If you read the New Zealand Part 1, you might recall that we had hoped to time our visit with lupine season. And that the locals had told us they weren't "really" blooming when we first arrived which surprised us since we found lots of them.
But as we came through the same area on our way back to Christchurch we finally understood. What we had thought was a lot of lupine was nothing compared to what we were seeing now...
As we were driving we noticed a riverbed with lupine splashed all over the banks. It was wonderful to see but I was a bit bummed because it was all behind fences so I couldn't get up close for photos. But then we noticed a small sign at a little pull out and realized that you could walk through a gate and right down to the river - yes please!
Once again I found super happy bees and also some pretty moths with purple wings!
Something I've learned now that I've gotten up close and personal with lots and lots of lupine?
They have freckles!!! How cute is that!
I mean, seriously, how cool are these freckles?
Like so many things in life - it's the small, often overlooked, things that can bring so much joy.
As we drove along enjoying the gorgeous blue water I realized that between the sky and water, I'd picked a pretty good shirt for the day!
We stopped along a road that follows Lake Tekapo and came across a huge field of lupine down by the lake.
Driving around Lake Tekapo we were happy to see the poppies were still blooming and we enjoyed more views of the blue waters.
Near the end of the day, we came to the area we had explored a couple weeks ago and then we understood the whole "not really" blooming comment because what we had seen previously didn't hold a candle to this:
The next day was our last full day in New Zealand. Luckily the great weather continued and we got gorgeous views of Mt Cook again.
We drove down a dirt road and got some great views of the water and mountains.
And wouldn't you know... there was some lupine there too! And once again, I was enamored with all the different color variations (and the freckles of course!)
And I got another chance to play with long exposure to make the water silky
Then it was goodbye to Mt Cook and on to Lake Tekapo for one last visit.
Back out to that big field of lupine for an unforgettable end to our 6 week journey.
Thanks for sharing our travels! Hope you enjoyed the stories and photos!
