Rehearsal

Rehearsal Dinner

Friends & Family Day

Wedding Day

Ridgecliff

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

Our Story

Gallery

Alyssa Shikles

Daniel Vivian

Wedding Party

Venue

Our wedding will take place at <a href="https://www.ridgecliff.co.nz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ridgecliff</a>, a beautiful farmhouse nestled in Little Akaloa, New Zealand.

Travel from the U.S.

If you’re traveling from the U.S., we recommend flying into Christchurch International Airport (CHC). Please note that, due to the time difference, you’ll lose a day when traveling to New Zealand. To arrive in time for the wedding, we suggest planning to arrive in Christchurch no later than March 4th, which typically means departing the U.S. by March 2nd.

Accommodation

Surrounding Ridgecliff are several areas with accommodation options to suit different travel styles and budgets: Little Akaloa – 5 minutes away from the venueOkains Bay – 15 minutes awayDuvauchelle – 25 minutes awayAkaroa (Main town hub) – 35 minutes away

We’ve shared a few hotel and Airbnb recommendations below, but there are many other great options in the area! We recommend booking early—accommodations in the area can fill up quickly, especially in the summer months.

This historic cottage was originally the Old Store and Post Office. It was built in 1855 but has been extensively renovated and is now a five bedroom holiday house. The house has great views out to the bay and surrounding hills. The house is approximately 100m away from the beach, which is sandy and gently sloping making it very child friendly. The bay has an excellent boat ramp facility, tennis courts and a playground.

Little Akaloa Old Store and Post Office

Welcome to our charming Westpeak farm cottage nestled in the picturesque Okains Bay. This cozy hut offers a perfect blend of rustic charm and modern comfort. Surrounded by stunning farm landscapes, our cottage features a basic kitchen, a comfortable living area and two cozy bedrooms that can accommodate up to four guests.

West peak Cottage

Located on the beachfront in Duvauchelle, Duvauchelle Seaside Motel features barbecue facilities. Each room at the 3-star motel has sea views, and guests can enjoy access to a garden and to a terrace. Guest rooms are equipped with a fridge, microwave, an electric tea pot, a shower, free toiletries and a desk. Each room includes a private bathroom with a hairdryer, while selected rooms contain a balcony and others also offer mountain views.

Duvauchelle Seaside Motel

Located just meters away from Akaroa's iconic Daly’s Wharf, The Akaroa Criterion offers you the perfect spot for your next holiday in Akaroa. With beautiful harbour views and a stone's throw away from some of the best dining and entertainment Akaroa has to offer, we provide the ultimate retreat. Choose from our array of rooms, each featuring either a balcony or patio. Recently upgraded, every room now boasts modern amenities, including a well-equipped kitchenette. The Akaroa Criterion ensures a seamless blend of comfort and luxury, promising a memorable stay in this charming French coastal town.

Akaroa Criterion Motel

Located in the historic French village of Akaroa, this property offers self-contained accommodations with a patio, a balcony and free on-site parking. Guests can enjoy swimming, fishing, biking and kayaking just yards from Akaroa Waterfront Motels. Akaroa Waterfront Motels is surrounded by lovely gardens and offers spectacular harbor views. It is 8 minutes' walk from Akaroa Harbor where you may be able to spot Hector's Dolphins. There is a private on-site boat ramp and spacious lawn and picnic areas shaded with palm trees. All accommodations includes a kitchenette, a dining area and a work desk. Each apartment offers a lounge area with a sofa and flat-screen TV.

Akaroa Waterfront Motels

Nestled in five acres of gardens, paddocks, and woodland. Twin Gullies offers relaxation for the body and soul. With its spectacular views of Akaroa Harbour and Onawe Peninsula, you will feel like you have been transported to paradise. Twin Gullies sits at the top of Akaroa Harbour on State Highway 75. Close by are the Barrys Bay Cheese Factory and French Farm Winery. The Akaroa golf course is a mere 2 minutes away. Great walking tracks are abundant and further up the harbour, good swimming beaches are to be found.&nbsp;In popular Akaroa (a 12 minutes drive along the harbour) there is plenty to see and do, both on land and on the water.

Twin Gullies

Located in the French-inspired village of Akaroa, La Rochelle Motel features accommodations with a balcony or patio offering views over the surrounding gardens. All accommodations have cooking facilities and an LCD TV. It is a 3-minute walk to Akaroa Beach. Guests can play a game of petanque or tennis, and fishing equipment is also available. A kitchenette with a stove-top, microwave and refrigerator is standard in all accommodations. La Rochelle Motel Akaroa is a 10-minute walk from the waterfront shops and restaurants of Akaroa.

La Rochelle Motel

Located in Akaroa, 700 metres from Akaroa Beach, The Grand Hotel &amp; Bar - Akaroa provides accommodation with a garden, free private parking, a terrace and a bar. The historic Grand Hotel in Akaroa is the perfect place to stay, eat, drink and relax. Families and dogs are not only welcome but encouraged and there is lots of space to sit outside and soak up the sun.

The Grand Hotel

Travel

It's a pleasant 15-minute walk along a winding road to reach Akaroa's most famous landmark,&nbsp;Akaroa Lighthouse. Although completed in 1879, it has only been at its current location for 40 years. It originally stood 10km away on the Akaroa Heads, at the entrance to the harbour, until it was retired and moved to its present location for ornamental purposes.

Akaroa Lighthouse

Okains Bay Beach is only a 15 minute drive from Ridgecliff. This is one of the many beautiful secluded bays in Banks Peninsula with a campground located behind the beach. The drive down from the hills is simply stunning!

Okains Bay Beach

Fishermans Bay Garden is a haven in the rugged and dramatic landscape of the Banks Peninsula coastline. The structure and texture of New Zealand native plants combined with a diverse array of non-native plants are used to create a truly New Zealand ambience. Winding paths and a varied landscape have inspired a garden with many parts, including a traditional flower border, herb garden, farm garden, fern garden, a shaded streamside valley and pond and a wild, exposed rock garden.

Fishermans Bay Garden

For the more adventurous, the highest point on Banks Peninsula, Mt. Herbert, can be summited fairly easily. There are various trails ranging in difficulty and length that reward you with the most incredible 360 degree views over the peninsula, Lyttleton Harbour, Christchurch and the Southern Alps. This breath-taking view is a must see!

Mount Herbert/Te Ahu Patiki (Day Hike)

Experience the best of New Zealand’s wildlife, scenery and hospitality on an Akaroa Dolphins tour. Our passionate, family-led team will take you on an epic adventure that treats you to everything our region has to offer.

Akaroa Dolphins

French Peak Vineyard, a family-owned business since 1989, specialises in hand-harvested, premium quality wines as Banks Peninsula's oldest vineyard. Nestled in an extinct volcano near Akaroa, this picturesque vineyard provides wine tastings, light bites, refreshments, and stunning photo opportunities.

French Peak Vineyard and Accommodation

The garden is a seriously playful, extraordinary wonderland, with a fully integrated combination of art works and gardens.The Giant’s House has featured on top television programmes and in numerous house/art/garden magazines. The Giants House has been awarded for its recognition as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gardens.org.nz/about-us/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Garden of International Significance&nbsp;</a>since 2018, and National Significance since 2012. It has also been recognized as a must-see in Akaroa on Tripadvisors for many years.

The Giants House

Fancy dinner with one of the best views in town?&nbsp;Ma Maison’s dining area has been designed for just this purpose. The restaurant’s ample bifold doors provide uninterrupted views of the harbour, so there’s no need for the usual ‘inside/outside’ conversation. Here, it really doesn’t matter. The menu focuses on seasonal local ingredients, with a French twist. There’s something for everyone, but the seafood dishes are the rock stars of the menu.

Ma Maison Restaurant - Akaroa

In a 100-year-old villa at the end of a long lavender-lined pathway is&nbsp;The Brasserie Kitchen and Bar. Dine here for a modern European- and Asian-inspired menu, served in a relaxed, old-world setting. Order Normandy-style mussels cooked in apple cider, crème fraiche, shallots, and lemon. Or prawns served with Marie rose sauce and fresh lemon. Then grab a seat outside to enjoy the age-old pleasures of sunshine and an English-style country garden.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Brasserie Kitchen & Wine Bar

That's just the beginning...

For more things to do, check out <a href="https://www.newzealand.com/us/akaroa/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New Zealand Tourism's page on Akaroa</a>.

Madison & Samuel

Madison & Samuel

Gallery