Travel
11 Feb, 2021 05:19 PM
Kiwi locations as winning as a diamond ring. Photo / Getty Images
The most romantic day of the year is fast approaching, with plenty of last-minute lovebirds making plans for a Valentine’s Day escape.
Fortunately you don’t have to travel far to find a suitable couples escape.
New Zealand has no shortage of stunning beaches, vertiginous vistas and sunset spots to serve as a backdrop to the plans of you and that special someone.
As the Kiwi rom com writer Richard Curtis put it: “I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.”
However, if you’re planning on popping a certain question – and you want to make double sure the answer is “yes” – you’ll want to make sure the location is as winning as a diamond ring.
The matchmakers from Motorhome Republic and Airport Rentals have compiled a list of the destinations round the country that rank highest on the romance-metre. And the yardstick they have used to meet out New Zealand’s most loved-up locations: insagram hashtags.
Monitoring popular social media hashtags for (online) Public Displays of Affection, they have mapped out the romance hotspots around Aotearoa.
According to the rentals companies their advice for a top #datenight they’d suggest ditching the cocktail bar and splashing out on a pleasure cruise around Lake Wakatipu. Queenstown’s love boat the TSS Earnslaw was ranked number 1 in the country for smug selfies tagged with #datenight.
New Zealand’s #Datenight top picks
- TSS Earnslaw Cruises, Queenstown
- Y-not Restaurant Bar, Auckland
- The Tuning Fork, Auckland
- Coley & Punch Whiskey and Cocktail Bar, Auckland
- Taste for Colour Art Studio, Auckland
However, if you are looking for the perfect location to drop a knee and ask a very important question – it could pay to look at their findings on where these Instagrammers announced they were #engaged.
Wellington’s Botanic Gardens might seem like a wild card, but there’s clearly something in the air in the capital’s green space. It is the number one spot in the country for ring-gifting. However if you want to per-capita the sapphire-blue waters of Saint Bathans in Central Otago will get you an answer in the affirmative.
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Meanwhile, Cantabrians are more easily swayed by the open expanses of Birdlings Flat beach.
New Zealand’s just got #Engaged top five
- Wellington Botanic Gardens
- Saint Bathans, South Island
- Taupiri, North Island
- Miyazu Japanese Gardens, Nelson
- Birdlings Flat, Canterbury
Lastly, the company revealed that after a snow-white wedding the most popular place for a #honeymoon is the Tasman Glacier. Mountainous vistas and calming waters of Lake Hawea and Taupo were also a popular locations for a once in a lifetime getaway.
Or once every six months?
New Zealand’s #Honeymoon top five
- Mt Cook Tasman Glacier
- Lake Hawea, Otago
- Lake Taupo, Rotorua
- Walter Peak, South Island
- Waitakere National Park, North Island
