Pre-Wedding Honeymoon

Is a honeymoon really a honeymoon if it doesn't take place after the wedding?

Due to budget restrictions and a giant spring break opportunity, we are having a pre-wedding honeymoon.

What does this mean for us? It means that instead of going on a sick vacation after the wedding, we'll be doing it three months beforehand. This makes me wonder if it is taking away from all of the wedding festivities, but after looking at other wedding blog posts, I don't think so. Some people don't even take their honeymoon for months after the wedding, so oh well. I'm also wondering if we're jinxing ourselves for the wedding, but we've been together for almost six years already (he's making an honest woman out of me!), I can't imagine one vacation breaking us apart.

Why did we make this decision? Because New Zealand's seasons are opposite of ours, if we went after the wedding it would be the dead of winter there (did I mention it snows there?). Also, we are building our first home this year so we will be pretty strapped for cash. In addition, a big gap in my school year opened up: a little over two weeks.

What are we going to do? AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! Because we're in Hawaii, the time difference is very minimal, it's about one hour behind tomorrow so I don't forsee us being jetlagged at all. We are landing in Auckland, grabbing a campervan, and touring both the North and South Islands. We will be spending five days up north and about nine days down south. I know you're super interested in our itinerary, so I will give you the quick run down:

Day 1: Land in Auckland, pick up campervan, go to Waitomo Glow Worm Caves

Day 2: Check out Rotorua (geothermal area plus Zorbing)

Day 3: Hike the Tongariro Crossing, weather permitting

Day 4: Bike ride to a bunch of vineyards in Hawke's Bay

Day 5: Cruise in Wellington, check out the Te Papa museum

Day 6: Take the inter-island ferry from Wellington to Picton and begin heading south to Christchurch so we can catch a rugby match that begins at 7:35 PM

Day 7: Head across Arthur's Pass towards the glaciers

Day 8: Spend the day checking out the glaciers, then drive to Queenstown

Day 9-10: Head over to Te Anau and the Milford Sound areas

Day 11: Head back to Queenstown

Day 12: Check out Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook

Day 13: Head back to Christchurch to return the campervan and fly back to Auckland
Day 14: Fly out of Auckland back home!

My mission when I travel is to come home exhausted. Do I think we'll see everything there is to see? No, absolutely not. There's no way you can experience an entire country in two weeks. However, we'll be able to have one last big trip before we finally become grown ups.