I decided it was time to head back inside before I froze to death. Other than the cold though, it was extremely peaceful sitting on the edge of the lake in the dark looking at masses of twinkling stars above and hearing the gentle sounds of nature sleeping around me. And I say it was peaceful and it was, until I walked along the water's edge and disturbed a pair of Paradise Ducks snoozing in the shallows. And you know how loud they are, the male kept up his honking long after I retreated.

On one particularly calm day we headed out in the dinghy for a tiki-tour across to Paddock Bay, a tiny sheltered bay tucked into the corner of Lake Wanaka.

As we move into the bay, the peak of Mt Aspiring came into view (the peak on the right). It looks small here but that's because it's at the far end of Matukituki Valley, about 40kms away.

There were several pairs of Australasian Crested Grebes on the lake and one lone male who David had seen several times in the bay while fishing. And just as I was asking where he'd seen him, as if on cue, he popped up right beside us.

He'd been feeding along the edge of a massive underwater forest of the invasive lake weed lagarosiphon. Nearly half the bay is covered in the weed. Further on we could see where divers had laid in previous years, and were laying again this year, hessian mats on the lake bed to starve the plant of sunlight. It takes about 5 months for the weed to die off and while it looks to have worked in areas, we could see the matting has either rotted or broken apart in places and it was growing back through the holes. 

After we'd done a circuit of  Paddock and Parkins Bays, we pulled the boat up onto the shingle beach across the bay from the campground to have some lunch.

From there I zoomed in on the Harris Mountains (behind the boat in the photo above) and found Treble Cone Skifield, which we can see from our campsite too (click the photo to enlarge). You can see the access road zig-zagging up the mountain bottom left, base buildings and carpark just as the road reches the snow and the trails zigzagging up the slopes above. At night we could see the lights of snow groomers moving around the trails, I thought what a lonely, cold job that would be.

After lunch we headed back to camp, David dropped me off and then motored off to do some fishing. He doesn't have much luck on Lake Wanaka and once again he failed to hook up even after several 'hot tips' from a few locals. We saw plenty of large trout while we were exploring, many of them sunbathing in the shallows so we know they're there.

Two small kowhai trees beside our van were in full flower and each day there was a tussle between the local Bellbird/Korimako population to be the only one to feed in the trees. If they spent as much time feeding as chasing each other there'd be enough for everyone to share and they'd all be finished feeding by lunch time. 

I staked out the tree several times and after many bum shots (the bane of a bird photographers' life, they turn so quick) and a photo when he looked like he was checking to see if I was still there, I finally managed to photograph him side on. 

But the best encounter I had was with a male New Zealand Falcon/Karearea. We were standing outside the rig late one afternoon when David spotted a smallish bird zipping through the sky heading to the top of one of the lakeside trees near us. Against the bright backdrop it actually looked like a large blackbird but after landing we could see that it was in fact a falcon. 

Falcons are our number one favourite bird and we report any sightings to the New Zealand Falcon organisation. Over the 7+ years we've been on the road we've seen at least 60 birds and while they are 'Nationally Endangered', they're more common than you'd think and in more urban areas than you'd imagine too. I love their call and am fine tuned to it, while David knows their flight pattern and these often alert us to a nearby bird.

This one sat in the top of the tree for about 10 minutes preening & cleaning, watching smaller birds fly past and surveying the surrounding area. I like how his tail is spread to hold him steady while he's resting on one foot, you can see his other foot tucked up to his chest. After a few photos I thought this was as good as I was going to get. 

How wrong could I be. He suddenly swooped down out of the tree and into a nearby old kowhai tree, I followed him over to it and found him walking along a branch just above my head. He seemed to be looking for something as he moved along the branch...

...then he jumped up to a higher branch and disappeared into a tangle of leaves and seed pods. Next second he flew out with something in his talons. He'd stashed dinner in there!

He flew over to a large willow...

...and proceeded to  pull apart one very dead starling. Falcons very rarely eat carrion but will cache their catch for later. Perhaps they've already eaten, or are being harassed by other birds so they wait until it's a little quieter and then return for their catch later. I couldn't believe my luck to see this happen and I was even more thrilled that he was quite happy to have me standing nearby. 

Once I had enough photos, I left him to it and walked back to the rig. On Cloud 9!  

Isn't he just a lovely looking boy?