DELICIOUS ICE CREAM + AWESOME PHOTO OPS
27 DECEMBER 2022
Sienna eating her ice cream like a boss!
I'm Purple Da Ba Dee Da Ba Die
The New Zealand Alpine Lavender Farm is a fully certified lavender farm (and one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere), situated beside New Zealand's bluest lake - Lake Pukaki, in Canterbury, New Zealand.
We heard about the lavender farm and knew we had to visit to try some lavender ice cream (it was really good, by the way!) and get some photos in the lavender.
We decided to make a day of it from Lake Tekapo where we were staying, by visiting Lake Pukaki, the lavender farms and the Omarama Clay Cliffs just south of Twizel. We had been to the clay cliffs the previous year in autumn but wanted to visit again in summer and do more exploring. Check out our blog for the cliffs here.
When we rocked up, we noticed how eeeeverything was purple which looked really cool against the landscape. We had no idea there would be bikes to ride up and down the lavender rows and a cool purple tractor for the kids to play on.
We heard about the lavender farm and knew we had to visit to try some lavender ice cream (it was really good, by the way!) and get some photos in the lavender.
We decided to make a day of it from Lake Tekapo where we were staying, by visiting Lake Pukaki, the lavender farms and the Omarama Clay Cliffs just south of Twizel. We had been to the clay cliffs the previous year in autumn but wanted to visit again in summer and do more exploring. Check out our blog for the cliffs here.
When we rocked up, we noticed how eeeeverything was purple which looked really cool against the landscape. We had no idea there would be bikes to ride up and down the lavender rows and a cool purple tractor for the kids to play on.
There's plenty of shade to eat your delicious ice cream under
Entry into the lavender field is $5 per adult, kids are free
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream
We were all pretty excited to try lavender ice cream. We love the smell of it and we were curious to try it - may as well try it once, right?
There were a few flavours to try the day we visited - chocolate, mango, blueberry vanilla and mixed berry and all the flavours can be made with or without lavender.
The ice creams were $9 each and the girls chose a mixed berry & lavender to share and Lath and I chose a chocolate & lavender ice cream to share. They were delicious and so refreshing on what had to be one of the hottest days this summer - we had to eat them quickly so they didn't turn to soup!
We were burping up lavender for the rest of the day - yummy!
We visited again 2 weeks later after doing the Kea Point Track and the Tasman Glacier View Track at Mt Cook and the lavender was SO much more purple, it was amazing! We also tried the honey and lavender ice cream with bee pollen sprinkles - it was SO DAMN GOOD and the girls got the chocolate and lavender.
There were a few flavours to try the day we visited - chocolate, mango, blueberry vanilla and mixed berry and all the flavours can be made with or without lavender.
The ice creams were $9 each and the girls chose a mixed berry & lavender to share and Lath and I chose a chocolate & lavender ice cream to share. They were delicious and so refreshing on what had to be one of the hottest days this summer - we had to eat them quickly so they didn't turn to soup!
We were burping up lavender for the rest of the day - yummy!
We visited again 2 weeks later after doing the Kea Point Track and the Tasman Glacier View Track at Mt Cook and the lavender was SO much more purple, it was amazing! We also tried the honey and lavender ice cream with bee pollen sprinkles - it was SO DAMN GOOD and the girls got the chocolate and lavender.
The swing chair has the perfect backdrop for photos
You can order the ice cream without lavender in it, but it's super yummy with it!
Stop & Enjoy
The whole area surrounding the lavender farm is beautiful, from the snow on the alps to the layout of the land. As a photographer, I absolutely loved all the layers of colour and the gradients. I like places that don't have a whole lot of human impact surrounding them ie powerlines, buildings, so the lavender farm is a great place to stop and enjoy that.
It's a super pretty place to take photos and everyone we saw walking around had a camera in their hand! (And an ice cream).
It's a super pretty place to take photos and everyone we saw walking around had a camera in their hand! (And an ice cream).
The colours and tones in the area are so beautiful
I spy some snow on the mountains
The right end of the fields is the quietest with less people walking through
Sienna loved running through the lavender
We picked the perfect day to visit!
This is one of my favourite photos from our trip to the lavender fields
Best Seat In The House
There are a few wooden seats in the lavender rows, I think we counted around 4 or 5 and they are mostly on the left side of the field. It's definitely an Instagram worthy spot for taking photos! And an even better spot for mum and dad to sit and enjoy the place while the kids run and bike up and down the rows.
People don't tend to stay too long on the chairs, so even if it's super busy, you won't need to wait too long to grab a chair.
People don't tend to stay too long on the chairs, so even if it's super busy, you won't need to wait too long to grab a chair.
Queen of the lavender
Best seat in town!
You'll find a few chairs around the fields
Wheeeeeeeeeee!
The bikes are such a great addition to the lavender farm and our girls had a lot of fun of them- even Lath had a go! I was way too hot to be even thinking about biking that day! Plus, I had an ice cream to eat (priorities).
The bikes are all adult bikes but Bella managed to ride around on one, but she did struggle with getting on and off them so she needed our help.
The bikes are all free to use and you can ride up and down the rows, or around the field with them.
The bikes are all adult bikes but Bella managed to ride around on one, but she did struggle with getting on and off them so she needed our help.
The bikes are all free to use and you can ride up and down the rows, or around the field with them.
If you're going to bike, you can only turn around right at the end
There are no kids' bikes, but it's fun for them to hop on the adult bikes if mum or dad are helping
Bella did really well considering it was an adult's bike
Go on, you know you want to
There were no bees on the lavender which made walking and biking through it easy as!
We had a great time together as a family
The Purple Tractor
As any parent knows, kids LOVE anything with wheels that they can pretend to drive! As soon as we went into the field, Sienna was straight on the tractor, turning the wheel and pulling the levers. We love finding things like this on our travels and it reminded us of the cargo ship Sienna got to 'fly' at The Runway Cafe in Blenheim.
We love how it's also painted purple - everything there is including the guide ropes, umbrellas, shade cloths etc, a lot of thought has gone into the place and it shows.
We love how it's also painted purple - everything there is including the guide ropes, umbrellas, shade cloths etc, a lot of thought has gone into the place and it shows.
The kids loved this tractor!
We loved how everything at the farm was purple
The lavender farm is open 1st Dec - 31st March (excluding Christmas Day)
We visited at the end of December and the lavender was full of colour
Know Before You Go
- The lavender farm is open 1st Dec - March 31st (closed Christmas Day and if the weather is super bad). For hours and update dates, click here
- Entry is $5 per adult and kids are free
- They stock a wide range of lavender products such as certified organic oil, fragrances and skin care products
- You can choose to have your ice cream without lavender (but it's yummy and a unique flavour!)
- There is plenty of parking on site
- There weren't any bees on the lavender when we were there, which made it easy for us to walk and bike down the rows
- The bikes are free to use
Mappy McMap Face
Getting There
When you're heading along State Highway 8 from Lake Tekapo or Queenstown, turn into State Highway 80 and the NZ Alpine Lavender Farm is just 4-minutes' drive and you'll find it on the left. There's plenty of parking on site.
Conclusion
We had a great time at the lavender farm. The ice creams were delicious and the $5 entry fee was a reasonable price. I loved taking photos here, Sienna loved running through the lavender and playing on the tractor, Bella really enjoyed riding the bikes and Lath loved the ice cream!
It's the perfect spot for photos and is the perfect place to stop for an ice cream in summer after you've done the Hooker Valley Track at Mt Cook!
It's the perfect spot for photos and is the perfect place to stop for an ice cream in summer after you've done the Hooker Valley Track at Mt Cook!
Gallery of the New Zealand Alpine Lavender Farm
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
More to do in the South Island
COWANS HILL TRACK
CANTERBURY A beautiful and peaceful walk up the back of Tekapo, full of lupins in Nov - Jan if you go down the right track. Great mountain views!
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OMARAMA CLAY CLIFFS
CANTERBURY This walk will you make you feel like you're on another planet! You can either explore near the entrance or go deeper into the cliffs.
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LAKE PUKAKI
CANTERBURY This is the bluest lake in New Zealand and is surrounded by the Southern Alps and has a view of the world famous Mt Cook.
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