New Zealand for a week with carry-on only

I usually travel to New Zealand between 1-3 times a year, and can’t remember the last time I packed a large suitcase for the trip. This time, I’m in Wellington to celebrate my Papou turning 90, by spending the week at home with family. And I thought, why not share what I’ve packed for my trip home to New Zealand for a week with carry-on only.

I’ve shared a couple of posts in the past about how I map out my travel wardrobe (you can browse my travel archives if you’re curious). The key tip is to be aware of the weather conditions at your destination, and stick to a simple colour palette. This trip, I went for blues (denim), the standard neutrals, camel and burgundy. It makes getting dressed at your destination a lot easier, plus you’ll end up with a more versatile travel wardrobe.

WHAT I PACKED

Like previous packing lists, I thought I’d map out everything I stashed into my carry-on (plus what I wore on the plane) for this trip. Despite it being almost summer, the planned weather forecast for the week I’m spending at home has been 14-17 deg C, with plenty of wind and rain. Safe to say, I’m glad I didn’t pack away all my winter knits and coats.

As someone who likes to travel light, I actually think I packed a little on the heavy side. This may all fit in my carry-on, but given the trip is seven days, including travel, I could have easily left a few things and home and still made do with lots of outfit choices.

TOPS/SWEATERS

Frame grey t-shirt (old but I also have this one from Sezane) | The first thing I reached for was one of my grey tees. The one I own from Frame ended up winning out over this similar style from Sezane, and it was all down to the length. I could wear it comfortably with maternity jeans without exposing the bottom of my belly.

Everlane air tank | Another layering basic, I brought this mostly with the intent to wear it paired with my RP skirt and a knit sweater. It’s pretty thin and light, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to throw this into my suitcase, “just in case”.

Everlane air tee | There’s a small handful of basics in my wardrobe that I’ve been heavily reliant on throughout my pregnancy, and this is one of them. I have this in an XS but it’s still reasonably oversized, plus it’s a good length (it still covers the bump, yay!). A great layering piece or worn on its own if it warms up at all.

Re/Done white shrunken tee | Another layering tee I added in to have extra warmth under my knit sweaters. Not quite long enough to cover the bump any more, but it still works well with high waisted skirts.

Mott & Bow striped boxy tee | The final tee I packed was a striped version. A perennial classic and I always love having some stripes to hand when travelling. Another currently cropped on me style, but still good as a base layer.

Friend of Audrey black tank | On the agenda were a couple of nice meals, so I wanted to have options. This top often comes with me if I want something that looks chic and smart, but is super easy to wear (and comfortable to boot). It’s a fitted style but made of a super soft stretch fabric so has been wonderful to wear during the pregnancy so far.

Everlane black mock neck top | Perhaps my most worn layering piece of the winter was this pima cotton mock neck from Everlane. It’s got a subtle rib design, is nice and fitted (if not slightly cropped on me right now…), and washes well. I brought this to wear as a layering piece under tops or paired up with my RP leopard skirt

Everlane ‘almond’ alpaca sweater | My main priority for any knitwear right now is that it’s soft and cuddly. This ticks those boxes and then some. It’s much softer than my charcoal version (doesn’t itch at all – YAY!), very warm, and the colour goes with everything.

Mott & Bow black cashmere sweater | I’ll admit, I was in two minds over whether or not to pack this, and in the end, I figured there was no harm. You can’t go wrong with a basic black crew neck sweater, and this one has a slimmer fit to the other knitwear options I packed.

Naadam plum unisex luxe cashmere sweater | More cashmere. I know; I have a problem. I decided to buy this around 4-6 weeks ago when Naadam were hosting a sale. Basically, I wanted to get a better sense of their knitwear quality and this seemed like a great option. The rich brown-toned burgundy hue is different for me, but this is oh so cosy, and gosh darn soft too.

Everlane ‘heather sand’ re-cashmere mockneck sweater | The fourth and final knit I brought with me was a taupe-toned honeycomb cashmere/wool knit from Everlane. This is really cool-toned which I love, and it feels so nice and soft. I like that it doesn’t come in at the waistband either – it’s the perfect option to wear loose when you don’t feel like tucking things in.

SKIRTS/TROUSERS

Jeanswest maternity skinny jeans & boyfriend jeans | I packed two pairs of maternity jeans with me; a girl needs options, right? I went with an under the bump skinny crop pair, and an over the bump boyfriend pair. Both are a light to mid wash blue, and are SO comfortable. A great option if you’re in the market for maternity jeans as they have adjustable side tabs so you can wear them both during and post-pregnancy.

Realisation Par leopard slip skirt (affordable dupe here) | This little slip of a thing is such an easy option to pack for travel. While admittedly it needs a good steam, it packs down small so is a no brainer to tuck away in the gaps. While I’m still not thrilled by the quality of RP pieces, I do genuinely love this skirt. The design is flattering (that fluted hem!), and the print is one of the nicest leopard print options I’ve seen.

DRESSES

Country Road black l/s midi dress | Little black dresses are a key staple for me when travelling. This casual thick ribbed version seemed a no brainer for the Wellington weather. It’s deceptively warm, and a flattering maternity option. I even went with my usual CR size – an XS (so you know it has a lot of stretch)!

Glassons polka dot smocked midi dress (old but I like this option) | Dress number two in my suitcase is an evening option; my polka dot smocked dress from Glassons. I bought this early on in the pregnancy as it looked perfect to wear over summer, and I’m glad I did. I’m planning to wear this out to dinner on Wednesday night, with my Everlane mock neck long sleeve layered underneath.

Matteau tiered maxi dress | Admittedly, I’m currently wondering why I chose to pack this dress from Matteau. It’s fast become a summer favourite, but it’s far too cold to reasonably wear this in Wellington right now without layering a tonne.

COATS

Mute by JL camel coat | I was tossing up whether to bring this coat or my double breasted one from Everlane, and I’m glad I went with a camel one in the end. It’s such a beautiful complement to my overall colour scheme, and it’s another one of those items that is deceptively warm. The coat is just partially lined around the chest and sleeves, but I don’t think it needs it. So far it’s blocked the wind out, and kept me incredibly warm. I also love the oversized fit, plus it accommodates the bump nicely which is a good bonus!

SHOES & ACCESSORIES

Everlane micro form bag | This was a last minute addition but I thought would make a great mini-purse for day-to-day. It has enough room to fit my phone, card wallet and passport, plus perhaps a key and lipstick. The essentials. It’s fairly discreet and the small size seemed like a great option to double up as an evening bag as it has a thin leather strap.

Louis Vuitton Neverfull (MM size) | You may have seen my recent unboxing on IGTV where I revealed my latest handbag purchase. Clearly, I couldn’t wait to use it. I’d been wanting to invest in a Neverfull for years, and finally decided to bite the bullet as I thought it would be a nice option as a baby bag, with a handbag organiser inside. I like that the bag itself is essentially featherlight, so it doesn’t add too much weight. Perfect for someone like me who really tends to overload her plane handbag.

Vaneli two-tone pumps | I couldn’t head on a trip and not take one of my favourite pairs of shoes – my Vaneli two-tone pumps. I opted to pack the beige and black pair as I find they work nicely with lighter wash denim, plus they’re leather so it won’t be a total disaster if I get caught out in the rain wearing them.

Everlane western boots | I’ve mentioned these boots a few times, but as I got them so late in the year, I’ve not had much opportunity to seriously break them in. The cold weather in NZ called for boots, so it only made sense to pack these. The thing that drew me to these most is that they’re western inspired without feeling too literal. They also com e a little higher up the leg than my other boots, which I find really flattering – plus I’m a big fan of their slim profile.

Everlane editor flats | Admittedly, it’s been a while since I reached for these shoes, but after adding them back into regular rotation, I figured I’d pop them in my suitcase as a “just in case” shoe. The forecast was rain, so suede isn’t particularly practical but they’re comfortable and I love the way these look on. I’m still yet to get the strap on the left (or is it right…?) shoe repaired; I figured now it’ll be best to wait until after the pregnancy in case my feet change increase in size. So it does mean one of the straps slips off occasionally, but it’s not annoying enough for me to stop wearing them entirely. Plus, they take up basically no space at all!

Aside from my electronics (hello laptop, external hard drive, DSLR & point and shoot cameras, Nintendo Switch, and iPhone; along with a book, some staple jewellery bits, basic toiletries, pjs, and a great scarf, that’s a good look at everything I packed for a week away.