Post # 1
Member
199 posts
Blushing bee
Hey Bees! My fiance and I have decided to elope. And to NZ none the less! We have been searching and searching at all the different eloping options they have out there and we’re not sure what to think. I personally would like the dress, flowers, hair/make-up, wedding cake (small), photog, and 2 person reception. He would like the clothes, photog and reception also but doesnt think we need the flowers, hair/make-up, or cake. I’m wondering if maybe I’m over thinking this whole thing and making it too much like an actual wedding? But at the same time, we are only doing this once and I want it to be as memorable and exquisite as possible! Our wedding date is flexible so the money isnt as issue (we could save more and just wait on the date) and we know we want 2 weeks for the whole thing. I have read on here and other sites that because of the long flight and time difference we would need to dedicate 2 full days to recoop before making any plans. Does that sound about right? Has anyone eloped to NZ before or is from there and can give me some advice?
Post # 3
Member
181 posts
Blushing bee
First of all I am SO jealous! My dream is to elope, and I’ve been to NZ and it seems like the perfect place!!!
I think 2 days to adjust sounds about right. You’ll have the best time ever! The nature there is unbelievable–rainforest one minute, glaciers the next. And the people are so friendly and cozy and awesome. Enjoy yourself!!
Post # 4
Member
199 posts
Blushing bee
@Buttercupmcgee: Thanks so much! This is definitely not something we will get to do often with demanding schedules so it’s a huge dream come true! Any recommendations on places to visit and sights to see? We are flying into Christchurch so I’m guessing we’ll stay on the south island. So – with 2 days to adjust, does that mean we wont be able to see stuff and we’ll just want to relax and sleep? I’m wondering if we should stay a little longer so we can see everything we want and not have to cut some things out after recooping.
Post # 5
Member
181 posts
Blushing bee
Well, it depends on the person, but personally I’m a mess without sleep. This means that being a full-on tourist is hard for me when traveling until I’ve recovered from the flight and adjusted to the new time zone. But then again I went to Rome with a girlfriend a few years ago and she was like, raring to go right upon landing. Totally depends!
Either way, you said you want to stay for 2 weeks right? 2 days out of those 2 weeks spent lolling about and staying local/eating good meals and napping isn’t so bad, is it?
As for sights, I was 13 when we went (now 31) so it’s all a bit foggy but I remember loving the mirror lakes. If you’re looking for an actual spot to have the ceremony, that may be worth googling!
Post # 6
Member
1066 posts
Bumble bee
@Chunkyswifey143: QUEENSTOWN!!! I thoroughly recommend for a wedding. It is beautiful in Summer and it snows in winter.Both are picturesque. You can bungy jump or go jetboating depending on how adventurous you are. I am from NZ and have travelled. It depends how you are with jet lag. I did find I was awake during night and asleep during day in other countries but it does only take a couple of days to re adjust. Make your day exactly as you want it. A wonderful dinner,get dressed up, photos, cake and flowers!!! Have the works if you want. It is YOUR WEDDING day, and it is special…
Post # 7
Member
199 posts
Blushing bee
@Buttercupmcgee: I’m usually pretty okay with little sleep so I def. thinks it’s possible however, I don’t want to go-go-go and end up exhausted by the end. I want it to be a nice, somewhat relaxing, do-whatever-we-want kind of trip. Some other bees are saying just go and dont book anything. Recommended?
@Kimy: We really want to see Queenstown! We are pretty adventurous but I’m more of a sight-seer, nature kinda girl; would it stil be good for that? We’re looking into a mountain-top ceremony with those amazing views but I’ve only heard of a few places and I dont think they are near Queenstown, what else do you recommend? I think we are just going to go all out and make it a dream! I really can’t picture it any other way. Why else go to NZ for this if it’s going to be otherwise, ya know?
Post # 8
Member
1066 posts
Bumble bee
Post # 9
Member
199 posts
Blushing bee
@Kimy: Wow that’s an awesome article! I’m going to check out some of the links and see if we can get some more info. Thanks again!!
Post # 10
Member
336 posts
Helper bee
As someone who lives in NZ, I would say Wanaka rather than Queenstown. It’s just as picturesque but without the touristy crap which I personally hate. You can drive through the crown ranges with some pretty awesome views and the Cadrona hotel has good food and very unique.
http://www.cardronahotel.co.nz/
I would personally go with flowers, dress and photos and then just go out for a lovely dinner and stay somewhere beautiful.
Post # 11
Member
4194 posts
Honey bee
- Wedding: July 2012 - Baltimore Museum of Industry
We went to NZ right after Thanksgiving for 3 weeks for our honeymoon- LOVED it. If you do elope late January, it’s peak season (I’ve been there in Jan.). The weather will be fantastic, but Queenstown will be packed, so you may want to spend a day or two in Wanaka, which will offers a really nice change of pace. That time of year, you’re probably going to want to have most of your accommodations booked a couple of days ahead of time, and you’ll also need to have your adventures planned out a little more in advance.
We both LOVED Paihia, in Bay of Islands, where we spent the last 4 nights of our honeymoon. Definitely one of the highlights. If you stay in the south island, Dundein and Kaikoura were two of my other favorite spots on my prior trip. Travel within New Zealand is easy-lots of flights between North and South Island, and renting a car is the best way to see everything.
Post # 12
Member
199 posts
Blushing bee
@Snowden: Thanks! I’ll definitely look into it. We’re not really into the touristy stuff either. More of the driving and sight-seeing kind of people. Would it still be nice to stay even the full two weeks or should we move around?
@rebwana: We actually decided to change our elopement date to 10/16/2013 because of the tourist season and weather. We prefer the rainy and gloomy weather. Not that is doesnt rain in the summer but regardless, we don’t want peak season. Since you guys had 3 weeks, did you feel like that was a good amount of time to see the sights? Some people are telling us that it’s not worth it for 2 weeks since almost 3 days will be travel time from the USA.
Also, we’ve heard of renting a campervan and seeing the sights that way – does anyone recommend/not recommend?
Post # 13
Member
336 posts
Helper bee
Bit of an essay coming up. I would make sure you had two weeks on the ground at least. I spent the first month in NZ jetlagged so thats a warning. You will feel crap, the best thing is to just try and fit in. Like if you land at 3pm don’t go to bed but stay up till 7/8 and then go else you’ll wake up at 2am and be all out of sync for even longer. If you have 2 weeks I would move around on the South Island and it will still allow you a couple of days in each place. Below is a URL for a route me and SO did a couple of winters ago. If you land in Christchurch I would hire a car/van (look at NZ websites like grabone, you can get some good deals on campervan hire) and go south and then inland to Lake Tekapo, a small town on a lake with mountains and it’s lovely especially out of tourist season. Spend a night there and then carry on to Wanaka. This road is gorgeous, you’ll be able to see Mount Cook and there are a few lakes along the way, lots of mountains. Real ‘Lord of the Rings country’. From Wanaka you can take a route over the Crown ranges for a day or two at Queenstown, or you can carry on from Wanaka to the West coast. There aren’t many settlements along this stretch and what there are are small. But there is Fox and Franz Josef glaciers. I can’t speak for the latter but we did a guided tour up Fox and it was great. There’s also a little lake at Fox called Lake Matheson from which you can see the glacier and Mount Cook (On a good day it’s reflected in the lake but it rains a LOT on the west coast).Hokitika is a nice little town, there is lots of places to buy and carve your own pounamu (NZ Jade) From there Punakaiki is a pretty cool stop, they have the pancake rock formations and blow holes. It’s a bit touristy but cool non the less.
I would spend a couple of days in Nelson, on Saturdays they have a great market in one of the main car parks which is a great place to buy local, quality gifts, food etc. There are also nice beaches like Rabbit Island and Tahunanui. If you have time it’s worth going up north through Motueka, Takaka and Collingwood. They have a reputation for being a bit ‘hippie’ but that area of Golden Bay is gorgeous and Farewell Spit and Cape Farewell are really pretty. If you continue east from Nelson there’s Blenheim. There isn’t much here (where I live!) but this region is BIG wine region so if you’re into that there are like 100 wineries which do tours, tastings and have some great restaurants. My personal favourites are Spy Valley and Wairau River. If you like walking then the Queen Charlotte track from Picton is beautiful. Then head south back to Christchurch, Kaikoura is a good stop as there’s a huge seal colony and whale watching tours/dolphin experiences.
Phew! Sorry that is a WHOLE lot of info for you. Here is a link for the route just FYI. Good luck planning your trip!
Post # 14
Member
199 posts
Blushing bee
@Snowden: WOW! That sounds so wonderful! Maybe we’ll just copy yours, lol. 😉 We were thinking more about it and would like to see the most we can in and around the cities we’ll be staying at so this gives me a lot of options. My only issue – we have not yet booked to helicopter wedding company (doing some research now) and I’m wondering if we should choose Queenstown or Christchurch for this? I believe with Queenstown it’s ‘The Ledge’ and with Christchurch it’s Liebig Dome. Do you prefer one over the other? Cause that will make a huge difference on where we start and what we do.
Post # 15
Member
199 posts
Blushing bee
@Snowden: Also, totally dont mind the essay! I’ve been on the comp all day researching so this is what I’m living for at the moment! 😛
Post # 16
Member
336 posts
Helper bee
I would choose Queenstown, the landscapes are much more dramatic. Just found THIS which looks amaaaazing if a bit terrifying. http://www.heliweddings.co.nz/weddings-wanaka.html
