Honeymoon Report – Luxury 3 Week Honeymoon in New Zealand

I’m a travel agent and planned/booked this all myself. DM me if you have any questions about my trip!

We wanted a mix of adventure, luxury, and wow-factor scenery—and NZ delivered. We flew business class on United to Auckland (layover in SFO), and flew direct back to JFK on Air New Zealand

Day 1-2 – Auckland

• Hotel:
  • Park Hyatt – We were upgraded to a harbor view room with a balcony. It’s definitely the most luxe hotel in the city – great spa, outdoor pool, and super walkable location. My only complaint is that they charged me $50 for mini-bar items I didn’t eat and it took 3 days of back and forth for them to take the charge off our final bill.
• Activities:
  • Viaduct Harbor – Walked around the harbor and admired the boats – their downtown is nothing special but we still enjoyed exploring the city.
  • All Blacks Experience – Super fun, especially for jetlagged brains. Our guide was hilarious and passionate—we learned a ton about rugby’s cultural significance (even though I still couldn’t tell you how the game works).
  • Piha Beach – Gorgeous black sand beach about an hour away. Felt very dramatic and moody.
  • Mount Eden – Easy walk to the summit of a dormant volcano, with panoramic city views.
• Restaurants:
  • Hello Beasty – Great asian fusion in Viaduct Harbor.
  • Sushi Bar Icco – Amazing hole-in-the-wall sushi restaurant.

Day 3 – Waiheke Island

• Hotel:
  • Delamore Lodge – Incredible hotel on the western cliffs of Waiheke Island – rooms have a view of the ocean as do the pool and dining room – probably our favorite hotel of the trip.
• Activities**:**
  • Onetangi Beach – Nice quiet beach on the north end of the island.
  • Man O’War Wine Tasting – Stunning winery on a cove on the island’s eastern side. We did both premium and regular tastings—every wine was fantastic. Lunch here was also excellent.
• Restaurant:
  • Mudbrick – A French-influenced restaurant on a winery. We dined outside while watching the sunset over the city.

Day 4 – Hobbiton

• Hotel:
  • Lake Karapiro Lodge – B&B close a 15 minute drive from Hobbiton – a little dated but nice enough and the hosts were very friendly.
• Activities:
  • Hobbiton – Booked a Hobbiton tour in advance – my husband is a huge LOTR fan, me not so much, but we both loved it. The tour is very well organized and around 2 hours.
• Restaurant:
  • Five Stags Leamington Tavern – Typical tavern fare restaurant in Cambridge – nothing to write home about.

Days 5-8 – Taupo

• Hotel:
  • Airbnb – We stayed in a great Airbnb with lake views (originally booked Huka Lodge, but they canceled last-minute due to extended renovations).
• Activities:
  • Waitomo Glowworm Caves Rafting – We did the Black Labyrinth through The Legendary Black Water Rafting Company – definitely the best way to see the worm caves – more exciting than the crowded walking tours. Requires jumping backwards into cold water in wetsuits, but unforgettable!
  • Huka Falls Jet Boat – A fun, high-speed 30-minute ride right up to the falls.
  • Kayaking to Mine Bay Rock Carvings – Half-day tour through Taupo Outdoor Adventures. Incredible—learned a lot about Māori culture and lake ecology.
  • Rotorua Canopy Tours – Ziplining over a forest – very fun and you also get to learn about forest conservation.
  • Redwood Tree Walk – We did this at night which I HIGHLY recommend – the lights were amazing – I really felt like I was in Star Wars. Be sure to book the fast-pass to skip long lines.
  • Tongariro Alpine Crossing – 12 mile VERY challenging hike that takes you up and around an active volcano – this was otherworldly … I also felt like I was in Star Wars – we parked at the end and shuttled to the start.
  • AJ Hackett Taupo Bungy – My first (and probably last) time bungy jumping – It was both fun and scary but the woman who went after me hit her head on some equipment and got hurt. My advice is to listen to operator’s instructions EXACTLY.
• Restaurants:
  • Malabar – Delicious Nepalese and Indian restaurant in town.
  • Atticus Finch – In Rotorua on a pedestrian street. Decent, but forgettable.
  • Lotus Thai – Great Thai food in Taupo.

Days 9-10 – Christchurch

• Hotel:
  • Otahuna Lodge – Amazing Relais & Chateau property on a working farm outside Christchurch – Best food of the trip – truly incredible.
    • Note: You can opt to dine alone or with others—choose wisely. One night, our tablemates were… unpleasant.
• Activities:
  • Akaroa Cruise – Cruised alongside rare Hector’s dolphins and saw seal pups sunbathing. The guides were super friendly and knew their stuff.
  • Christchurch – I definitely recommend walking around Christchurch – it’s fascinating to see how they’re rebuilding the city after the earthquake.

Day 11-12 – Twizel and Mt Cook

• Hotel:
  • Airbnb – We stayed at a very nice Airbnb in Twizel.
• Activities:
  • Mt Cook Helicopter Sightseeing – Around 1 hour ride – incredible views of the the mountains and we landed on glacier.
  • Hooker Track – Fairly flat 3 hour hike over a few swing bridges to a lake with great views of Mt Cook.
  • Dark Sky Tour Summit Tour – Fascinating guided stargazing experience in a designated Dark Sky Zone. We used high-powered telescopes and learned a ton—book in advance!
• Restaurants:
  • Ministry of Works Bar and Eatery – Just okay.
  • Mint Folk & Co – The best option in the area. Classic Kiwi fare.

Days 13-17 – Queenstown

• Hotels:
  • Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel – Stayed 2 nights. Clean and convenient, but nothing special.
  • Rosewood Matakouri – Stayed 3 nights. About a 10-minute drive to town. Impeccable service and rooms with panoramic views of the mountains. We watched the sunset every night over dinner.
    • They forgot our breakfast on our last morning despite confirming it with four people the night before. We had an early flight and left hungry. I followed up by email and was told it was a miscommunication … I was expecting they would at least give us something to make up for it especially since we were staying at their sister property next – oh well.
• Activities:
  • Milford Sound Helicopter + Cruise Trip – Booked through Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters. The helicopter ride is definitely worth it over the 3+ hour drive from Queenstown. We got lucky with perfect weather, but flights get canceled often due to conditions, so book this for your first day in the area to give yourself time to reschedule if needed.
  • Mou Waho Island Trip – Booked through Wanaka Water Taxi. Short boat ride + 40-minute hike to a pond-on-an-island-on-a-lake-on-an-island – very nice trip and you get to see many endangered flightless birds.
  • Whitewater Rafting – Kawarau River Rafting through RealNZ – Mild but fun. We even floated part of the way.
  • Self-Guided Gibbston Wine Valley e-Bike Tour – Half-day tour through Around the Basin – they have a great operation and pick you up at the end of the trail at a winery so you don’t have to bike back – you get to explore Arrowtown, bike over bridges, see some bungy jumpers, and have enough time for lunch and some wine.
  • Queenstown Gondola and Luge – Great views of mountains and Queenstown – the Luge was WAAAAAY more fun than we expected. We bought 6 rides and used all 6.
  • Moke Lake Horse Treks – Very fun and relaxing horse trail ride through streams and valleys – I’m an experienced rider so my guide let me trot and canter a bit.
  • Onsen Hot Pools – Peaceful private soaking with stunning river and mountain views.
  • Glenorchy – Quaint town 45 minutes from Queenstown. Not worth going out of your way for.
• Restaurants:
  • Rata – Probably our most upscale dining experience in NZ. One of our top meals of the trip.
  • Madam Woo – Just ok asian fusion.

Days 18-21 – Kerikeri

• Hotel:
  • Rosewood Kauri Cliffs – Gorgeous property with a championship golf course overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately, the service was terrible. I think they were transitioning management (odd choice during peak season).
    • Drink service was extremely slow (we eventually stopped ordering).
    • No one cleared our dinner plates between courses.
    • Pre-booked S’mores setup took over an hour.
    • Charges were unclear—e.g., $10 for ice cream despite assuming dessert was included in the rate.

At $2000+ USD per night, we expected much better.

• Activities:
  • Sea Kayaking: Mahinepua Sea Kayaking booked through Northland Outdoor Adventures – Julie was a great and knowledgeable guide.
  • 4×4 Tour – Booked through the hotel – our guide gave a great overview of the region’s ecology and history.
• Restaurants:
  • Cafe Jerusalem – Incredible hole-in-the-wall mediterranean food (mostly pitas and shawarma) in Kerikeri – it’s a locals hot spot.