One Day We'll Be Honeymooning

Kyle and I are VERY excited about our honeymoon. It will be our first international getaway without family accompanying us. It will also be our first time visiting this part of the world. Can you guess where we're headed?

Australia and New Zealand!

(Looks like New Zealand didn't make it into the little heart, but I'm just as excited to visit, I promise!) We get to explore this beautiful region of the world for 20 days. 20 days! We'll be trekking (via airplane) through six different cities. When we first found the trip we thought it was going to be jam-packed with various excursions. That combined with all the traveling between cities sounded like a lot--maybe too much. But I've ALWAYS wanted to visit New Zealand and it almost seems like a waste to go all the way over there and NOT do and see as much as possible. So, we're doing as much as we possibly can. But in addition to furiously exploring six cities, we'll have several days of downtime when we can relax and mosey about each city at a leisurely pace. 

So one question I have for my Australia- and New Zealand-based readers is how can Kyle and I make the most of this trip? Aside from enjoying our first couple of weeks as husband and wife, our main goals are to eat and drink well, see some beautiful things, and try to enjoy life as the locals do. 

Here's a taste of our itinerary:

Auckland (1 day)

- I'm sure we'll be absolutely dead after our flight from states, but the exploring and sightseeing will begin just as we arrive in Auckland, starting with a 4-hour city tour and dinner cruise.

Queenstown (4 days)

- The next few days we'll be in Queenstown where we'll enjoy a cruise on a fjord, a scenic tour on a cruise, and a picnic. We also have two full days to explore the city on our own, so this is where your recommendations come in!

Dunedin (2 days)

- This leg of the trip was originally scheduled for Christchurch, but our hotel is still undergoing repairs after the earthquake earlier this year. 

Melbourne (2 days)

- I've heard many wonderful things about Melbourne, so I'm slightly disappointed that we only have two days there! However, I'm very excited about the savannah walkabout because we get to meet some kangaroos! 

Cairns (3 days)

- After a bout with kangaroos, we get to visit Green Island and the Great Barrier Reef. Coral gardens, rainforests, and wildlife swim--it should be lovely. 

Sydney (4 days)

- And last, but not least, Sydney. This final leg will be full of sightseeing and hopefully plenty of eating to soak up as much of our honeymoon as possible before heading home. 

I can't wait to start packing for this vacation (what am I going to wear?) But first things first--the wedding. 

Again, please comment with any travel tips and recommendations you may have for our trip! 

UPDATE: I've posted recaps of each city that we visited and added links to those blog posts above!