How to Honeymoon in New Zealand
Wanting to take their time soaking in jagged mountains, rolling pastures, steep fjords, pristine lakes, raging rivers and scenic beaches, Indonesians Gwen Winarno and Yudha Budhisurya took a road trip in New Zealand while on honeymoon.
The newlyweds, who co-founded Jakarta’s Pure Foods Company, say that they always had New Zealand as a dream destination. The couple shares their experience, made in early 2017, with The Jakarta Post.
“We decided to pick New Zealand because it happened to be on both our bucket lists and neither of us had been there,” Yudha said. “We decided to experience it for the first time with each other.”
“It’s nature. New Zealand is known for its natural beauty – and that was exactly what we wanted out of the trip, to enjoy nature,” Gwen added.
For their honeymoon, the couple said that they knew off the bat they wanted to be on the road and able to experience the island country at their own pace. As irrepressible foodies, Gwen and Yudha said they were also looking forward to enjoying some of the country’s famous premium produce – and to cooking some of their own meals along the way.
The couple started their trip in Te Anau, on the eastern shore of trout-filled Lake Te Anau, and then drove way through the famous Milford Sound fjord and the resort town of Wanaka near Mount Cook National Park, before spending five nights on the lake in Queenstown, where they rented a bach.
“It’s so much fun cooking if you have the best produce and ingredients in your hands. With a little effort – we only brought olive oil, salt and pepper – we could have just the best steaks and roasts,” Yudha said. Among the many dishes the couple concocted were lamb stews, lamb steaks and pork roasts, all served with winter vegetables.
The 18-day trip was not enough. “We spent two weeks on the South Island and we still feel we haven’t seen enough. A month is maybe enough to cover everything,” Yudha said.
Original article by Andre Arditya, The Jakarta Post, February 10, 2018.
Photo by Gwen Winarno.
