标签 新西兰 下的文章
特卡波湖岸上的羽扇豆，新西兰 Lupins on the shores of Lake Tekapo in New Zealand (© Stanislav Kachyna/Shutterstock)
特卡波湖岸上的羽扇豆，新西兰 Lupins on the shores of Lake Tekapo in New Zealand (© Stanislav Kachyna/Shutterstock)
What are these blooms?
Lupins usually hit peak bloom around mid- to late-November in the Mackenzie region on New Zealand's South Island. This image shows the burst of color along the shores of Lake Tekapo, famed for its annual lupin blooms. The colorful carpets of purples, pinks, blues, and whites along waterways and roads look stunning, drawing tourists to the area, and locals appreciate the economic benefits that come with these visitors. But lupins hail from North America, and in New Zealand, they're considered invasive species that crowd out native flora, ruining the habitat for birds like the wrybill, banded dotterel, and other species that live along the waterside.
Beloved by some, rued by others, lupins are said to have taken hold here thanks to local resident Connie Scott. As the story goes, back in the 1950s, Scott scattered lupin seeds along a main highway to add some color to the barren landscape and the blooms have been spreading ever since. Scott's remembered these days as the 'Lupin Lady.' A beautiful legacy? Suppose it depends on your point of view.
马塔马塔附近的霍比特人村，新西兰北岛 Hobbiton, near Matamata, North Island, New Zealand (© 500px Asia/Getty Images)
马塔马塔附近的霍比特人村，新西兰北岛 Hobbiton, near Matamata, North Island, New Zealand (© 500px Asia/Getty Images)
Happy Hobbit Day
Today is Hobbit Day, marking the anniversary of the 'Long-expected Party,' which sets in motion the 'Lord of the Rings' book series. September 22 is the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, the protagonists of 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' respectively.
Fans of the film adaptations of those stories will have no problem identifying today's image as Hobbiton in the Shire (though it is actually a set built in the countryside near Matamata on New Zealand's North Island.) You can celebrate Hobbit Day by walking around barefoot all day and having seven meals like a hobbit, or just by watching (or re-watching) any or all of the six films in the series. It's would be only fitting this year since the stories chronical a mythological struggle between darkness and light and today is the autumnal equinox.
怀波瓦森林中一棵名为Te Matua Ngahere的巨型贝壳杉树 ，新西兰北地 Te Matua Ngahere, a giant kauri tree growing in Waipoua Forest, Northland, New Zealand (© Kim Westerskov/Getty Images)
怀波瓦森林中一棵名为Te Matua Ngahere的巨型贝壳杉树 ，新西兰北地 Te Matua Ngahere, a giant kauri tree growing in Waipoua Forest, Northland, New Zealand (© Kim Westerskov/Getty Images)
50 years of Earth Day
For Mother Earth's big day, we're shining the spotlight on a tree known as 'Father of the Forest,' or Te Matua Ngahere in the Maori language. This giant kauri tree lives in the Waipou Rainforest of New Zealand's North Island. At more than 1,500 years old years old and more than 52 feet around, it's both one of the oldest trees in New Zealand and one of the largest. It's long been revered by the Maori, and is protected by Maori elders.
We suspect this ancient tree must have some extra bounce in its branches today for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. On this day in 1970, some 20 million Americans rallied in communities across the nation to raise awareness of environmental issues. The landmark event is credited for sparking passage in the 1970s of the most comprehensive environmental reform legislation in US history, including the creation of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Earth Day is now celebrated in nearly 200 countries and has grown to include Earth Week, and even Earth Month celebrations. That's all good news for Earth's residents, big and small.
马尔堡峡湾鸟瞰图，新西兰 Aerial view of Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand (© Mathias Ortmann/Getty Images)
马尔堡峡湾鸟瞰图，新西兰 Aerial view of Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand (© Mathias Ortmann/Getty Images)
Land ho in New Zealand 250 years ago
We're looking at Marlborough Sounds, a network of ancient sunken river valleys located at the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island. But it was on the North Island, 250 years ago, that New Zealand was spotted by Captain James Cook from the HMS Endeavour. The main purpose of Cook's voyage to the Pacific was to sail to Tahiti and observe the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. Only after completing this task did Cook unseal the rest of his orders and learn he was to search the South Pacific for signs of a fabled great southern continent, Terra Australis Incognito. This was a hypothetical southern landmass that European Renaissance geographers thought must exist in order to counterbalance the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Of course, Cook never found Terra Australis, but with the help of a Tahitian named Tupaia, who had extensive knowledge of Pacific geography, and armed with the previous findings of explorer Abel Tasman from 1642, Cook sailed on to New Zealand. There, he and his crew built upon Tasman's work, becoming the first to circumnavigate and chart New Zealand's North and South Islands.
新西兰的萨瑟兰瀑布和奎尔湖 Sutherland Falls and Lake Quill in New Zealand (© Michael Rathmayr/plainpicture)
新西兰的萨瑟兰瀑布和奎尔湖 Sutherland Falls and Lake Quill in New Zealand (© Michael Rathmayr/plainpicture)
Sutherland Falls in Fiordland National Park
Sutherland Falls spills over the side of Lake Quill in the jagged, glacier-carved landscape of Fiordland National Park on New Zealand's South Island. For years, it was believed to be the tallest waterfall in the world, thanks in part to a rough estimate by Scottish explorer Donald Sutherland, the first European to see the falls. Later, more scientific surveys proved this estimate to be significantly inflated, but Sutherland Falls is still 1,900 feet tall, which is plenty high in our book.
It's probably pretty cold out in the Fiordland wilderness today, as the Southern Hemisphere is in the midst of winter. While the Northern Hemisphere has tilted toward the sun, giving us the long, warm days of summer, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away, so the days are short and nights are cold.
