Honeymoon

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• Location: New Zealand
• Holiday Types: Skiing, Sporting

• by: AnyaWood
• on: Thu 24 May 2012

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My destination perfection was a honeymoon in New Zealand! Whilst it was tempting to opt for the luxury honeymoon where we could laze on a beach in the lap of luxury, we decided to ask for contributions for our wedding gift list and thought that we should make a real experience out of it - it was going to be a gift from our most treasured family and friends so it had to be special.

Let me just set the scene here before I begin.  I like the finer things in life, my automatic preference is for 5* luxury, posh restaurants, nice clothes, living the highlife and taking care over my appearance.. yet all of this was overruled by a camper van in the midst of a New Zealand winter...this usually pristine girl suddenly became an outdoorsy, camp site loving, cold shower using, camper van driving - dare I say it - traveller!  And I wouldn't change a thing if we did it all again.

Simply stunning scenery around every corner that neither words nor pictures can do justice to, paragliding over Nelson, Caving for glowworms, learning to Ski in Queenstown, early morning walks to see the sunrise over Mount Cook and heli-hiking to Fox Glacier [yes I was trusted with an ice pick..]  I'll never forget the feeling of freedom which came from being a total free spirit and going where the mood takes you. 

I have to admit that my reserve did fail when it came to the famous Nevis bungee so whilst my new husband hurled himself ridiculously into the most enormous and terrifying canyon I have ever seen [husband quote "I honestly thought for a split second that I was going to die! it was awesome!" seriously?] I allowed myself to re-visit some luxury and checked myself into a Queenstown Spa for the afternoon! A facial, back massage and body scrub later he had returned safely and I wasn’t going to be widowed on honeymoon after all...

Best experience ever and I will never forget our magical time as newly weds.  I would recommend this to anyone - even my fellow 5* princesses. 

Pictures: the beautiful view we had of Mount Cook one very early and beautiful morning, my husband and I in an ice cave on Fox Glacier, my paragliging experience, me in our 7 metre long camper van, scared in a cave, loving skiing!

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