Lupins

Jan 12th: The boys did some schooling in the morning and then had fun rushing round the campsite. At noon we drove north along the edge of the lake to the Benmore Dam at the top. This is an enormous dam that has been generating electricity since 1965 and produces 220 Gigawatt hours per year. It is one in a series of dams on the Waitaki River and much of the electricity generated here is sent to the North Island. Due to lots of rain up in the back country the upper lakes in the hydro-electric scheme have filled up and the lake levels risen high. As a result they have had to open the overfill chutes at Benmore Dam to release the water. It is the first time in 5 years they have been opened so we went to see them. There is an amazing noise as the water rushes down the 500m long overfill slope and crashes into the upper reaches of Lake Aviemore. Lupins are a feature in the South Island of NZ at this time of the year, along the roadsides but particularly around the edges of the lakes. They are individually beautifully, but collectively magnificent, in an enormous range of colours. These were close to where our motorhome was camped.