A New Zealand Honeymoon Map
An Entire Country, A Single Journey
Some places capture our imagination long before we ever visit them.
For this couple, New Zealand had occupied that space for years. A close friend had moved there in 2010, sharing photographs and stories from the other side of the world that sparked an enduring fascination. Over time, the country grew into something more than a destination; it became a dream.
So when it came to planning their honeymoon, there was no discussion about where to go.
"We knew this was the place."
What followed was a journey through a country that seemed to contain every landscape imaginable. Over the course of their trip they travelled through volcanic landscapes, vineyards, ancient forests, mountain ranges and coastlines, often experiencing dramatic changes in scenery within a single day's travel.
"If you could imagine all the best attributes of the world and put them in one country, it would be New Zealand."
Visiting in summer, they remember endless sunshine and colours that felt almost exaggerated. The green of the countryside seemed impossibly vivid. The air changed from place to place; nowhere more noticeably than Rotorua, where the distinctive scent of sulphur drifted through the geothermal landscape. Every corner of the country felt different from the last.
Yet despite the extraordinary scenery, it is the feeling of the trip that remains strongest in their memory.
"We felt constantly in awe of the landscape and how friendly the people were."
Too Many Memories to Choose From
Many of the bespoke commissions I create revolve around a single location: a mountain summit, a family home, a favourite stretch of coastline or a place tied to a significant moment.
This commission presented a different challenge.
When I asked which memory stood out most strongly, the answer was immediate:
"Too many! Which is why we needed the whole country."
Some of those memories are easy to picture. Kayaking along the Kaituna River towards Okere Falls, celebrating a birthday at Hot Water Beach, watching the sunrise from Isthmus Peak with coffee brewed on their little stove, standing in awe of the scale and wildlife of Milford Sound.
Each location represented a highlight, but none could tell the complete story on its own; the magic of the honeymoon lay in the journey between them.
A single pin on a map could never capture that experience.
Designing a Map of a Journey
Rather than focusing on one meaningful location, the decision was made to map the entire country. The finished artwork traces the route of their honeymoon across New Zealand using an engraved dotted line, with silver granule markers identify places that became woven into the story of the trip dotted along it. The contour lines reveal the extraordinary geography that makes the country so distinctive, from volcanic plateaus to mountain ranges and deeply carved fjords.
For the couple, this combination of landscape and personalisation was what made a contour map feel like the right medium.
"It is an incredible, immortalised piece of artwork to remind us of the most magical trip."
The engraved route transforms the piece from a geographical representation into something more personal; a visual diary of a shared adventure.
A Daily Reminder
Today, the map hangs in the centre of their home.
It is one of the first things visitors see when they walk into our home - often prompting questions about the country, the trip and the stories made along the engraved route.
More importantly, it provides a daily reminder of a chapter in their lives that neither of them will ever forget.
Many honeymoon photographs end up stored on hard drives or buried in albums that are only occasionally revisited. This commission offered a different way of preserving those memories; transforming them into a permanent object that can be enjoyed every day.
The artwork celebrates not only New Zealand's remarkable landscapes, but also the experience of discovering them together.
And a map that ensures those memories remain close at hand long after the suitcases have been unpacked.
After all, some places are too important to be remembered by a single photograph.
Sometimes they deserve an entire map.
