The First Sunrise of 2023

The alarm went at 5am - I wanted an early start for the 10 hour drive ahead (Twizel to Nelson). I'd also planned to be near Lake Tekapo at sunrise and was looking forward to taking photos of lupins during the golden hour.

My first stop was at Irishman Creek. The early morning light was just touching the top of the hills, turning them a pastel peach colour.

Irishman Creek was the birthplace of the Hamilton Jets and as a youngster, my Mum lived there for a couple of years when her father worked for Hamilton Jets as a mechanic.

After taking a few photos I continued on towards Lake Tekapo. A few days ago when I had been driving in the opposite direction, I'd seen a field of lupins. I'd wanted to stop, but there were cars behind me and I couldn't see anywhere safe to pull over. 

But now, as I looked in the rear view mirror, I was pleased to see there wasn't a car in sight.  Now there was time to look for a spot to park and I was rapt when I noticed an open gate leading to the lupins!

As it was early morning, there wasn't anyone else about. Just me, amongst all those gorgeous lupins.

It did feel a little odd not having the dogs with me. They're usually always by my side and with all the rabbit holes and tracks, they would have been beside themselves with excitement!

The surrounding hills were bathed in a gorgeous golden glow and before long the lupins were also covered in the first rays of light. 

Credit for this beautiful scene goes to Mother Nature and also to Connie Scott of Godley Peaks Station, whom back in the late 1940s purchased lupin seeds from a local stock agent with the intention of making the region more attractive. And I'm sure you'll agree, Connie achieved her goal.

What a fabulous start to 2023!

Lupins - Mackenzie Basin

I've lost count how many times I've been told to back up my photos. And, I'm embarrassed at how often I've remembered to back them up and then decided I'll do it tomorrow instead. Well, you're probably going to guess where this post is going?

I lost them! Yip, thousands of photos ... just like that!

It happened while I was installing an update and my computer froze. It's never, ever done that before. I used my iPad to google how to fix it, but it was hopeless. Nothing I did made a difference.

So, the next day we drove to Timaru and took it to an IT techie. It turned out the hard drive had been wiped and sadly I hadn't backed it up for 9 months. Crazy!

Recently I'd written an article for RV Travel Lifestyle magazine on the Mackenzie Lupins and I had photos to support the article. Well, I did have photos - until the computer crashed. So I was keen to get out and take some more. The good thing was, the lupins were still flowering (just) so I had time to go and photograph them again. Phew!

And in among all the lupins were the tourists!

Not far from here is 'Irishman Creek'. My mum lived there for a year when she was a child. Now, there's not much to mark the spot other than a dinky little building.

Last time I'd driven along this stretch of road I'd noticed a stream with lupins growing along the riverbank, beside the 'Tekapo Military Training Camp', so I headed for that. I clambered down the side of the bridge and down a gravel bank but stopped when I read these signs! 'Danger Keep Out' 

'Live Firing Range' 

'Explosions and Live Firing may Occur at Anytime'.

I was keen to get some photos of lupins - but not that keen!!!

I knew there were still some lupins flowering on the east side of Lake Tekapo, so that's where I headed next. But not before taking a detour to see the temporary fencing going up around The Church of the Good Shepherd. Due to the amount of tourists stopping and trampling over the grounds, littering and entering the church when services are in progress (despite being asked not to), a fence had to be erected. 

It's a shame it had to come to this - here's hoping people will now respect the area.

One positive thing about the fence is that it's easy to take a photo of the church without the shot being photo bombed by tourists!

About ten minutes out of Lake Tekapo is a bridge named 'Edwards Bridge', I'd noticed lupins on the side of the stream below as we'd crossed the bridge coming home from Timaru. So I parked the car and walked along the river to get some photos.

I love wandering along knowing I have all the time in the world to enjoy the scenery and take it all in. Being beside a stream with beautiful coloured flowers everywhere was so special. 

Every few metres a little rabbit would dart out from a clump of lupins and race off to find a safe spot to hide.

As you can imagine the smell was heavenly. The wind was started to get quite strong so getting a shot of a lupin standing upright was almost impossible.

I headed home feeling pleased I had my lupin photos again. As I was getting nearer to Lake Pukaki I noticed the wind was becoming gusty and by the time I arrived at the rig it was blowing a gale. For the next three hours we were shaken and rattled. It felt like the van was going to be blown over. And the noise! 

But to compensate for the din, nature displayed another special sunset. 

Once the sun sunk behind the mountains, the wind eased, and it was silent again. And, all was forgiven.

Omarama's Clay Cliffs

Not far from Twizel, about 30kms south, is a little town named Omarama (in Maori it means ‘a place of light’- referring to the pure and clear skies). Omarama sits at the southern end of the Mackenzie Basin. 

There were two reasons I was looking forward to visiting this area.

1). 'The Clay Cliffs'

&

2). To see the lupins along the Ahuriri River.

When we made the decision to stay at Lake Pukaki until after Christmas, I decided to take a day trip to Omarama. I didn’t want to miss seeing the lupins at their best. 

Just north of Omarama and10kms west are the natural rock formations known as ‘Omarama’s Clay Cliffs’.

The 'Clay Cliffs' are well sign posted, giving you plenty of warning that the turnoff is approaching.  I turned off State Highway 8, into Quailburn Road and then into Henburn Road, which is an unsealed road. There was the odd patch of corrugation and a few pot holes, however it wasn't as bad as I'd been led to believe. 

It’s a private road - the farmer has placed an honesty box for a $5/vehicle admission fee, to help with the upkeep of the road. You can also pay at the Omarama i-SITE.

In the distance I saw a farmer moving a mob of sheep, as they moved onto the road I slowed down to let them pass. But with a couple of whistle commands the dogs skilfully moved them off the road. Where would farmers be without their dogs?

The landscape was beautiful, so typical of the magnificent Mackenzie Basin. Although the briar roses had finished flowering they managed to fill the air with sweet perfume. 
And as for the Clay Cliffs … WOW!

The surrounding vegetation made a striking contrast against the golden clay cliffs towering above. The track leading towards them, was as expected, dry and dusty, but it was an easy walk.

These geological wonders are a mass of tall, sharp pinnacles separated by steep and narrow ravines made up of layers of gravel and silt.

Originally they were formed by the flow of ancient glaciers over two million years ago. That sounds like a long time ago but when you compare it to the 250 million year old surrounding mountains, they’re relatively young!

If you're planning to visit the Clay Cliffs, remember to wear sneakers or footwear with some grip. I climbed up as far as I could go - the path was steep and over loose rocks (varying in size). It was slippery in places and a concerned tourist told me to be careful ... but I was mostly worried about my camera!

Looking out over the Ahuriri River bed.

The view looking up to the sky.

Beside the Clay Cliffs runs the braided Ahuriri River. The river travels from the Southern Alps and flows for 70 kilometres through the southern part of the Mackenzie Basin before reaching Lake Benmore.

 Ahuriri River is popular for brown and rainbow trout fishing.

The clouds were getting darker and I was hoping the rain would hold off for a little longer.

On the walk back to the car I noticed a few lupins had past their best. Seed pods were appearing. The brair rose had also finished flowering and most had rose hips forming. There were still plenty of vipers bugloss in full bloom - maybe they were responsible for filling the air with such a sweet, alluring fragrance?

And I had to stop to take a photo of these merinos, although they weren't very obliging - a bit camera shy.

I drove to The Ahuriri Conservation Park hoping to walk along the riverbed among the lupins but I couldn’t cross over a creek running to the side of it.

Although picturesque, the lupins smothering the riverbanks are a concern for environmentalists. The river is the breeding ground for some endangered birds and the masses of lupins alter the river flow and provide hiding places for predators.

However lupins aren’t all bad and not everyone holds the opinion of the environmentalists. These Russell lupins attract many tourists into the area. And when farmed they’re a nutritious fodder that requires little fertilizer to grow in the infertile soil of the high-country.

As I was looking for possible places to jump over the creek, I heard a soft whirring overhead – a glider silently glided above. Glider pilots love the air above Omarama. World and national gliding records are regularly broken here because of the clear, empty skies and obliging updrafts.