An Indian couple has shared how they managed to complete a 13-day honeymoon across New Zealand for ₹5.93 lakh, despite initially seeing trip estimates of more than ₹8 lakh.
According to a report by the Hindustan Times, the newlyweds travelled across both the North and South Islands, staying in private Airbnbs and using rental cars to explore the country. Their itinerary included popular attractions such as Milford Sound, Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Rotorua and several other bucket-list experiences, including skydiving.
“We did a 2-week New Zealand honeymoon for ₹5.93 lakh as an Indian couple, here's the full breakdown,” the couple wrote on Reddit.
They added, “We spent ₹5.93 lakh for two people on a 13-day New Zealand honeymoon from India, covering both the North and South Islands, private Airbnbs, self-drive, Milford Sound, Waitomo Glowworm Caves, skydiving, Rotorua and other bucket-list experiences,” as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
According to the couple, staying within their budget required “a lot of planning and some deliberate trade-offs”.
How they spent ₹5.93 lakh
The couple provided a detailed breakdown of their expenses:
- International flights: ₹2.11 lakh
- Domestic flights: ₹13,000
- Visa for two: ₹30,000
- Accommodation: ₹87,000
- Car rental and fuel: ₹94,000
- Local activities: ₹1.19 lakh
- Food: ₹32,000
- Miscellaneous: ₹7,400
The couple said they did not save money by avoiding major attractions or experiences.
“We didn't try to make the trip ‘budget-friendly’ by skipping experiences. For us, staying under ₹6 lakh was more about the cumulative effect of a lot of planning decisions than finding one magical deal,” as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
From Auckland to Queenstown
According to the Hindustan Times, during their 13-day trip, the couple visited several destinations, including Auckland, Waitomo, Cathedral Cove, Lake Tekapo and Queenstown.
They also shared some of the practical considerations they encountered while planning and travelling.
On the visa process, they said they were initially unsure whether they needed to purchase flights before applying for a New Zealand visitor visa.
“New Zealand visitor visa: did we need to book flights first? We weren't sure whether to book flights before applying. We followed Immigration New Zealand's guidance and didn't purchase non-refundable tickets before the visa was approved. Instead, we submitted a detailed one-page itinerary with our application, along with a cover letter. We received the visa in five working days,” the Hindustan Times has quoted.
The couple also discussed New Zealand's strict biosecurity requirements after carrying packaged food from India.
“New Zealand biosecurity: can you bring food from India? We carried Maggi, snacks and ready-to-eat food from India. The important part: we declared them honestly on the New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD). One thing we found confusing while researching this was the distinction between declaring an item and the item being prohibited. Declaring an item doesn't necessarily mean you can't bring it into New Zealand. It means you're being upfront about what you're carrying and allowing a biosecurity officer to assess it. We were cleared in about five minutes and avoided the potential NZ$400 infringement fee associated with undeclared risk goods,” the Hindustan Times has quoted.
Reddit users praise the planning
The detailed breakdown received positive reactions from other Reddit users, with several praising the couple for sharing their experience.
One user wrote, “Very reasonable trip. Kudos.”
Another commented, “This looks nice. Thanks!”, as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
A third user said, “Thank you for sharing such an informative travel guide on New Zealand. The details you included were really useful, and I appreciate you taking the time to put this together.”
“Nice breakdown. Well planned, I'd say,” another user wrote, the Hindustan Times has quoted.
The couple's post has offered other Indian travellers a detailed look at how careful planning, self-driving, accommodation choices and spending decisions can help keep the cost of a New Zealand holiday under control without completely sacrificing major experiences.
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