Kate Sims
@k8sims.bsky.social
This is officially a daily New Zealand travel blog
Day 27: we rested up before the big journey back :'( did our laundry, went for a walk, and chilled out in the hotel room. Tomorrow, we'll be back in Madison with our boys ❤️ s/o to Rei for taking excellent care and sending these pics
February 27, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Day 27: we rested up before the big journey back :'( did our laundry, went for a walk, and chilled out in the hotel room. Tomorrow, we'll be back in Madison with our boys ❤️ s/o to Rei for taking excellent care and sending these pics
And the food! There was much more but I was too excited to eat the other times and completely forgot to snap a pic 🤤
February 26, 2025 at 5:54 AM
And the food! There was much more but I was too excited to eat the other times and completely forgot to snap a pic 🤤
Some more scenic views:
February 26, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Some more scenic views:
Day 26: traveled by train from Wellington to Auckland! We had a first class experience ✨️ I made a decent dent in my book, and we felt so fancy the whole time. A million times worth it for the upgrade.
February 26, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Day 26: traveled by train from Wellington to Auckland! We had a first class experience ✨️ I made a decent dent in my book, and we felt so fancy the whole time. A million times worth it for the upgrade.
Day 25: We jumped back to the north island! But not before checking out Cave Rock and the botanical gardens in Christchurch (some bits and bobs we didn't catch the first time around). The gardens had a really lovely rose garden 🌹 tomorrow: train to Auckland!
February 25, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Day 25: We jumped back to the north island! But not before checking out Cave Rock and the botanical gardens in Christchurch (some bits and bobs we didn't catch the first time around). The gardens had a really lovely rose garden 🌹 tomorrow: train to Auckland!
And we saw a cool exhibit that was framed as scenarios where humanity disappeared and lego people took over the objects we left behind. So they built a bank in ATMs and had concerts in jukeboxes
February 24, 2025 at 10:20 AM
And we saw a cool exhibit that was framed as scenarios where humanity disappeared and lego people took over the objects we left behind. So they built a bank in ATMs and had concerts in jukeboxes
There was a butterfly room! One landed on my head immediately as we arrived, and another landed on Alexander's head later. Also I saw a huge frog skeleton and a moa skeleton!
February 24, 2025 at 10:18 AM
There was a butterfly room! One landed on my head immediately as we arrived, and another landed on Alexander's head later. Also I saw a huge frog skeleton and a moa skeleton!
Day 24: the return trip begins, slowly but surely. Before leaving Dunedin, we visited the museum! So many pictures to follow. We're making our way back north but stopped in Timaru, where we got to see a wild penguin!!
February 24, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Day 24: the return trip begins, slowly but surely. Before leaving Dunedin, we visited the museum! So many pictures to follow. We're making our way back north but stopped in Timaru, where we got to see a wild penguin!!
Another walk later—Alexander was sad he wasn't allowed to catch seagulls, but we caught a great view of the cliffside and some albatrosses flying by
February 23, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Another walk later—Alexander was sad he wasn't allowed to catch seagulls, but we caught a great view of the cliffside and some albatrosses flying by
They were just sleeping and flopping around in the sand otherwise
February 23, 2025 at 8:15 AM
They were just sleeping and flopping around in the sand otherwise
We even saw a sea lion swimming!
February 23, 2025 at 8:14 AM
We even saw a sea lion swimming!
And there was a whole family. We think it was a mom, a dad, and two pups. The dad kept trying to bother the mom while she slept, and they were just biting each other 😂
February 23, 2025 at 8:11 AM
And there was a whole family. We think it was a mom, a dad, and two pups. The dad kept trying to bother the mom while she slept, and they were just biting each other 😂
The first sea lion we saw was sleeping in the sand under a branch, and we nearly stepped on it! There were at least a dozen sea lions that we saw, some of them pretty close.
February 23, 2025 at 8:10 AM
The first sea lion we saw was sleeping in the sand under a branch, and we nearly stepped on it! There were at least a dozen sea lions that we saw, some of them pretty close.
A fantail bird followed us around the gardens! Google said it's because large mammals stir up bugs while they walked, so the fantail was having lunch too!
February 23, 2025 at 8:08 AM
A fantail bird followed us around the gardens! Google said it's because large mammals stir up bugs while they walked, so the fantail was having lunch too!
Day 23: we celebrated our anniversary in style. We had lunch in the Glenfalloch Gardens, saw some sea lions(!!) at Sandfly Bay, visited a castle, and dinnered at a nice restaurant. Just a really pleasant day with my favorite guy ❤️
February 23, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Day 23: we celebrated our anniversary in style. We had lunch in the Glenfalloch Gardens, saw some sea lions(!!) at Sandfly Bay, visited a castle, and dinnered at a nice restaurant. Just a really pleasant day with my favorite guy ❤️
Day 22: We drove to Dunedin (pronounced dun-eden 🤦♀️ not dune-eh-den). We walked around the city a bit, enjoyed the fancy hotel room, and had dinner at Lone Star, which is an American-themed restaurant 😂 the food was actually amazing tho. I told the waiter we felt right at home.
February 22, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Day 22: We drove to Dunedin (pronounced dun-eden 🤦♀️ not dune-eh-den). We walked around the city a bit, enjoyed the fancy hotel room, and had dinner at Lone Star, which is an American-themed restaurant 😂 the food was actually amazing tho. I told the waiter we felt right at home.
On the drive back, we saw several Weka birds and even got to see one up close. The water in the Fiordlands is so crazy clear and lovely. And then back in Te Anau we got a selfie with a statue of the Takahe bird ❤️
February 22, 2025 at 9:20 PM
On the drive back, we saw several Weka birds and even got to see one up close. The water in the Fiordlands is so crazy clear and lovely. And then back in Te Anau we got a selfie with a statue of the Takahe bird ❤️
Some more scenic pictures from Milford Sound and the drive back:
February 22, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Some more scenic pictures from Milford Sound and the drive back:
The ship took us out to the ocean. We were in the splash zone, so I got a face full of sea water. The rock formation we passed is called the Kissing Turtles. The ship captain pointed out the fault line in the third picture, and we passed by some seals that were so cute.
February 22, 2025 at 9:17 PM
The ship took us out to the ocean. We were in the splash zone, so I got a face full of sea water. The rock formation we passed is called the Kissing Turtles. The ship captain pointed out the fault line in the third picture, and we passed by some seals that were so cute.
We then boarded a little cruise ship that took us around the Milford Sound. SO BEAUTIFUL. It had just rained the night before so there were lots of waterfalls.
February 22, 2025 at 9:15 PM
We then boarded a little cruise ship that took us around the Milford Sound. SO BEAUTIFUL. It had just rained the night before so there were lots of waterfalls.
The trip also took us through a long tunnel in the mountain. Steve said every April Fool's there's a nude run down the tunnel to raise money for charity. The prize is a scenic helicopter ride around the Milford Sound.
February 22, 2025 at 9:14 PM
The trip also took us through a long tunnel in the mountain. Steve said every April Fool's there's a nude run down the tunnel to raise money for charity. The prize is a scenic helicopter ride around the Milford Sound.
We stopped along the drive for scenic views! The field in the second picture is where they filmed the Battle of the Pelennor Fields sequence! Our bus driver (Steve) was really more of a tour guide with lots of cool facts to share.
February 22, 2025 at 9:12 PM
We stopped along the drive for scenic views! The field in the second picture is where they filmed the Battle of the Pelennor Fields sequence! Our bus driver (Steve) was really more of a tour guide with lots of cool facts to share.
Day 20: we enjoyed the view until check-out time and drove to Te Anau! There were so many beautiful scenic spots along the way. 😍 Alexander got binoculars! And after we checked in to the motel here, we visited the Takahe bird sanctuary. Takahe were almost extinct 😭 but we saw a chick!!
February 20, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Day 20: we enjoyed the view until check-out time and drove to Te Anau! There were so many beautiful scenic spots along the way. 😍 Alexander got binoculars! And after we checked in to the motel here, we visited the Takahe bird sanctuary. Takahe were almost extinct 😭 but we saw a chick!!
Safari Tent pictures!
February 19, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Safari Tent pictures!
And then a bit after we got back from dinner, the rain rolled in. So relaxing 😌
February 19, 2025 at 10:17 AM
And then a bit after we got back from dinner, the rain rolled in. So relaxing 😌