There are places in the world that scream with color. Where in the middle of a pale blue sky pops a stark white cloud, against a red ridge. Where azure lakes appear over the horizon, turning milky turquoise, and rimmed with yellow and purple lupins.

New Zealand is one of these places. Last southern summer (February), I spent a few weeks pedalling around the South Island of New Zealand, stopping first in Christchurch to pick up a rental bike, and then pedalling through what seemed to be page after page of the calendar that I’d make if I were in charge of New Zealand’s PR.

There were reds, oranges, yellows, greens and blues all together:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And paths of dark red snaking through frondy overgrowth:

 

 

 

 

And blue and white and gold:

 

 

 

 

 

 

and purplish:

 

 

 

 

 

 

and blue on blue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

red against grey:

 

 

 

 

 

 

and even the brown bits were curly and undulating and dotted with green:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then, at the end of the day, this opaque blue would descend:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really enjoyed my trip to New Zealand and would love to head back sometime soon. Wishing the Kiwi people strength, and lots of tourism!