Crown Range Pass

My most surprising discovery 
and now 1 of my favourite drives in Aotearoa 
is the Crown Range Pass.
The Crown Range road connects the Arrow Junction to Cardrona,
a steep and windy drive between Queenstown and Wanaka.

I visited at the end of December.
All along the mountain range
the roadside is covered with colorful lupine flowers.
Purple, pink, lilac, light blue, white and yellow ones.
It is quite a sight.
If you park next to some open spaces on the side,
you get to walk through the lupine field,
immersed in a cloud of beautiful floral scent unique to lupine.
I am absolutely in love with the Cardrona side in particular.

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The Cardrona River provides the perfect environment for lupine to thrive.
So the closer you are to Cardrona,
the more lush and colorful the lupine field becomes.
Absolute bucket list location to visit.
For me, it is the highlight for visiting Wanaka.