₹5.93 lakh, 13 days in New Zealand: Couple's honeymoon stuns the internet; 'We didn't try to make the trip affordable...'

An Indian couple have described how they managed to complete their 13-day honeymoon in New Zealand ₹5.93 lakh, despite initial estimates suggesting the trip could cost more than ₹8 lakhs.

The newlyweds set a budget of ₹7 lakh but ended up spending considerably less. They toured New Zealand’s North and South Islands, staying in private Airbnbs and using rental cars, while still making room for a few big tourist experiences. They said careful planning and preparing some of their own meals helped them control costs.

The couple are sharing expenses for their New Zealand honeymoon

The couple shared their experience on Reddit and said they managed to keep their overall expenses down ₹5.93 lakh for two people.

“We did a 2 week New Zealand honeymoon ₹5.93 lakh as an Indian couple – here is the full breakdown,” the couple wrote on Reddit.

They added: “We spent ₹5.93 lakh for two people for a 13-day New Zealand honeymoon from India – covering North and South Islands, private Airbnbs, self-drive, Milford Sound, Waitomo Glowworm Caves, skydiving, Rotorua and other bucket-list experiences.”

According to the couple, the final cost was achieved through extensive planning and some deliberate decisions, rather than removing key activities from their itinerary.

The couple provided the following breakdown of theirs ₹5.93 million expenses:

International flights: ₹2.11 million

Domestic flights: ₹13,000

Car rental and fuel: ₹94,000

Local Activities: ₹1.19 million

Honeymoon in New Zealand: What did the couple visit?

During their 13-day holiday, the couple traveled to several popular destinations around New Zealand. Their itinerary included Auckland, Waitomo, Cathedral Cove, Lake Tekapo and Queenstown, among others.

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They also included experiences such as a visit to Milford Sound, the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Rotorua and skydiving, suggesting they weren’t limited to just seeing the city.

Explaining their approach to budgeting, the couple said: “We didn’t try to make the trip ‘budget friendly’ by cutting out experiences. For us, we stay under ₹6 lakh was more about the cumulative effect of many planning decisions than finding one magical deal.”

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“New Zealand visitor visa: did we have to book flights first? We weren’t sure whether to book flights before applying. We followed Immigration New Zealand’s instructions and didn’t buy 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 within five working days,” they added.

New Zealand biosecurity rules: What food can Indian travelers carry?

The couple also discussed their experiences with New Zealand’s strict biosecurity requirements and whether travelers can bring food from India.

“New Zealand biosecurity: can you bring food from India? We brought Maggi, snacks and ready meals from India. The important part: we honestly declared them on the New Zealand Travelers Declaration (NZTD). One thing we found confusing when researching this was the difference between declaring an item and a prohibited item. Declaring an item in New Zealand doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t declare it doesn’t mean you have to.” you carry and allow a biosecurity officer to assess it, we were released in about five minutes and avoided a potential NZ$400 infringement fee associated with undeclared risk goods.

Reddit users praise planning couples’ trips

The detailed post drew positive reactions from other Reddit users, with several praising the couple for being able to cover so much within their budget.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified and does not endorse these claims.)