Canterbury, New Zealand: Lavender Fields & Lambs

{I found Cam walking right up to the seals on the beach and I fell in love with every precious lambie}

New Zealand is without a doubt the most breathtakingly beautiful place we have ever seen.

Within an afternoon you can be sitting in a natural hot spring in a rainforest next to a glacier, then be surrounded by hundreds of waterfalls as you wind along a narrow road in the mountains, then be on a sunny cliff side beach, and then be in a meadow of flowers hiking in the alps. I have so many photos to share, and not a single one of them captures the vast and exquisite creativity that New Zealand radiates. I think one of the beauties of travel is that it's been teaching us about God's creativity. There is truly none other that could get the glory for such a place. The adjective we kept repeating -- was magical.

There are sheep herds and bebe lambs literally everywhere {there's more sheep than people!}; cattle, deer, reindeer, horses, lamas freely grazing on the greenest rolling hills and mountain peaks; colorful flowers as far as the eye can see; rivers, streams and waterfalls in the brightest shade of turquoise. It is so unbelievably magical. And the wine!!! AMAZING. And the food!!! AMAZING. Everything is so fresh. Including the to-die-for cheese. What joy you bries, goudas, pecorinos, cheddars brought that husband of mine! There also isn't a single feedlot on the south island. Everything is free-range and local. And the wildflowers. Oh the wildflowers. I could not believe my eyes.

It took about 24 hours of travel to get there and as soon as we landed mid-morning, we picked up our campervan {ha, so many awesome stories to come} and headed up the coast. We spent most of the first afternoon in fields of lavender, roses and lupin, taking in the wonderful scents, fresh air, and vistas of snow-capped mountains and baaing lambs. It was like heaven.

And then came the vineyards...