The newlyweds flew over the hills to the Wairarapa and parked up on the lawn in front of the handsome Wharekauhau Lodge. After a warm welcome the excited couple were shown to their private cottage tucked away on the estate. Sumptuous soft furnishings and a relaxing, country colour pallet, Kate and Astrid were blown away with the beauty of this slice of New Zealand heaven.

Well Travelled Bride Wairarapa Romantic getaway

There was just enough time for a few more photographs before the ladies got changed for a late afternoon lunch served at chef Marc Soper’s kitchen table in the main lodge.

Wearing vintage dresses and accessories from Ziggurat the ladies were excited to be able to enjoy such a special treat and sipped on a few more glasses of local wine whilst they relaxed and soaked up the wonderful atmosphere and reflected on their magical day.

After such a day filled with laughter, tears and happiness and all the celebrations, the ladies thought a relaxing morning by the pool was a good idea. It was a chance to catch up on some plans for the following week and also catch a bit of holiday sunshine and show off their new swimwear from Ziggurat and exquisite millinery from Scotties.

Keen to make the most of their time at Wharekauhau the ladies dressed for lunch and walked the gorgeous gardens to find chef who had promised them a tour of his kitchen garden. Wearing custom Kelsey Genna and accessories from Scotties Boutique for an afternoon in the country, ate and Astrid helped chef forage some delicate garden treasures to garnish the lunch plates before they took one last walk around the grounds and prepared to set off back to Wellington.

The following morning they took the time to catch up on some local news over breakfast in the club lounge at The Intercontinental and planned the next few days escapades.

Well Travelled Bride Wellington Romantic Getaway

Feeling like another laid back day and with the sun shining the ladies decided to arrange a trip to enjoy some wine tasting. The hotel concierge arranged for a car to take the girls over the hill to some local Wairarapa wineries.

They came across Christina Vineyard hiring bicycles, so they mounted up and meandered down the quiet village roads of Martinborough, stopping at various places along the way to sample the wine and chatting to friendly locals.

A favourite stop was at Poppies Vineyard, where Poppy herself was in the tasting room pouring glasses for tasting and telling the story behind their wines. They enjoyed a few days stay in the charming village amongst the vines.

Well Travelled Bride Welling Romantic Getaway

After the return trip to Wellington the girls were back for a night at the Museum Hotel where they had more city activities to come in the days following.

A gourmet picnic delivered by Elizabeth Marshall on the waterfront, and fueled their sense of exploration as they made the most of walking around the city.

The couple sampled modern New Zealand cuisine at locally famed Logan Brown. They made sure they had ticked off all the very best the city had to offer, like stopping in to the City Gallery and making purchases at fabulous stores like Scotties, Red Current and Shoozies as they wandered around the quaint little city.

They celebrated the end of their trip with a dainty high tea at Hippopotamus, prepared by French chef Laurent Loudeac. Dressed in vintage from Ziggurat Astrid gave Kate a romantic memento of their time in Wellington from their favourite jeweller Tory and Ko.