We are so grateful for all of our amazing friends and family that contributed to our Honeyfund and helped make our honeymoon so spectacular. Thanks to you guys, we were able to have a better honeymoon than we ever could have expected. We definitely thought of you all as we used each gift. We can't thank you enough!
Many of you know how we shamelessly like selfies. So, we have compiled our favorite honeymoon selfies to share with you.
First of all, we now LOVE Air New Zealand. They are so friendly and offer such wonderful service. This is completely unbiased. This has nothing to do with the upgrade on the first (and longest) flight and the unlimited champagne and Whittaker's chocolate and Cookie Time cookies. Ok, it has a to do with that, but later in the trip when we flew in economy, they were also still amazing. AND did you know some of the seats in economy have foot rests that pull all the way up to make a couch?! Plus, they also always offer candy at the end of every flight.
We left on April 8th, and with the time change, landed on April 10th. Ian's birthday is on April 9th, so technically (he thinks) he didn't age. Although, that's not technically true, the flight attendants did announce his birthday prior to landing. I thought it was pretty cool that we could sit next to each other for his entire birthday.
Sydney
We arrived in Sydney on a Sunday morning, and despite all my overtired whines, we headed out into the city. We were so lucky to stay in the Shangri-La Hotel, which is a 2-minute walk from The Rocks Markets and a 10-minute walk from the famous Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Here is the view from our hotel room. This is legitimately a sunrise over the Opera House.
Our second day, after waking up earlier than we ever could have imagined, we headed out to the Sydney Zoo via water ferry. We were determined to see marsupials. Here's a picture of our koala encounter. We thought koala's were chill, but they wouldn't let us touch him. Apparently, adorable fuzzy marsupials that are doped up on eucalyptus can at times lash out. They warned us: don't get between a koala and his snacks! So of course, selfie!
We ended the day in Manly beach with a swim. We were lucky enough to have dinner with Brenna and Eric (who relocated to Sydney for work). They were so helpful in planning our New Zealand trip.
The next day we checked out Bondi Beach. There was a beautiful beach side hike (with awesome graffiti too) and we found this awesome sea water pool that we did some laps in. The best was when the ocean waves would splash over the sides of the pool wall.
On the way back from Bondi, we checked out Google Sydney. Ian's badge got us in, but Priya, Ian's co-worker from Google Mountain View, (you have no idea how completely random it was to run into her, literally as soon as we got on campus) showed us around. Google Sydney snacks are nothing to write home about, well, all except for the TimTams. They're picture worthy.
Oh, we even got to see a play at the Sydney Opera House called Hay Fever. This is us killing time with selfies before the show began.
Melbourne
By Wednesday, we were in Melbourne. Ian's step-mother's family lives there, and we were lucky enough to be able to stay with them and have them show us around. We started off wine tasting with Tito Benjie and Tito Chris. Since in California we live so close to wine country, we knew how to speak wine: we used the international wine rating scale (see photo below).
We also got to go to a zoo where we could feed kangaroos and got to pet a baby wombat. Mission Marsupial accomplished! We also were able to see other Australian natives: dingos and a curious Tasmanian Devil.
Here is that lil curious Tasmanian Devil! Cute, huh?
The next day, we ate our way through downtown Melbourne, so the pictures are not as exciting. Less selfies and more food pictures. So, instead we attached a photo of a graffiti alley. It's a thing. And SUPER cool.
Queenstown
We were sad to leave Australia, excited to be back on Air New Zealand, and stunned with the beauty of Queenstown. We immediately hit the trails, climbed 500 meters, and were amazed at and overwhelmed with the views. Even more amazing was how little the photos captured the essence of this place. We're so sorry we cannot make these pictures to scale. But, if anyone wants to go check it out in person, we are more than excited to go back any time!
Every place in New Zealand seemed to have the best food ever but Fergburger had the longest line. Despite warnings from Brenna to order ahead, we waited, and it was SO worth it. What's not to love about burgers the size of your own head? Beth's was tofu with gluten-free bun. Ian's was rib eye. So. So. Good.
Te Anau
I think Te Anau was our favorite. Again, cameras ruin everything and you can't quite get the feel for how stunning this hike was. Instead, we recommend you go check out the Key Summit on the Routeburn Track in person. And, actually, take us with you. We want to go back and do the whole track next time. Magical. Also, not pictured, we visited the glowworms caves. SO cool.
Redcliff Cafe was such an amazing recommendation. From the very first sip of Sauvignon Blanc that fully delivered on its promises of passionfruit undertones, to the final spoonful of vegan sago with popcorn brittle, we were obsessed. By the end of our meal, we had already picked out our second. So, clearly, we had to make a reservation for the next night. And it exceeded expectations again. The only problem was how stuffed we were. For days.
One of the most memorable parts of our honeymoon was our trip to Doubtful Sound. It is one of the most majestic places we have been. We took a boat across Lake Manapouri, then boarded a private coach across Wilmot Pass to get to a boat that would take us around the sound. It is an area almost completely untouched by humans. At one point, the captain turned off the engine and there was no sound around us at all, except for the birds. And some person taking pictures. Of the silence. We didn't understand either. I guess some people just can't sit still. We also saw a pod of dolphins and some blue penguins. Like we said, majestic.
Back to Queenstown
Oh man, were there sheep in New Zealand! So many sheep! So, obviously we had to see a sheep sheering at Walkter's Peak. And, we got to take a steamboat there, which was incredibly cool, but increased our carbon footprint significantly.
At the farm where we saw the sheep sheering, there were other animals that we got to feed as well. They were all super sweet.
But the most entertaining thing we saw was the lady who had someone take a photo of her taking a selfie. For like, 20 minutes.
Although Ian is super smart and has a Ph.D., he can sometimes do dumb things, like bungee jump off a cable car suspended between the two ridges of a canyon. Did we mention this is the highest bungee in all NZ? Do you see that teeny tiny cable car suspended out there? Yep. That's where he jumped from. And that's also where Beth stood shaking for approximately 10 minutes straight while constantly searching in the small floating cable car for something to hold on to. There was nothing to hold on to.
Here's a video of Ian's bungy jump:
Before we knew it, we were on Air New Zealand again with a view of some glaciers on our way to explore North Island.
Auckland
Our goal in Auckland was to relax and pamper before heading home to reality. We loved our stay at the Langham and we were sure to take full advantage of the pool and hot tub and wonderful weather. We did see a few touristy spots, including the Sky Tower (what the heck with glass floors so high up?!) and hiked up an urban, extinct volcano: Maungawhau. Although, we didn't make it to Hobbiton, with all the amazing landscape in New Zealand, we did feel like we could have been there (see photo of Ian in "Hobbiton" below).
We also found some time to take a bike tour on Waiheke Island from Robin who is Maori. She taught us about the history of the island and the history of Maori culture in New Zealand. One fun fact: the Maori name of New Zealand is Aotearoa. We really enjoyed it a lot and got in some beach time afterwards.
We found a place in Aukland that served "Hell Ramen," so of course Ian had to try it. And of course he ordered level 3 of 3. And, he loved it. So we supported the new business by liking it on Facebook. Well, that's when we saw that they offered LEVEL 10! Which meant, we had to go back the next night. Which was all worth it for Ian to become the second customer to finish level 10 Hell Ramen.
Our last day, we went into full pamper mode with massages and pool side meals. We even got into the lounge at the Auckland airport. (At least, if we had to go home, we went home in style.) Although we were sad to come home, we already have ideas for our return visit! So be careful mentioning thinking about traveling to New Zealand any time soon, unless you are ok with the two of us crashing your trip.
Thank you so much for all your love and support throughout the preparation, wedding, and honeymoon. We could not have had such an amazing wedding or honeymoon without you.
