Aotearoa New Zealand is where they filmed Season 1 of Amazon's hit TV series The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. It is 11,400 miles from Heathrow Airport and is the final stop before you get to Antarctica. Because it's so bloody far away, we'd strongly recommend making a proper trip of it. Australia is only 3 hours away by plane, and New Zealand itself boasts such local attractions as the Big Carrot in Ohakune, and Walter and Katy's cool house in Belmont, Auckland. Seriously, come for two weeks at least, it'll be the middle of summer and no one is allowed to be jetlagged on the wedding day.

Plane.

Waiheke is an island 40 minutes by ferry (or 10 minute chopper, looking at you, Carol R) from downtown Auckland, known for its majestic beaches, palatial estates, and world-class wineries. It's the third most populated island in the New Zealand archipelago (a hefty 7,000 residents) and is about the size of the Isle of Wight/Manhattan/Hong Kong Island. It does have sealed roads, a handful of villages, rental car companies, buses, restaurants, and a supermarket. We'd recommend booking accommodation on the island itself for the wedding weekend so that you have time to explore and relax (and attend the Night-Before and Morning-After events of course), but ferries do run late and we will arrange transport from the wedding venue back to the Waiheke ferry terminal on the night of the wedding if you are staying in Auckland.

What am I, Booking.com? There are plenty of hotels, motels, campgrounds, and hostels about, many with such amenities as Sky Sport and hot water. For overseas travellers, we'd recommend booking a night or two in Auckland when you arrive to quash the jetlag (and visit us!), then book accomodation on Waiheke for the wedding weekend itself, and otherwise get out of Auckland to explore New Zealand's beauuutiful nature.

DON'T LOOK AT GOOGLE MAPS it will send you on a 4 hour journey utilising all of Auckland Transport's myriad vehicular forms. Book yourself an uber (they're a wee bit cheaper here than overseas) or get the Skybus which will cost you $20 and drop you off right outside the Sky Tower in mid-town Auckland.

You can get the ferry from Britomart in downtown Auckland, or Devonport. It takes about 40 minutes. Or you could get a 10 minute chopper (looking at you Carol R.)!

There are a range of airbnbs, hotels, and hostels on the island. We'd recommend looking for accommodation in the suburbs of Oneroa, Palm Beach, Ostend or Onetangi as these are on the bus route from the ferry terminal and are all relatively close to at least one nice beach. Please don't book accom any further east than Onetangi unless you have rented a car.

Peak summer, baby! Hopefully it will be a glorious 25 degrees with bright blue skies, and we will certainly be paying an etsy witch to hedge our bets for the big day. But, New Zealand can be quite temperamental with big summer storms, so come prepared for all seasons!