On returning to the car, imagine my surprise and delight to find that we were surrounded by many Long-tailed Blue butterflies (lampides boeticus) enjoying the foliage along the side of the road. Everywhere I turned, there they were fluttering from plant to plant and, at times, dancing together in an upward twirl (I love the way butterflies do that).
A quick lens change (fortunately I had my macro lens with me) and about an hour later, after a wonderful frolic among the butterflies, we picked up the trail and drove on to Puketi Forest.
If you haven't already guessed, Long-tailed Blues are one of my favourite butterflies that we have in New Zealand, with their tiny tails with little white tips, although I am passionate about all our butterflies.
🔎 Static photos - Click on each thumbnail to see a larger view.