u/Mountain-Stock-9794

Please give me any suggestions you have for each of these destinations, and how the overall itinerary looks. This is going to be our honeymoon trip, and I am hoping everything will be amazing. My husband and I prioritize relaxation, beautiful nature, and good food over adrenaline/jam-packed agendas.

• Travel Australia → New Zealand
• Piha (3 nights)
• Northland (4 nights)
• Christchurch (1 night)
• Lake Tekapo (1 night)
• Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park (2 nights)
• Wānaka (7 nights)
• Queenstown (3 nights)
• Fly Queenstown → Auckland → US

Suggestions for each destination? Critique? Advice? Thank you, Kiwis! <3

Thank you so much to this community for the help I got on my post yesterday! So many great suggestions. I've changed up our plans quite a bit and would love to get feedback on how the itinerary looks. We are from California in the United States and prioritize gorgeous nature, beaches, and relaxation.

Disclaimer: We are staying in AUS prior to going to NZ, so no concern about jet lag + driving. We are skipping a lot of the usual North Island stops in favor of checking out Northland. We are planning to stay in Piha or Muriwai for 3 days because we are getting married right before our trip (in Australia!) and I want to have time to decompress before jumping right into traveling. I chose to take off Milford Sound from the itinerary so that we can prioritize relaxation. I have no doubt that we'll be back to New Zealand again, so we can look forward to this next time!

Here's the proposed schedule:

Day 1: Travel from Australia to New Zealand

Days 1-3 (3 nights): Piha or Muriwai

Days 4-7 (4 nights): Northland, stay at Eagles Nest or Rosewood Kauri Cliffs

Day 8 (1 night): Christchurch

Days 9-10 (2 nights): Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park

Days 11-16 (6 nights): Wānaka

Days 17-20 (4 nights): Queenstown

Day 21: Fly home from Queenstown via Auckland

Has anyone stayed at either of these two hotels before?

I think that Eagles Nest looks amazing, my husband prefers Kauri Cliffs. We have read through all of the online reviews but are having trouble deciding which to book. Any input would be appreciated!

Hello everyone!

Starting to plan our NZ honeymoon trip for November/December. We are from California and planning on skipping some of the big North Island destinations like Hobbiton, Rotorua, etc. as we want to prioritize relaxation and beautiful beaches. We have about 3-4 weeks to explore and I'm trying to make the most out of it.

This is our current plan for North Island (only two stops...), would love input from locals and any big misses. My husband is a huge fan of World Surf League, hence the visit to Raglan. Are there any other must-dos in North Island that we're missing, especially any unique coastlines? Is Raglan worth visiting? Would love any suggestions or critiques, and don't be afraid to give it to me straight!

Day 1: fly into Auckland in afternoon, drive to Muriwai area (51 km)

Days 1-4: explore Muriwai and Piha areas

Day 4: check out of first accommodation, drive 2.5 hours (190 km) to Raglan

Days 4-7: explore Te Toto Gorge lookout, Manu Bay, Bridal Veil falls, Ngarunui Beach, Whale Bay, etc...

Day 7: check out of Raglan accommodation, drive to Hamilton (44 hm), fly from Hamilton to Christchurch (1.5 hour flight)

Day 7: stay overnight in Christchurch

Spend the rest of the time in South Island, which would be about 2-3 weeks.