The lupin fields

The Mackenzie Country, where you’ll find Aoraki/Mount Cook, is blanketed by a stream of violet hues between November and February – all thanks to the Russell lupins that bloom by the shores of the area’s lakes and rivers. These roadside beauties are at their best and brightest around Lake Tekapo, and they were planted in the late 1940s to embellish the golden pastures. There are fields of them on the State Highway 8 between Twizel and Fairlie, especially on Burkes Pass.