How to Plan Your New Zealand Honeymoon

Best time of Year for a New Zealand Honeymoon

New Zealand is a popular year-round travel destination. So there’s no bad time to plan your New Zealand honeymoon. Having said that, what you hope to do – and what to expect from the weather – could change greatly, depending on what time of year you choose to come.

Here’s a rundown on what to expect for a New Zealand honeymoon in different seasons:

New Zealand honeymoon in Spring (September-November)

With temperatures rising and much of New Zealand’s native wildlife emerging from its winter slumber, spring can be a very rewarding time to plan a New Zealand honeymoon. Hiking trails, beaches and tourist attractions typically have smaller crowds than summer, and the rush of melting snow from the mountains makes a romantic waterfalls and hot pools honeymoon tour even more romantic!

New Zealand honeymoon in Summer (December-February)

Sumer is peak tourist season all across New Zealand – and with good reason. Long days and warm nights are the standard across the country, with particularly pleasant late-evening sunshine in Central Otago and the southern parts of the South Island. It’s the best time for hitting the beaches, rivers and lakes for any number of honeymoon activities, or simply enjoying the balmy temperatures, beautiful scenery, and each other’s company.

New Zealand honeymoon in Fall/Autumn (March-May)

Fall brings a lot of change across the country, with temperatures in the far north still regularly topping 20°C (68°F) through April, but frosty winter chills arriving in the deep south by the end of May. This invites a host of romantic opportunities in the fringes: whether enjoying a hike outside the peak-summer heat, or witnessing the spectacular changing colors of Autumn in Arrowtown and Central Otago.

New Zealand honeymoon in Winter (June-August)

Winter is the best time for a New Zealand honeymoon if you are hoping to include activities like skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating on the itinerary. Another massive advantage at this time of year for the “romantically inclined” is the onset of brilliant, beautiful, dark-night skies, which typically makes winter in New Zealand a wonderful time for cuddling up under the stars together.

Read more: Best Time for a New Zealand Honeymoon

Where to go on a New Zealand Honeymoon

There’s no right or wrong answer to the question of where to go on your New Zealand honeymoon. Depending on what constitutes your own versions of romance and adventure, you can pick and choose from hundreds of fantastic destinations, activities, experiences and locations.

Here are a few popular New Zealand honeymoon destinations. Just to give you an idea, or to get you started:

North Island 

The Bay of Islands

Doing everything it says on the ticket and then some, the Bay of Islands is a subtropical paradise. Just a few hours from Auckland, the area around Paihia and Russell holds hundreds of quiet bays and secluded coves, all littered with pristine beaches and gorgeous ocean views. It’s the ideal place to lose yourselves in a blissful honeymoon hideaway; or to get active and explore the area with a kayak, sail boat, forest hike, or just a bathing suit and snorkel. 

Lake Taupō and Tongariro National Park

Occupying center stage right in the middle of the North Island, the region encompassing New Zealand’s largest lake, most ferocious river, and most active volcanic region isn’t shy about making noise. However, it’s also a sublime place to embrace the peace and quiet, with countless activities, destinations, and locations well suited to a honeymoon escape. From world-famous day hikes and private volcano helicopter tours to quiet, private bays and some of New Zealand’s most impressive Māori rock art, Taupō and its surrounding area is full of options to suit any New Zealand honeymoon.

Taranaki/New Plymouth

Being far less famous and definitely no less impressive than its better known neighbors is just the way “The ‘Naki” likes to keep things. From New Plymouth’s cutting-edge art scene to the world-class surf breaks of Cape Egmont and the west coast, Taranaki is full of pleasant surprises for any couples who choose to go a bit off the beaten track on their New Zealand honeymoon itinerary. Throw in the ever-present backdrop of Mt. Taranaki and its snow-dipped volcanic cone, and you’ll never be short of beautiful photo backdrops for those wedding thank-you cards or honeymoon mementos.

South Island

Queenstown 

The “Adventure Capital of the World” certainly doesn’t disappoint when it comes to hair-raising honeymoon adventures and unforgettable shared experiences. Still, before it was a thrill-seekers hangout, Queenstown drew romantic travelers, honeymooners and holiday-makers for its stunning scenery and natural surroundings. Throw in world-class restaurants and hot-spring spas, and you really couldn’t ask for a more romantic setting.

Aoraki Mount Cook

The highest mountain in Australasia, Aoraki Mount Cook looms over the central South Island. Surrounded by sensational scenery and the stunning landscapes of the Southern Alps, this is a breathtaking area to visit whether you’re just “passing through” or wanting to linger longer in the South Island’s High Country. And whether hiking up to an alpine glacier lake or relaxing in a hot tub under Lake Tekapo’s UNESCO-protected starry skies takes your fancy, there’s no shortage of romantic honeymoon experiences to entice you to stay around the mighty “Cloud Piercer”.

The West Coast

An area encapsulating dense rainforest, rocky landscapes, deep fiords and several glaciers, the rugged natural beauty of the sparsely populated West Coast seems a world away from its open, eastern counterpart. It’s the perfect place to lose the world and escape to the wilderness together. Whether your idea of a perfect honeymoon means glacier heli hikes and white water rafting, or cuddling up in a secluded mountain hut or forest retreat alone, you’ll find all available options here.

For more information on the best places to include on your New Zealand itinerary, take a look at FLT’s blog post on 9 Destinations to Visit on Your New Zealand Honeymoon, which also includes a few hidden gems!

How Long? – Ideal Duration for a New Zealand Honeymoon

Generally speaking, you don’t want to be in a hurry on a New Zealand honeymoon. At the same time, though, you can get around and see a lot across both islands within a relatively short period of time. So it really depends on your particular budget, available time, and what you want to do.

Every couple has their own version of a “perfect” New Zealand honeymoon, and so there’s no “perfect” amount of time needed to plan your New Zealand honeymoon. You can tick off a fair few hair-raising adventures and see plenty of sights within a week; or you can settle into a love nest at the beach for two months, and never get sick of the view. 

Generally speaking, most couples would set aside, say, at least one week for each of the North Island and the South Island, with different numbers of destinations visited within each. 

For example: you might fly into Auckland and have three nights in the Bay of Islands, two nights in Taupō, and then a night in Wellington; then cross to the South Island and have two days exploring the West Coast glaciers before heading to Queenstown for three nights, then have two star-studded nights at Aoraki Mount Cook on your way to flying out of Christchurch.

However, plenty of couples choose to dedicate their entire New Zealand honeymoon to either the North Island or the South Island. Some couples stay put in one place or one region, while others move around the country to get as many sights and experiences in as possible. It really depends!

Wondering how long to set aside for your New Zealand honeymoon? Take a look at some self-drive NZ honeymoon itineraries for an idea.

Where to Sleep? – Accommodation Decisions For a New Zealand Honeymoon

When it comes to choosing which accommodation options could become your New Zealand honeymoon love nest(s), there really is no shortage of possibilities. No matter what your budget is, or where you want to go.

Luxury 

For the full pamper package and a “Premium Honeymoon Suite” sort of vibe, you can find a range of exquisite options across the breadth and depth of the country. Whether high-end city hotels or luxurious lodges located in some of New Zealand’s most remote areas, there’s the option of honeymoon luxury wherever you go.

Comfort

If you want to get out and enjoy New Zealand’s great outdoors and stunning landscapes on your honeymoon, that doesn’t mean you have to leave comfort behind. Far from it. From the country’s highest mountains to its wildest rivers, the busiest cities to quiet country towns, New Zealand has a fully developed travel network of hotels, motels, cabins and campgrounds that allow for special honeymoon comforts for a mid-range budget. 

Cozy

Part of the attraction on any New Zealand holiday is the beauty of its wild nature and breathtaking landscapes, and maybe part of the reason you’re on honeymoon in the first place is to cut yourselves off from the rest of society for a while. Why not blend these two factors together and escape to a cozy hideaway? There are plenty of accommodation options providing just that around New Zealand: from a glass-roofed “glamping” dome under the UNESCO-protected Mackenzie Country night sky to your own private beach house overlooking an unpopulated Coromandel bay.

Want to know more about potential New Zealand honeymoon accommodation options, including how much they cost and how to book them? Just ask the FLT NZ honeymoon planning team!

What To Do? - Your Experiences

Relax 

From thermal spas and panoramic hot pools to private beaches and remote mountain hideaways, you can find a thousand different ways to relax and unwind on your New Zealand honeymoon.

Explore

New Zealand’s natural landscapes and regions are diverse, allowing plenty of opportunity to explore whether on foot, by kayak, in a helicopter, on horseback, or at your own pace on a romantic self-drive honeymoon tour.

Adventure

It’s no secret that New Zealand is home to some of the best extreme sport opportunities and adventure tourism in the world. Still, whether your idea of adventure is jumping out of a plane together or walking into a private loveshack in the wilderness, with only local wildlife for company, every New Zealand honeymoon adventure can take a different shape.

See the Sights

From the world’s steepest street and longest place name to the best known filming locations from The Lord of the Rings films and the smallest penguins on Earth, New Zealand is loaded with countless ways to make your honeymoon just that little bit more memorable.

Luxury Honeymoon Activities in NZ

Read our blog here where we describe some amazing luxury activities to experience while honeymooning here.

Tips for a Perfect New Zealand Honeymoon

How to get around on a New Zealand honeymoon

By car – New Zealand has an extensive network of roads that is well maintained, running from major intercity highways to remote mountain passes. Doing a self-drive NZ honeymoon tour lets you discover and explore wherever you want to go, at your own pace.

By train – There may not be a lot of passenger trains running across New Zealand, but the few that do more than make up for the relative scarcity: from cutting through the mighty Southern Alps on the TranzAlpine to running along the breathtaking Kaikoura coastline on the Coastal Pacific, New Zealand’s epic scenic train journeys are reason enough to plan a honeymoon in themselves.

By air – Fancy a picnic on a glacier, or your own private escape to an inaccessible beach? Done. There’s basically no limit to where you can reach on your New Zealand honeymoon thanks to fabulous scenic flight, charter helicopter, and even hot-air balloon companies operating all around the country. 

How to budget for a New Zealand Honeymoon?

No two New Zealand honeymoons are the same, and therefore no two New Zealand honeymoon budgets are the same. The good news is that the range of options available on New Zealand honeymoons makes it possible to tailor a honeymoon to suit your budget. 

You can splurge on a high-end luxury honeymoon with all the 5-star trimmings, prioritize adventure and adrenaline on a thrill-seeking active New Zealand honeymoon, or you can find beautiful accommodation options and unforgettable experiences without blowing the budget on an affordable New Zealand honeymoon itinerary. 

Here’s a very rough idea of the kind of budget (excluding international airfares) range most couples look at for, let’s say, a two-week New Zealand honeymoon:

Luxury two-week NZ honeymoon option – $15,000-$25,000+ (NZD)

Including mountaintop champagne brunches and private boat cruises, this is the kind of range for not holding back on your New Zealand honeymoon.

Adventure two-week NZ honeymoon option – $10,000 - $16,000 (NZD)

Balancing once-in-a-lifetime experiences like bungee-jumping, sky-diving, canyon-swinging and white water rafting with comfortable accommodation that won’t break the bank.

Affordable two-week NZ honeymoon option – $5,000 - $10,000 (NZD)

Allowing for plenty of memorable experiences and cozy private accommodation in beautiful locations, price doesn’t have to be a barrier for enjoying the best of New Zealand honeymoons in this range.

How to book – Making Your Dream New Zealand Honeymoon a Reality

Find a tour 

With over 20 years experience in creating unforgettable honeymoon itineraries together with couples, First Light Travel offers an unbeatable personal service that ensures you have a bespoke experience designed exactly to your preferencs.

FLT’s New Zealand honeymoon experts will work with you directly, to understand exactly what you’re looking for and suggest the best destinations, activities, accommodation options and itineraries for your budget. They will also take care of all bookings and logistical arrangements on the ground. So, no need to spend hours and hours doing research into what might work for you! Just reach out to FLT and they’ll make it easy.

You can already find a number of prescribed New Zealand honeymoon packages and tours on their website, ranging from a full-blown Luxury New Zealand honeymoon to an Active New Zealand Honeymoon Adventure self-drive itinerary, or a Hot Pool and Waterfall Honeymoon escape. 

If you want to see what other couples have said about their FLT NZ honeymoon experience over the years, you can read a full set of New Zealand honeymoon reviews on the FLT website.

Finally, if you’re looking at including other South Pacific destinations onto your New Zealand honeymoon, then FLT can also combine your NZ itinerary with destinations in Fiji and Australia. All your Pacific planning in one place!

Ready to go?

New Zealand Honeymoon Packages

If you’re ready to book right away, First Light Travel already has a number of New Zealand honeymoon packages and tours ready to go. So if you just can’t wait to plan your NZ honeymoon, you can book any of these right now: