New Zealand Honeymoon or Anniversary 12 Days
North and South Island (Reversible)
Taking in the best of the North and South Island the below suggested itinerary for your honeymoon or anniversary in New Zealand is all about relaxation and spending time together. Contact us today about the different travel styles, accommodation and activities available to create your perfect 12 day New Zealand honeymoon or anniversary.
Travel Style: Private driver I Self-drive
Accommodation Style: Motel I Hotel I Boutique Lodges
Talk to us today about planning all the details.
Day 1: Arrive in Auckland
Suggested activities for Auckland
Explore: Auckland
New Zealand's self-proclaimed "City of Sails" is the country's largest metro area. Resting between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, this urban paradise has something for everyone. Surrounded by native bush, rainforests, and an abundance of beaches, Auckland is a playground for both the city savvy and those with an eye for adventure. Central museums and galleries can be explored on foot.
Day 2: Waiheke Island
Food and Wine: The Essence of Waiheke Wine Tour
Known as ‘New Zealand’s Island of Wine’, Waiheke has become home to a dedicated group of award-winning wine producers. With a unique micro-climate and the winemakers’ philosophy of 'small is beautiful', Waiheke has produced some of New Zealand’s most prestigious wines.
On this tour, you will visit three of Waiheke’s top vineyards and sample a range of their wines. Along the way, enjoy a commentated scenic drive, learning about the island’s history, geography, people, and culture from your knowledgeable local guide.
After your wine tasting experience, sit back, relax and finish the day with a lunch and a glass of Waiheke wine or beer at a local favourite.
Day 3: Auckland to Rotorua
Suggested activity
World Famous: Hobbiton Movie Set Tour
In the heart of New Zealand, you can step into the lush pastures of the Shire with a guided tour of Hobbiton, as featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies. Hobbiton is located just outside of Matamata - in the heart of the lush Waikato farming region. Here you can visit such iconic Hobbit locations as Hobbit Holes, the Green Dragon Inn, the Mill, and the Party Tree, with a guide sharing behind-the-scenes tales and insight into the making of the films.
Day 4: Rotorua
Relax: Hells Gate
Once bathed in by Māori warriors, the mud and waters of Tikitere have soothed battle-scarred bodies for centuries. To this very day our nutrient-rich water relaxes the body, while our mud gently exfoliates the skin. Take the time out to experience this healing for yourself, with a soak in the sulphur pool and full body mud coverage. You’ll leave rejuvenated and fresh, ready for the rest of your adventure.
Culture and Food: Te Pā Tūe Cultural Tour and Hangi Dinner
Journey back in time to a Pre-European lifestyle experience of customs and traditions. Enjoy the night's festivities with the people of Tamaki Maori Village as you are treated to a banquet of succulent foods cooked the traditional Māori way. Discover the Māori village as it comes alive to the sound and activities of tribal songs, dances, myths, and legends and browse throughout the largest after-hours tribal marketplace in Rotorua. Includes a hangi buffet feast that has cooked slowly underground.
Day 5: Rotorua to Christchurch
This morning explore Rotorua, then fly to Christchurch
Suggested activities for Christchurch
Explore: Christchurch
New Zealand's garden city is steadily being transformed into a vibrant urban destination. Encompassing a large green belt, it's known for its wide tree-lined avenues and lush gardens. Christchurch is also known for many great restaurants, with the local delicacy being fresh-caught crayfish. Take a romantic punt ride on the Avon
Day 6: Christchurch
Suggested Activities
Relax: Vist Akaroa
Just 1.5 hours’ drive from Christchurch, along the incredibly scenic Banks Peninsula, Akaroa is a picturesque little town with unique French heritage. Take in Akaroa's historic cottages and sample fine French cuisine.
World Famous: Swim with Hector's Dolphins (or just watch)
Experience New Zealand’s true eco-tourism adventure as you cruise out into the majestic surroundings of Akaroa Harbour and naturally encounter wild Hector’s dolphins on their terms, in their place. Please note we do not touch any dolphins, this is a pure natural encounter where we enter and respect Hector’s dolphins' environment and behavior.
Day 7: Christchurch to Aoraki Mount Cook
Today you'll drive through the heart of the South Island, you'll come to the picturesque lakeside town of Tekapo. Follow the road to Aoraki Mount Cook (New Zealand's tallest mountain) and choose one of the many great actitivies on offer. After a day of epic adventure continue to your final destination, a very special and romantic location.
Scenery: Heli or Ski Plane Flight
This Mount Cook helicopter tour or ski plane adventure is the ultimate way to see the Southern Alps. Traverse the Main Divide to the West Coast and view the magnificent landscape of the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. Track north along the Tasman Sea before recrossing the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps to the Tasman Glacier.
Nature: Big Sky Stargazing
Mount Cook is far from the city lights and therefore has some of the darkest skies in New Zealand - perfect for viewing the night sky. Fully trained guides will be delighted to show you the beautiful southern night sky using the naked eye, state-of-the-art astronomy telescopes, and binoculars at the outdoor viewing platform. If the weather is unfavourable then there is an indoor alternative featuring New Zealand's first full-dome digital Planetarium – high definition video images on a suspended 9m wide x 4.5m high full dome.
Day 8: Aoraki Mount Cook to Queenstown via Wanaka
Suggested Activity
Scenery and History: Visit Arrowtown and Wanaka
Taking in the best bits of the region: historic Arrowtown know for its uniquely local shops perfect for a bit of retail therapy, scenically stunning Wanaka for a delicious lunch, the world famous Wanaka tree for the Instagram photo, and then the quaint Cardrona Hotel for a beverage. This day has it all.
Day 9: Queenstown
Suggested activities
Explore: Queenstown and surrounds
Celebrated as New Zealand's adventure capital, Queenstown offers far more than a fast-paced action-packed holiday. Settled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu beneath a soaring panorama of the Remarkables Mountain Range, this alpine town is surrounded by a plethora of historic, gastronomic, and scenic wonders.
World Famous: Shotover Canyon River Jet Boat Adventure
Riding the iconic ‘Big Red’ Jet Boat through the narrow Shotover Canyon is an exhilarating experience not to be missed. Your skilled jet boat driver pushes the boat to 85 kph, skimming across shallow water and past towering canyon walls.
World Famous: TSS Earnslaw cruise to Walter Peak including gourmet BBQ dinner and a farm tour
Enjoy a quintessential Kiwi experience – a delicious gourmet BBQ buffet meal and a farm demonstration in a stunning lakeside setting.
Take in the stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and its surroundings as you cruise across the lake to the historic Walter Peak high country farm aboard the TSS Earnslaw Steamship.
After dinner, watch the farm dogs in action with a sheep-herding demonstration and say hello to the other farm animals. .
Day 10: Queenstown
Suggested Activity
Adventure: Funyaks
This unmissable Funyaks experience begins with the thrill of a wilderness jet boat ride, then allows you to get even closer to the untouched wilderness with an unforgettable float downstream on our inflatable Funyak canoes.
Explore the dramatic landscape of this iconic UNESCO World Heritage Area – an untouched natural wonderland - with its pristine waters, hidden side streams and the ancient Rockburn chasm.
Scenery and Adventure: Earnslaw Burn Heli Picnic Lunch
Fly over schist-covered slopes with birds' eye views of Queenstown’s historical gold mining sites on the way to this incredible landing site. A filming location for LOTR’s The Hobbit, it was recently featured on TV’s Travel Guides.
After landing on the valley floor, with the blue ice of the Earnslaw Glacier towering above, you can explore and spot the astounding number of waterfalls spilling down the valley walls followed by a picnic lunch.
Day 11: Overnight in Milford Sound
Nature: Overnight Cruise
Explore the spectacular remote wilderness of Fiordland National Park, up-close-and-personal. Take a private tour to Milford Sound followed by an overnight cruise . You’ll be introduced to its incredible beauty aboard the Fiordland Jewel, a boutique catamaran, purpose-built to give guests a luxurious, once-in-a-lifetime scenic experience that you'll never forget.
Day 12: Milford Sound to Auckland
Enjoy the wonderful drive along the Milford Road as you head back towards Te Anau. Crossing the rolling tussock lands, pass through Mossburn, the deer capital of New Zealand. Following the lake north, the Remarkable mountain range towers over you as you approach the adventure capital of Queenstown. Once you arrive in Queenstown transfer to Auckland by a domestic flight.