Travelling around NZ

Planning to extend your holiday in New Zealand before/after the wedding? Here are our fav places to visit!

North Island

A: Northland / Bay of Islands - known for its stunning coastlines, iconic landmarks, and its 144 subtropical islands, rich history, and diverse marine life

  • Visit Cape Reinga and Ninety Mile Beach

  • Book at day trip boat cruise around Hole in the Rock and Urapukapuka Island

  • Play a round at Kauri Cliffs

  • Stay in Russell and visit Waitangi Treaty Grounds for a cultural experience

  • Scuba Diving at Poor Knights Island 🤿

  • Relax on the beach - our favourites are Uretiti, Matapouri, and Matauri Bay

B: Waiheke Island - best place to visit in Auckland, a 45-min ferry from Auckland central transports you to an island paradise full of world-class wineries and beaches

Wineries to visit - Tantalus, Casita Miro, Mudbrick, and Te Motu 🍷

C: Raglan / Waitomo Caves - known as New Zealand’s surf capital

  • Manu Bay/Whale Bay - famous for it’s left-hand surf break

  • Raglan Roast for an amazing cup of coffee ☕️

  • Abseiling or black water rafting through the Waitomo Caves to see the glow worms

Bonus: If you’re travelling in between Raglan and Mount Maunganui and a Lord of the Rings fan, make sure you detour to Hobbiton for a tour of the filming locations

D: Mount Maunganui (Alex’s home town!) – one of the best beach towns in NZ

  • Walk up/around Mount Maunganui - for adventure seekers, paraglide or rock climb

  • Stop in at The Rising Tide for a flight of craft beers or Hide (Thirst & Hunger) for a cocktail

  • Favourite restaurants include Saltwater, Palace, and Rita’s

E: Rotorua – the cultural capital of NZ; including Maori experiences, natural geothermal walks and spas, and visiting the Redwoods forest

  • Visit Te Puia - NZ’s geothermal wonderland

  • Experience Mitai Māori Village

  • Book in for a full day spa and soak experience at the Polynesian Spa

  • Explore the Redwoods forest - including hiking, mountain biking, Zip-lining, and the Tree walk 🌲

F: Tongariro National Park - NZ’s oldest National Park

  • The Tongariro Crossing is considered one of the best day hikes in the world! It requires transportation in and out of the park and will take roughly 7-8 hours to complete. 🥾

G: Hawkes Bay – NZ’s oldest wine region, famous for Syrah, Chardonnay, and art-deco architecture

  • Hire a bike and bike around to all the vineyards - our favourites include Craggy Range, Mission Estate, Church Road, and Tony Bish

  • Visit Brave Brewing – one of our fav breweries! Don’t forget to try the Tigermilk IPA!

  • Join a guided tour around Napier to see its 1930s Art Deco buildings

  • Drive or hike Te Mata Peak for breathtaking views over Hawke’s Bay – great spot for sunrise or sunset

  • Play a round at gold at the famous Cape Kidnappers course

  • Visit the Hawkes Bay Farmers market on a Sunday morning for some local produce and sweets

  • Bonus: If you have time, check out Cape Kidnappers to see the world’s largest mainland gannet colony🐦

H: Wellington - capital of NZ, but more importantly, the beer capital of NZ 🍻, a city famous for the Weta Workshop and Te Papa Museum

  • Our favourite breweries include: Garage Project, Parrot Dog, Panhead, Hey Day, Fortune Favours, and GP Wild Workshop

  • Visit Weta Workshop for behind the scenes of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings

  • Ride the iconic red cable car to enjoy city views and explore the botanical gardens

  • Hike up Mount Victoria for panorama views of the city

South Island

I: Abel Tasman National Park - New Zealand’s smallest national park, a hiker and kayakers paradise, famous for its pristine beaches, native forests, and crystal clear water

  • If you have one day - take a water taxi to one of the many beaches and hike or kayak back 🛶

  • If you have a few days - complete the whole great walk, roughly 60km from end to end
    **If you want to complete the full great walk but don’t want to stress about hiring gear and booking the huts and/or camping, there are guided options that include accomodation in the park, full meals, and offer services to pick up/drop off your bags every day

J: Marlborough Sounds – home to 1500km of pristine New Zealand coastline including the Queen Charlotte great walk, mountain biking and native wildlife sanctuaries

  • If you have one day - take a water taxi to one of the many beaches and hike or bike back

  • If you have one day and don’t like to hike - stay amongst the secluded bays in the waterside accomodation (some only accessible by boat or helicopter)

  • If you have a few days - complete the whole great walk (walking or biking), roughly 75km from end to end
    **If you want to complete the full great walk but don’t want to stress about hiring gear and booking the huts and/or camping, there are guided options that include accomodation in the park, full meals, and offer services to pick up/drop off your bags every day

K: West Coast - known for it’s crazy coastlines, wild landscapes. glaciers, and rainforests

  • Walk around the pancake rocks - limestone rocks shapes like pancakes

  • Book a heli-hike experience and hike Franz Josef Glacier 🧊

L: Christchurch – the largest city in the South Island and the second-largest city in New Zealand which makes it a great place to transit or rent a car

  • Itching for a beach day close to the city? Check out Scarborough Beach, Waimairi Beach, or Sumner Beach

  • Hike Taylors Mistake - zig-zag through the dense buch to get to the coastal cliff tops, roughly 2 hours return

  • Rent a car and drive to Akaroa to visit the Shamarra Alpaca farm

M: Mount Cook National Park / Tekapo - a national park full of walking trails that includes New Zealand’s highest peak and a dark sky reserve

  • Hike the hooker valley track 🟢 - the most well-known track in the national park

  • Hike the Mueller Hut track 🔴 - day or overnight hike up to the Mueller Hut **you must book a spot with DOC if you plan to stay overnight

  • Stargazing at Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve - highly recommend Tekapo stargazing which includes gazing at the Milky Way in hot pools ✨🔭

N: Wanaka - WEDDING LOCATION! 👰🏼‍♀️💒🤵🏻‍♂️
One of our favourite places in NZ and we can’t wait to share it with all of you! In our opinion, it is the most stunning, picturesque lakeside town that’s known for it’s breathtaking mountain scenery, adventure activities, and relaxed vibes.

  • Hike Mt Doom - easy 1.5 hour hike with 360˚ views from the summit

  • Hike Roys Peak or Isthmus Peak - advanced day hikes with incredible views over Lake Wanaka and Mt. Aspiring

  • Heaps of biking and/or mountain biking trails

  • Visit the lavender farm 🪻

  • Spend the afternoon at Hook - a lake-to-plate fishing and restaurant experience

  • Favourite restaurants - The Cow and The Stoaker Room

  • Favourite breweries - Wanaka Beerworks, Rhyme & Reason, and Ground Up Brewing

O: Queenstown - adventure capital of the world!

  • Adrenaline pumping activities: bungee jumping (invented in QT), sky diving, the Nevis swing, jet boating, paragliding, quad biking, mountain biking, and the list goes on and on

  • Non-adrenaline pumping activities: soak at the Onsen hot pools, ride the gondola, visit a few wineries, take a tour of the Cadrona gin distillery, Lake Whatipu cruise on the TSS Earnslaw, play a round of golf at Jacks Point, plan a day trip to Arrowtown

  • Hikes - Ben Lomond 🔴, Queenstown Hill 🟡, Lake Hayes Walkway in Arrowtown 🟢

  • Wineries to visit - Amisfield, Akarua, Peregrine, Chard Farm, Burn Cottage, Felton Road, and Mt Difficulty

  • Favourite restaurants: Nest, Rata, The Cow (original location), Fergbaker*,
    *best pies in the whole country!! 🥧

  • Favourite breweries: Altitude Brewing, Canyon Brewing, Beech Tree Microbrewery

P: Milford Sound - ‘the eighth wonder of the world’ known for its stunning beauty; a breathtaking fjord surrounded by towering cliffs, lush rainforests, and dramatic waterfalls 🏔️

  • Self-drive - approx. 4 hours from Queenstown and 2.5 hours from Te Anau

  • Bus tour - guided coach tour from QT or Te Anau, most bus tours include Milford Sound cruise tickets

  • Helicopter or small plane - this is still on the bucket list for both Margaux and Alex - this option allows you to see the fjord from a bird’s-eye view, as well as surrounding mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls! Some tours even include glacier landings!