Where Did Tekapo’s Lupins Go? The Surprising Truth Behind Their Disappearance

One of the most famous periods of the year on New Zealand’s South Island is Lupin flowering season. It is a time when these stunning flowers, bloom along the riverbeds and lakes around New Zealand, putting on a spectacular show. From all around the world, many tourists actually travel to New Zealand purely for this occasion.

Lake Tekapo & the Mackenzie Country in central South Island is considered the best location to see Lupins.  Before Covid-19, Lake Tekapo would often have traffic jams around lupin hotspots with tourists stopping and taking pictures of the iconic lupin flowers.  The fields of beautiful purple lupins with white snow-capped mountain of Mt. Cook as backdrop makes it a perfect spot for Instagram lovers.  However, most lupins in Tekapo disappeared in 2020 and we wondered why?

Although beautiful, Russell Lupins are considered an invasive species and some effort is taken to keep Lupin numbers under control around New Zealand by the Department of Conservation (DOC).  Lupins can spread to riverbeds, where it poses a risk to native ecosystems. However, there are a few places where these flowers prove to be huge tourism boosters and for that reason, remain untouched.  Tekapo is one of these places.  So why were the lupins gone this season?

It turns out it was an Act of God. The rumours among people of some mass kill-off of this invasive plant were not true. The truth is the lupins in a number of lakefront locations in Tekapo were underwater at a crucial stage in their development and did not flower this year.  The local council spokesperson added that depending on the lake level next year, the lupins may well re-appear as the seeds will still be in the ground.

So to our lupin lovers, there is still hope.  While we will need to wait until next spring (peak Lupin flowering season is from mid Nov to mid Jan) to see the beautiful lupin flowers again, you don’t need to wait to buy our Koha lupin rejuvenating cream:

Koha Lupin Rejuvenating Cream 100ml - Exclusive beauty product of Aotea. 

In ancient times lupin flower was used as a treatment for tired skin. The generation of skin products supports wrinkle reduction, while antioxidants will keep skin healthy.
For use on hands and body.

Key Ingredients;

• Lanolin
• Almond Oil
• Lupin Oil

Lupin extract is known to stimulate the production of lipids and proteins in the skin. It acts as;

• Emollient - softens and sooths the skin. Caused by Amino Acids and Proteins
• Antioxidant - protects the skin by absorbing free radicals. Caused by Phytic Acid

Koha Lupin Hand Cream