Honeymoon Guide: Two Weeks in New Zealand

Now that New Zealand has opened back up to the world I have heard lots of you share that you are planning to go to New Zealand for your honeymoon. After living there for almost two years in my twenties and visiting again last week, I have put together a guide for where I would recommend going if you have ~2 weeks!

I also want to preface that New Zealand has so many amazing places to visit and experience, and even after being there for a while there are many spots I was never able to make it to that are supposed to be incredible. So this is by no means the only way to do New Zealand for your honeymoon, it’s just where I would go based off my own experiences. Enjoy (and reach out with any questions!!)

Ideal time to visit: January-March. You could still go in December and/or April but weather may be less predictable. Regardless, weather is fairly unpredictable in new zealand so I would bring a rain coat and expect to have some rain for a portion of the trip (even in summer) and try to embrace it :)

First stop: Queenstown (3-4 days)

Queenstown is one of the most beautiful places in the world and absolutely cannot be missed. This would be an epic place to kick off your New Zealand honeymoon! It is likely you’ll need to do a quick change of planes / layover in Auckland on your way.

Getting around in Queenstown: I would definitely recommend renting a car. It will give you much more flexibility to do all of the things you want to do.

Where to stay: Somewhere with a view! The lake is stunning and many hotels or airbnbs have views of the lake. I have mostly gone with groups and stayed in airbnbs in the past, so I would check out Mr and Mrs Smith’s hotel recs here.

Favorite things to do in Queenstown area:

  • Milford Sound: if you have one activity splurge, this must be it! I recommend booking a half day flight and boat tour. Book it for one of your first days there because they often have to postpone due to cloudy weather, so this will give you the best chance of going. There are a number of different companies who can take you from the Queenstown airport just 15 mins or so from town. We did a “fly-cruise-fly” via Glenorchy air. Hot tip: we booked through Chase points!

  • Skyline Queenstown: This is the gondola that takes you to the top of the mountain for views of all of Queenstown. If you want a very solid exercise, you can hike up and take the gondola back down, or you can take it both ways like most sane people. There’s a restaurant where you can grab a drink at the top!

  • Onsen Hot Pools: Personally I think this is a must for your honeymoon! Super romantic - you can rent an Onsen hot pool for an hour and they bring you champagne and ice cream. Gorgeous views.

  • Wine tasting at Amisfield (15-20 minutes drive, my favorite), or another winery in the area

  • Adventure day to Wanaka (1 hour drive)

  • Hiking - there are tons of beautiful trails

  • Bike along the lake

  • Something adventurous - Queenstown is known to be the adventure capital of the world. If you’ve ever had an itch to bungy jump or skydive, this is the place. I’m not quite as daring so we did the Shotover Jetboat and while touristy it was really fun, gave us a small shot of adrenaline, and is on a beautiful stretch of river.

Favorite Restaurants:

  • The Bunker - upscale, great for a more special dinner

  • Madame Woo - more casual, fun asian fusion

  • Botswana Butchery - steakhouse, cozy on the inside with lake views on the outside

  • Fergbaker - everyone will tell you that you need to have a Fergberger, but I recommend skipping the long line and going next door to get a classic New Zealand meat pie from Fergbaker. I’m sure you’ve had a great burger but have you had a NZ pie? I still dream about these and it’s always my first stop in Queenstown.

  • Bespoke Kitchen - healthier, great breakfast + lunch

Next Stop: Abel Tasman Coastal Track (3-4 days)

Abel Tasman National Park and Coastal Track is one of New Zealand’s great walks. It takes a lot of planning and physical effort but I think it’s totally worth it, and I’m assuming that by going to NZ you might be outdoorsy. This trek typically involves kayaking or hiking for a few hours each day and camping at night in the bays along the track. You’ll need to plan out your route and book your campsites or huts well in advance.

Getting there:

You could definitely make a day or two out of driving up the South Island to get to Abel Tasman. However flying domestic in New Zealand is practically as easy as hopping on a bus so I would recommend flying from Queenstown to Nelson. Nelson is a charming little town and you could definitely stay a night here, then get up early the next day to take off on the track.

There are a couple of companies who provide all of the camping and kayaking gear you could need and can also help coordinate a pick up from Nelson to get you to the starting point, Marahau.

We chose to do two days kayaking and camping, then we hiked the last day to Awaroa Lodge and spend our last night there for a bit of luxury at the end.

If you aren’t overly outdoorsy but still want to see Abel Tasman, you could just water taxi out to stay there for a few nights. But there is something pretty cool about arriving at this beautiful remote lodge after multiple days of sleeping in a tent.

*One important tip, and don’t let this put you off, but there are sand flies in Abel Tasman that I recommend taking seriously. If you sit on the beach you’ll see them hopping on your feet and you can’t even tell they’re biting you, but later those tiny bites hurt and itch A LOT. Bring bug spray and wear socks on the beach at night! Most people learn this lesson the hard way - don’t be one of those people.

Next stop: back to the North Island

I’m having a hard time deciding where to recommend for this next leg so I will provide three different options / ideas for 2-3 days:

  1. Marlborough sound: I have actually never been (shame on me) and it’s supposed to be beautiful and have great hiking and wine tasting. You can take the ferry from the South to North Island (this I have done) which goes from Nelson to Wellington. The ferry is an activity in itself - absolutely stunning - and you could check out Wellington before going to Marlborough.

  2. Coromandel Peninsula: Fly back to Auckland and rent a car. If you are looking for a low-key, more authentic beach getaway this is what i would do. The Coromandel Peninsula is where many kiwis have a “bach” (basic beach house) and getaway for holidays. Coromandel is only a 2-3 hour drive from Auckland and there are tons of little remote towns that have some of the most beautiful beaches. Personally, I would book a spot through Airbnb or Bookabach. Here are a few cute ones I found!

  3. Bay of Islands: For Bay of Islands, you would also fly back to Auckland and rent a car.

    Bay of Islands is in the Northland region, one of my favorite parts of New Zealand, about 3-4 hours north of Auckland. It’s a beautiful place to enjoy summer, but with a little more happening than Coromandel. I have only stayed at a friends place or camped when I went so I would lean on Mr and Mrs Smith again here if you are looking for a nice hotel. On the drive up, stop in Matakana (awesome market on Saturday mornings) or Keri keri for lunch. Then spend a couple of days exploring the area. Russell is a very cute town with some nice restaurants and shops, Bay of Islands does get busier with tourists during the summer.

Next Stop: Waiheke Island (2-3 days)

Waiheke is one of my favorite places in the world and in my opinion a must-do. It’s a beautiful island filled with wineries and beaches in the Auckland harbor only a 30 minute ferry ride from downtown. This is worth skipping Auckland altogether for if you have to choose.
How to get there: Drop your rental car (if you have one) back in the city and hop on the Fullers Ferry from the downtown Auckland ferry building.

Where to stay:

  • For a luxury option, you can stay on one of the nicer wineries. Mudbrick and Cable Bay both have lodging that looks incredible.

  • Winemakers Loft: For a less expensive but still romantic and nice spot, this is my favorite place. We had the best stay here and I’ve dreamt of going back ever since.

  • Airbnb: There are some very cute airbnbs on the island too.

  • Fossil Bay: Very cute, well located and affordable glamping spot that we’ve stayed at a few times and loved.

Dinner:

  • Ki Maha - special dinner, located right on Onetangi beach

  • Oyster Inn - right in town. Request table outside on the deck

Getting around: You could rent a car on Waiheke but don’t necessarily need to there are tons of taxi companies, and a great and easy bus that goes through the island.

Favorite wineries + lunch:

  • Mudbrick

  • Stonyridge

  • Te Motu

  • Tantalus

  • Obsidian

  • Casita Miro (mainly restaurant)

  • Tons of other great ones you mostly can’t go wrong

While on Waiheke make sure to go for a swim in the ocean! Also there are some wineries you can walk between the vineyards to get from one to the next, i.e. Casita Miro or Obsidian to Stoneyridge or Tantalus.

Last stop: Auckland (1 day)

This is the biggest metropolitan city in New Zealand. While nice, it’s not somewhere I would spend too much time. So I would spend just your last night here! One afternoon and evening would suffice in my opinion, and I would try to spend zero time on Queen St.

Neighborhoods / areas to check out: Ponsonby, Britomart, Viaduct Harbor

Below are a few of my favorite restaurants:

  • Culprit: creative New Zealand fare. This place is a hidden gem. They have a set menu for a reasonable price and a great selection of natural wine (CBD)

  • Masu: best sushi in New Zealand IMO (CBD)

  • Amano: delicious Italian in a hip restaurant + cool area (Britomart)

  • Blue Breeze Inn: asian fusion (Ponsonby)

If it’s a nice day, I would grab a drink before dinner at the Sugar Club at the top of the Sky tower for some incredible views, or if you’re not into heights - grab a table outside at Headquarters in the Viaduct.

I would recommend staying down near the Viaduct somewhere like the QT Auckland, Sofitel Auckland, or the Hotel Britomart

The next morning, grab breakfast / brunch at Odette’s Eatery before heading to the airport!

You could definitely do this itinerary backwards, starting in Auckland and ending in Queenstown!

Sarah Packer