How We Spent 12 Days in New Zealand for our Honeymoon
Wow, I still can’t believe we actually went to New Zealand! It’s been a few years since we took a big trip like this, so Andrew and I decided to go all out for our honeymoon.
It really was the trip of a lifetime and I have so much to share with you!
In this post I’m sharing our complete New Zealand itinerary of everything we did during our two-week trip.
We were there January 3rd through January 15th, 2024 so we were able to experience summer in the southern hemisphere, which was a dream.
How We Spent 12 Days in New Zealand for our Honeymoon
Day 1: Explore Christchurch
Where we stayed: Crowne Plaza Christchurch, an IHG Hotel
How we spent our day:
We had breakfast at our hotel and we set out to explore the city. We ended up going to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, The Christchurch Art Gallery and the Canterbury Museum, all of which were free!
We had a later dinner reservation so we decided to check out two rooftop bars—first up Mr. Brightside (which had a neon sign reading “it was only a kiss”) and then Pink Lady.
I liked both but we had much better service at Mr. Brightside, so I’d definitely suggest checking that one out and grabbing a seat by the windows to take in the views of the city.
Then we headed over to Bessie for dinner. This was one of my favorite meals of the whole trip.
It’s a steakhouse with incredibly high standards for their beef (there were one or two cuts they weren’t able to serve because they didn’t think the quality was high enough so you know you’re going to get something good) and our waitress was super friendly.
As the sun finally started to set around 8:30pm (an incredible feeling for us in January!) we walked by Rollickin Gelato on New Regent Street and grabbed some sweet treats.
Other Christchurch recommendations:
We got in the night before and went to Mexico Christchurch for tacos and margs and then swung by The Church Brew Pub (a church renovated into a brew pub) for a pint!
Also there is a tram that runs through the city that you can hop on and hop off of during the day or you can actually book dinner on it so you can sightsee and eat at the same time.
Day 2: Visit Lake Tekapo
Where we stayed: Grand Suites Lake Tekapo
How we spent our day:
We (Andrew) drove down from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo which took about three hours.
We saw lots of sheep along the way and once we arrived we checked into our hotel, grabbed lunch at Jack Rabbit and went to explore the lake.
We walked around the lake and saw the Church of the Good Shepherd and the lupins, New Zealand’s famous purple flowers.
After exploring the lake, we walked back towards our hotel and stopped into a place called Burke’s Brewing Co. to try their beers.
At this point we had been away for about a week already (we stopped in Fiji on our way to New Zealand) so we decided to do laundry at our hotel and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing.
We ate dinner at TLV which was delicious! It is definitely one of the most popular spots in town for dinner, so be sure to get a reservation.
Other Lake Tekapo recommendations:
The lake is actually in a rare dark sky region. We had actually booked a stargazing night with the Dark Sky Project but it was canceled due to cloudiness and low visibility.
We were able to request a full refund since that was our only night there, but I would absolutely add it to your list while you’re in Lake Tekapo.
Also The Greedy Cow Cafe looked like such a cute breakfast spot, but it was super crowded the morning we tried to go so we didn’t end up eating there.
Day 3: Scenic Hike at Mount Cook
How we spent our day:
The next morning we drove to Mount Cook for a day hike! We hiked the Hooker Valley Trail that was a relatively flat out and back trail.
I am a novice hiker and was able to make the trek! It took us about an hour and a half to the top since we stopped a lot along the way to take photos and about an hour back.
After that we ended up driving straight to our next destination on the south island, Wanaka, so we had time to check into our AirBnB and make our dinner reservation.
We went to Kika, which was the top recommended spot on Trip Advisor for Wanaka and it did not disappoint.
At Kika they serve tapas so they recommend sharing about 3-4 of the small plates and getting an entrée.
From there, we walked down by the lake and saw #thatwanakatree which is a now-famous photo spot where you can see a tree growing out of the lake.
Other Mount Cook recommendations:
I wish I had brought some granola bars along to eat once we got to the lookout since I started to get hungry!
Also just know that the earlier you get there, the closer you can park to the trail entrance. Otherwise, you may need to walk a bit.
If we had more time, we would have tried to grab lunch in a nearby town called Twizel that looked cool!
Day 4: Wine Tasting in Wanaka
Where we stayed: Kowhai Studio AirBnB
How we spent our day:
We had a quick breakfast at Ritual Espresso Cafe and then got picked up in the main town for our wine tour.
We booked Living The Dream Wine Tours and our guide Michelle was wonderful! Her love for this wine region was obvious and she seemed to know everyone at the vineyards we went to.
She took us to five (!!) beautiful wineries in the Otago region and each one was excellent.
The tour we selected also included a charcuterie cheese board lunch at our third stop which worked out really well.
We were dropped off in Wanaka at the end of the day and we grabbed dinner from Red Star Burger bar to end off the day.
Other Wanaka recommendations:
There were so many cute shops and other cafes like Scroggin Coffee and Eatery in this town I would have loved to explore, so definitely save some time to wander through the town when you’re here.
Day 5: Drive to Queenstown
Where we stayed: Queenstown House
How we spent our day:
In the morning we checked out of our AirBnB in Wanaka and grabbed breakfast at the Federal Diner (so yummy!) before getting back in our rental car and driving to Queenstown.
Breakfast at federal diner
Wanaka, New Zealand
It was about an hour drive but the road is very windy coming down the mountains, so be super careful especially if it’s your first time driving on the left side of the road and the right side of the car.
The drive was super scenic and beautiful. We dropped off our rental car and checked into the Queenstown House, a super cute bed and breakfast about a 10 minute walk from the city center.
We just loved walking around Queenstown. We walked down by the waterfront and saw so many cute spots to sit and enjoy the view.
We ended up at Public Kitchen & Bar where we ordered oysters and beers and enjoyed the views.
For dinner we went to Margo’s Queenstown for Mexican food and shared some tacos and fajitas. This would also be a great spot for a group.
We ended up calling it a night soon after dinner because we had a big day ahead of us the next day.
Other Queenstown recommendations:
If you’re into craft beer, Beech Tree and Whakatipu Brewing are great places to grab a drink, play some games and hang out.
Day 6: Milford Sound Day Tour
How we spent our day:
We woke up at 5am to get ready for an early pickup for our Milford Sound day tour. (Shout out to our hotel for giving us a to-go breakfast the night before!)
Milford Sound has been called the “eighth wonder of the world” and it wasn’t hard to see why.
We booked our tour through Cheeky Kiwi Travel and we drove with a small group from Queenstown to the Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park.
The drive there took about five hours since we stopped along the way at some photo spots and about four hours on the way back.
The actual tour of Milford Sound itself was amazing—through the tour we booked they also gave us cruise tickets and lunch.
It lasted about an hour and a half but we could have stayed out there all day. I hope my photos somewhat do this beautiful place justice!
When we arrived back in Queenstown it was dinner time so we ended up at Pier for dinner where I had mushroom risotto and Andrew had the seafood pasta.
Other Milford Sound recommendations:
We were actually supposed to fly back from Milford Sound which would have been incredible but since it was such a tiny plane, it was canceled due to visibility.
Even though we didn’t end up getting to do the flight, I would recommend it since it would only take 40 minutes to fly back (versus the four hour drive) and the views are supposed to be incredible.
And don’t forget a rain jacket—it rains about 182 days out of the year at the Milford Sound!
Day 7: Explore Queenstown
How we spent our day:
We had another beautiful day in Queenstown so we had breakfast at our bed & breakfast and then set out to check out the gondola.
Skyline Queenstown is a gondola that you can take to see panoramic views of the whole city.
There was a hiking trail up there called the Ben Lomond Trail and we decided to do an abbreviated version of this hike since we walked almost 30,000 (!!) steps the day we went to Mount Cook.
You could even walk all the way up the mountain without the gondola and that hike in total could take around six hours.
In the afternoon we walked around the town for a bit and ended up doing laundry again at our hotel before calling an Uber to go to Nest Kitchen + Bar for dinner.
This was one of the top-recommended dinner spots in Queenstown and it was easy to see why!
We did the degustation tasting menu so we had an amuse bouche, appetizer, starter and palate cleanser & our choice of any entrée, main, dessert.
It was amazing and the views were incredible! Try to reserve a table for an early time slot (we got there at 6pm) so you can get a seat by the window.
Other Queenstown recommendations:
Queenstown is a great place for adventurous people—if you want to go skydiving, paragliding, or do the luge this is the spot to do it!
Day 8: Fly to Auckland
Where we stayed: we stayed in the Central Business District (nicknamed the CBD) which is a good area for the main attractions, but I wouldn’t recommend our hotel
How we spent our day:
We had breakfast at our bed & breakfast in Queenstown and called an Uber to take us to the airport.
The flight from Queenstown to Auckland is just under two hours so it was super easy.
We Ubered to our hotel and immediately set out to look for food.
We ended up at Mezze Bar which I loved (I would have gone back here honestly!) and Andrew and I both got the Greek salad.
In the afternoon we just walked around and explored Auckland, which is one of my favorite ways to see a new city.
For dinner we went to That’s Amore and got wood-fired pizza. When I tell you this was one of the BEST pizzas I’ve ever had, I’m not lying.
It’s in a bit of a random location, but it is absolutely worth adding to your agenda.
We were able to get in without a reservation because it was a weekday but definitely make one if you can.
Day 9: Rotorua Day Trip
How we spent our day:
We had a quick breakfast at our hotel and we picked up a rental car from Auckland’s city center and we drove south to the town of Rotorua.
Zorbing was invented in New Zealand and Rotorua is the only place you can go zorbing in NZ.
I will give credit where credit is due and tell you that Andrew planned 99% of this trip—but going zorbing was my one request.
I first discovered zorbing on Rocket Power when I was a kid and I always had it in the back of my head if I somehow found myself in New Zealand.
Zorbing is so fun—we ended up booking their VIP package since this was a once in a lifetime activity for us, which gave us four rides down each one of the courses and a t-shirt.
It ended up being one of our most memorable days by far. We laughed almost nonstop while we were there.
We grabbed a quick bite at BurgerFuel which was right down the street from the zorb place (and was very good!) and had to book it back to Auckland to return our rental car.
When we got back to our hotel we changed and popped out for dinner. We ended up at a spot called Le Chef that I loved.
I got the steak and it was amazing, plus it was on a cute cobblestone street that had some outdoor seating.
Other Rotorua recommendations:
The luge was also recommended to us but we didn’t have time to do this.
Also, when we were first looking into coming to Rotorua we found a tour that would have stopped both in Rotorua for zorbing and also gone to the Waitomo Caves with the glow worms.
By the time we went to book our day trip, we didn’t see that one again but that could have been another cool add-on to our day.
Rotorua is just under a two-hour drive away from the Waitomo Caves.
Day 10: Waiheke Island
How we spent our day:
In the morning we walked from our hotel over to the waterfront and took the ferry to Waiheke, which took about 45 minutes.
Waiheke is stunning and felt like Auckland’s answer to the Hamptons.
We booked a tour with Waiheke Island Wine Tours where our driver picked us up from the terminal and took us to three beautiful spots throughout the island.
Among the wineries we loved included Casita Miro (they also gave us bread and olives to try with the wine so that’s always a bonus in my eyes) and Mudbrick but all of the vineyards were so pretty.
As a group, we decided to get lunch at The Oyster Inn. I had the seafood pasta and a hazy IPA, both of which were both great.
One thing to note about this tour was that it was listed as a full day tour (six hours) but it began at 10am and we were dropped off in the town and on our own for lunch, probably around 1:30pm.
By the time we were picked up from lunch (our guide got us in the shuttle) and brought back to the ferry it was probably coming up on six hours, but it wasn’t six full hours of wine tasting, so just something to keep in mind.
We took the ferry back to Auckland, changed at our hotel and popped out for dinner at a place called Vivace.
I got pizza again, but I strongly preferred That’s Amore’s food and honestly would have gone back there a second time.
Other Waiheke Island recommendations:
You can reserve tickets for the ferry ahead of time to make certain you get the one you want and make it on time for your tour, which I definitely recommend because trying to buy tickets the morning of was just one more thing to worry about.
Also if you’re heading over early, grab a muffin and coffee before getting on the ferry as there are limited options at the ferry terminal on Waiheke when you arrive unless you want to Uber or take a taxi to the main section of town.
Day 11: Explore Auckland
How we spent our day:
We had one final day in Auckland before our long journey back to the US, so we decided to venture out of the Central Business District to some other parts of the city.
We took an Uber to Auckland Domain and specifically to the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
The exhibitions taught us a lot about Auckland’s history and also New Zealand’s involvement in World War II since it is part of the Commonwealth.
After the museum, we walked through the park to the Parnell neighborhood of Auckland, which had lots of cute shops and restaurants.
We ended up eating at a great spot called Dumpling Lover. We shared some gyoza dumplings and I got a noodle soup that was delicious.
We popped into a bookstore and I picked up an Emily Henry book just in case I needed extra entertainment on the plane.
From there we were able to walk back to the Central Business District and we did some more exploring.
I found a cute shop called Shut The Front Door that I honestly could have spent hours in, but I kept it quick since Andrew was with me.
For one final meal, we went to The Shucker Brothers (recommended to us by Michelle, our Wanaka wine tour guide) where we had more oysters (couldn’t resist) and I tried the fish and chips.
Finally, we grabbed some delicious gelato from the Island Gelato company, right next door to The Shucker Brothers on the waterfront.
Other Auckland recommendations:
Auckland is actually built on lots of dormant volcanoes, so if you’re looking for a more active day you can look into hiking some of them.
Also, if we had one more day I would have liked to explore the Ponsonby neighborhood a bit.
Day 12: Fly Home!
On the way to New Zealand we flew from Newark to San Francisco and then to Fiji for a few nights like I mentioned (it broke up the trip and helped us get acclimated to the time change) but on the way back we did fly nonstop from Auckland back to JFK.
After 12 days away I was so grateful we booked this flight because I was ready to just launch my body back to New York.
This flight is 16 hours and is not cheap because it’s only offered three times a week on Air New Zealand.
However if you are going for a honeymoon or with one other person I’d highly suggest booking an Economy SkyCouch.
This made the flight much more bearable and was a more affordable option than if we had purchased two premium economy or business class tickets.
It was basically like having a loveseat to cuddle up on because the footrests kick up to create a lie-flat experience.
It is definitely not equivalent to a bed but we were able to nap for a few hours which helped a ton and even kept the middle footrest up to put our feet on for part of the trip too.
I made a video of it for my TikTok that has over a million views on it, so people were definitely interested in the SkyCouch and how it worked.
Overall thoughts and favorite activities:
We couldn’t have asked for a better trip in New Zealand! If I had to sum up my top 3 activities, I’d definitely recommend:
Wanaka Wine Tour (and book with Michelle from Living the Dream Wine Tours!)
Milford Sound Day Tour
Going Zorbing in Rotorua
If we had one or two more days, I would have liked to stop in Wellington and maybe squeeze in a stop at the Marlborough wine region.
But honestly, we had such a blast with our wine tour in Wanaka I don’t feel major FOMO that we didn’t get to that and we squeezed so much into our trip.
The trip of a lifetime 🇳🇿
Wanaka, New Zealand
This is officially my favorite trip I’ve ever done. Every Kiwi we met was super nice, it was easy to navigate since they speak English, and the places we went to were beautiful.
And there you have it! Everything we did on our two-week trip to New Zealand.
I also published another blog post with my best New Zealand travel tips including more about getting around, packing and more.
Would you go to New Zealand? Do you want to visit both islands? Tell me everything in the comments!
yours,
Austen