New Zealand honeymoon

I live there, does that count? It's a pretty expensive place to visit unfortunately, so I definitely recommend booking accommodation super early, particularly for the south island. Some areas have pretty limited options but try for airbnb or BookaBach.co.nz

What time of year are you looking at going?

I've never been but it's on my list I'm so jealous!

@Kiwibride So lucky!! We are getting married in Sept 2018 so we are thinking of coming somewhere between October and January. I know that's tourist season but we want to visit when it's warm. I've looked into Airbnbs. Honestly, I'm not really familiar with it yet but it sounds interesting and everyone says the people are really accomedating and nice. I want to visit some of the both islands. I guess we will just save up!!! Thanks Would you know of any romantic place we could stay for just a couple nights that we didn't do airbnb? Just to have some romantic nights as well.

If you are adventurous, it might be worth renting a camper to save on accommodations. There are a lot of camping options throughout New Zealand, so if you don't mind roughing it you could go with accommodation on wheels and then you can drive around to different areas. Maybe book a couple nights in a nice hotel and save the rest of your money by camping. There are so many options of things to do in New Zealand. I would say make a list and prioritize. You won't be able to do everything you want, but you can make sure to do the big things. Not sure if you are going to south island, north island or both. I've only been to the north island, but heard the south island is awesome. North island, definitely check out the glow worm caves. There are plenty of nice beaches, so beach days are good on a budget. South island has more things like glaciers, penguins, swimming with dolphins. Bungee jumping is everywhere. I can say it's an adrenaline rush, but might not be worth the money. Sky diving is a lot more enjoyable if you are looking for thrill seeking. Zorbing is a lot of fun (picture yourself in a hamster ball rolling down a hill). There are places where it isn't too much money and that's a cheaper thrill seeking option than sky diving or bungee jumping. It's definitely worth the trip. Really once in a lifetime. Just do some research on the various activities (if you are Lord of the Rings fans, they have hobbit village and other things, kiwi farm tours, wineries) and pick the ones that appeal to you the most. Don't get overwhelmed by the options. There is just a ton to do.

@Deirdre We love camping!! Love this idea!! And oh yeah I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan so hobbiton has been on my list! Thanks!

Do keep in mind though that campervans can still be quite expensive to hire and if you stay in a campground, it can be quite pricey depending on the location. Freedom camping has been quite common here in the past but it many areas it's now banned because people weren't cleaning up after themselves, so if you go this route just do your homework and make sure you're allowed to in that area.

October-January isn't actually peak tourist season here (so far this month we've literally had two days without rain in my city). Our warmest months are usually February-April so you'll find accommodation a little easier.

Most people tend to spend longer in the South Island, hire a car/campervan and drive the island for scenery. That's where most of the standard photos you'll see of New Zealand come from. The North Island is usually skimmed over, it's more populated than the South Island so not quite as exciting visually but it does have more of the adrenaline activities, lots of wineries, hobitton, cultural stuff etc.

Where you go really depends on what you're interested in. Anything touristy though is way overpriced and you will spend a lot of money doing it (bungy jumping, jet boats, hobbiton, whale watching etc). For that reason, most New Zealanders have never actually done most of those things. Personally, I think hiking is the best way to spend your time without spending too much. There are so many nice walks, for any skill level depending on where you end up. Also wine tasting because wine=life.

@kiwibride Thanks for all of the great advice!! Hobbiton is really the only "Touristy" things we are into. We love hiking so that sounds great!

Another Kiwi here (if the username isn't a dead giveaway!). How long are you planning to be in NZ for? People think "it's a small country, we can do the whole thing in two weeks) but that's not accurate at all! Driving times, particularly in the South Island, are longer than you expect.

If you are adrenaline junkies, the South Island is probably a better bet. Queenstown has heaps of adventure stuff to do, but it's also one of the priciest places to stay because of its tourist trade. Hanmer Springs is also a good place for adventure tourism - plus the hot springs are great! It's a good spot for a romantic getaway too.

@kiwiderbybride Thanks! Well at least 2 weeks, hopefully longer. Everything I've read says the same thing you did. It's a dream of mine to visit so I want to spend as much time there as we can. We are more into hiking and site seeing than adrenaline junkies. We are interested in seeing some of the filming locations of Lord of the Rings(I know it sounds lame but seriously, it's a dream haha!) Can you recommend the best beaches to visit?

Beaches it depends what you want! The Coromandel Peninsula, not far from Auckland, has beautiful beaches, as does the Mt Maunganui (about 2 hours from Auckland) area - they're open water beaches. But if you want non-surf (harbour/bay) beaches, the Marlborough Sounds at the top of the South Island can't be beaten

Lord of the Rings, well, Hobbiton is the obvious one. However there are a lot of sites near Queenstown - Paradise Station, near Glenorchy (an hour's drive from Queenstown) was where a lot of the filming was done. Heaps and heaps of hiking around that area too!

@kiwiderbybride thanks! That sounds awesome.

My FSIL and BIL went for their honeymoon and they enjoyed it. There many different things you can do. I can't speak as to where they went specifically or what they did other than Bed and Breakfasts', horse back riding, and hiking but they did like it alot. Some parts are very...deserted feeling. Theres way more animals than people and that freaked my BIL out a little

We visited in December 2011 and again in June 2012 so we hit both seasons. I highly recommend Bookabach as an option. We typically use VRBO.com here in the states and Bookabach works similarly. We didn't have any issues with them at all. So jealous of your trip. Look at AirNewZealand for the flight. Enjoy!!!!

Thanks everyone for your advice!!