Where would loved-up Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce holiday in Aotearoa?

Cover image courtesy of TAS2023 via Getty Images

We all know Taylor Swift is coming to Australia in February for some huge concerts but wouldn't it be nice if she could pop to Aotearoa pre or post concerts for some well earned R&R with her main squeeze NFL football star Travis Kelce?

In our dreams we (The Unofficial Trade Me Taylor and Travis Fan Club) would love the couple to come here for a good two weeks. However, these are two seriously busy, scheduled superstars so we’ll take what we can get.

Luckily Taylor or Tay, as Travis likes to call her, owns her own private jet, so she can get around the motu without too much bother.

Swifties that we are, we already know Taylor’s favourite hobbies. She loves to cook, go antique shopping and she loves waterskiing too. The musician is a very good horse rider and she likes a bit of crafting in her down time, making snow globes, as you do.

We did a bit of research on Travis’s passions and it seems he’s a man of simple tastes, but there’s more to him than you might think. He has a penchant for cars, so we needed to get him a fun car to drive around in some of our most beautiful locations. The sports star also likes baseball and basketball (as well as American football, obvs) loves his sneaker collection, food, and hanging with his dogs.

Now, something we know about Taylor is that one of her eight luxury properties in her US $150 million property portfolio is on Rhode Island, a pretty down to earth place on the East Coast.

And a little bird tells us she’s been to Waiheke before, so we thought Waiheke Island would be an obvious place for this new couple to go so that Taylor can show Travis her favourite spots. But first, they can have some city time in Auckland, take advantage of the great eating on the waterfront – Travis loves a good burger – and some sneaker shopping on High Street to add to his burgeoning collection.

We would suggest a night or two in Ōrākei before they head off to Waiheke. There’s some seriously super-star worthy mansions around Paritai Drive currently for sale which we’re sure could accommodate the A-list couple on a special per night lease basis. This Ōrākei palace should be right up their alley too.

From this base, Taylor could pop down to Ōrākei Basin for a spot of water skiing and she could even do a bit of horse riding at St Heliers Bay Pony Club nearby - she rode competitively when she was young. We’re sure a Swiftee horse fan from St Helier’s would like to step up to lend her a trusty steed for a couple of hours. In fact, we think there might be a queue for that honour.

Then it’s time for a quick helicopter ride or fast boat ride over to Waiheke for a romantic getaway – again, some great places for dining and some antique shopping there in Oneroa Village. As Aucklanders can tell you, Waiheke boasts some very high end stylish homes, so we’re thinking they might like to purchase this property or this one. So much to choose from, and Waiheke is a great place for privacy for stars.

The island is also an excellent place for dog walking or indeed swimming with your dogs. We know people with dogs on Waiheke, Travis, if you need to scratch that itch, it’s a done deal. Of course, if she’s in town, Taylor’s buddy Lorde who grew up in nearby Devonport, could pop over by helicopter, maybe for a laid back BBQ at home with Travis at the grill?

Then, we’re just going to send this celebrity couple south to the sunny Waikato.

Taylor, who’s big on empowering women, can visit the hometown of Dame Jacinda Ardern in Morrinsville for a thrill, and surely Travis will enjoy a private visit to Hobbiton. His manager is considering putting the football star up for action films when he’s done with his sport, so the sooner he learns about the movie world, the better.

Meanwhile, for water skiing enthusiast, Taylor, Lake Karāpiro is probably one of the best places in the country to strut her stuff on the water. And then she can pop into the vibrant town of Cambridge, which is a real hub for antique enthusiasts. This town, with a well-heeled population, has some surprisingly fancy homes on offer, so they won’t find it hard to find accommodation for the night.

And then we recommend it’s just a hop, skip and jump to the beautiful black sand beach of Raglan or Whāingaroa. Americans have a real love for Raglan, it’s appealed to musicians Ben Harper and Jack Johnson over the years for its excellent surf. And the funky town has some great houses with beautiful sea views that Travis and Taylor will no doubt appreciate.

Ray White Rosetown agent, Julie Hanna says you can water ski in the Raglan harbour, there’s pottery and art shops and a strong art community which we think Taylor, with her crafting passions, will warm to. And there are always bands in town at The Yacht Club, says Julie.

All righty, that’s enough time in the North Island. It’s time to pop this gorgeous couple back onto the private jet, and head to the South Island. And given their love for driving, outdoor pursuits, shopping and eating, we’re sending Taylor and Travis to Wānaka and Queenstown, for a couple of days.

In the luxury playground of Queenstown, Travis can hire a fun sports car, and the couple, who are down to earth at heart, can hit some great bars for burgers and some Kiwi beer.

We’ll have them in some lakeside accommodation, something like this beautiful, architecturally designed home owned by the architects themselves.

Travis, the Kansas City Chiefs player known as one of the greatest tight ends of all time in the NFL, no doubt likes some exhilarating outdoor activities so we’re sure he’ll be up for bungy jumping and the Shotover River Extreme Jet boat ride. And Taylor won’t be able to get him off the Queenstown Luge. She’ll love it too. In fact, they might be quite competitive in a fun romantic movie kind of way.

And before they go back to their busy superstar lives, we’re thinking a quiet couple of days in a lakeside home in Wānaka might be just the ticket. Wānaka is the perfect place for downtime.

They could play house in a property with a kitchen like this. Taylor might be doing some of that cooking or baking that she loves, throwing together a couple of snow globes at the crafting table as she watches some of her favourite home and food reality TV shows. Travis could settle down in this comfortable home to watch a game or two of baseball or basketball on the big screen. And if Tay and Travis can’t be bothered getting ingredients for dinner, they can just order some of their favourite Japanese or Chinese food from a choice of eateries in the village.

If they’ve still got a day left, this fun, spontaneous pair might like to drive down to Gore for the day. Taylor, who made her start in country music, would surely enjoy visiting the Nashville of Aotearoa and boy would she be given a big welcome. It’s only a two and a half hour drive from Wānaka, and Travis can show Tay what a great driver he is.

Can we make this happen? Would Lorde give The Unofficial Trade Me Taylor and Travis Fan Club Taylor’s number if we ask really nicely? It's all we want for Christmas.