I am starting off the HONEYMOON posts with my own honeymoon.
We decided to go to New Zealand for your honeymoon. It was a part of the world that neither one of us had ever been to and we wanted a little adventure.
We spent 4 days in Queenstown staying at the St. Moritz. A nice modern hotel with a location that is convenient to explore Queenstown. It is located a couple of blocks off the main strip, and is a bit quieter than being centrally located in a town that is known for late nights. Our room had amazing views of the mountain range that towers over Queenstown, the Remarkables. Queenstown is filled with adventurous activities. We did a small day hike on top of the Gondola and explored all the pubs and great restaurants it had to offer.
The highlight of our trip was the 5 day guided hike, travling from hut to hut on the Milford Track. This track cuts across a vast mountainous rain forest. While on the track you are miles from civilization, but the staff of Ultimate Hikes makes you feel right at home. Supplies are flown in by helicopter, so there is a plentiful supply of food, beer, and wine. Surprisingly the food was fantastic! This was the �roughing it� part of our honeymoon; the accommodations were by no means a 4 star hotel, but we had hot showers and a bed to sleep in! The guides were knowledgeable, helpful, and enjoyable. The scenery on the hike ranged from rain forest, to mountain tops, to towering fiords in Milford Sound. Sutherland Falls, was especially impressive, one of the world�s highest waterfalls at 2000 feet � and you could get as close as you dared.
After �roughing it�, we spent the next 3 days wine tasting in Marlborough. We stayed at Marlborough Vintners Hotel. These little apartments are situated in the middle of the vineyards of the Marlborough wine country; famous for Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. Directly outside our front door were fields of grapevines as far as the eye could see. We rented bikes from our hotel and for three days we rode on mainly unpaved country roads to wineries in the area.
Just about 45 minutes away from the Marlborough Wine Country, we spent our last 3 days in an old fishing port, Picton. We stayed at a boutique hotel Escape to Picton. I can�t say enough about this boutique hotel. One of the few remaining historic buildings in the harbor town was renovated into a wine bar and restaurant and three hotel rooms. Each room has its own theme: Modern Suite, Formal Suite, and Sea Room; we stayed in the Formal Suite. The hospitality was impeccable, best I have ever experienced. We were greeted with Champaign, chocolate, and fruit. The restaurant was amazing; we had breakfast and dinner there every night. The owner (JJ Kavanagh) was there cooking for us every day. She was one of the most inspiring and interesting women I have ever met. We spent hours chatting and when it was time to go, it felt like we were leaving close friends behind.
During our stay in Picton, we did the Queen Charlotte Sound Day Hike. We took the Mailboat (they actually delivered mail to remote areas that are not accessible by land) to get the start of the day hike .We started the day with two hours on an island bird sanctuary, where we were able to come face to face with rare penguins and other birds. The next stop was the start of the Queen Charlotte Track at Ship cove, where there is a large memorial to Captain Cook, who anchored several times in the 18th century.
I would love to show off your HONEYMOON! I am officially accepting real honeymoons. Email me: [email protected]
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