/ˈhʌnɪmuːn/
They say that the word ‘honeymoon’ harks back to a time when newlyweds would drink mead (honey) in the first month (moon cycle) after their wedding.
In this tradition, we might call ours ‘currymoon’, referencing our eating of the leftover Nepalese curry that was served to our guests for dinner. In fact, we’ve been married two months now, and have just finished our last frozen serving of Sherpa Chicken – currymoondeux.
The term ‘notgettingmarriedmoon’ also seems apt, describing the miraculous feeling that creeps up on you when you realise that after a year of wedding planning, you no longer have a wedding to plan. I never have to care about napkins again. What a joy life is.
Of course, these days ‘honeymoon’ describes the holiday couples take shortly after getting married. We did this, too, in between servings of curry and reacquainting ourselves with the sweet joy of not having anything to do.
We traveled farther south than either of us had ever been, to the bottom half of New Zealand’s South Island, for adventures of the mountain climbing, bridge jumping, bird spotting, ice cream eating and hot tub floating variety. It was the perfect amount of chilly – snow on the mountain tops, fresh air, sharp sunlight – and the perfect amount of active and lazy.
Here are a few snaps of some of my favourite moments on the trip.
