\u201cEveryone wants red roses one day of the year. And it\u2019s not like picking up a can of beans off the shelf … Someone\u2019s got to look after them while they grow. Feed them and nurture them. Then they\u2019ve got to cut them, pack them, ship them, then someone else has got to handle them.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Wild Poppies, a wrapped and ribboned bouquet of one-dozen super-grade red roses with foliage will set you back $229. (A boxed dozen is slightly cheaper at $199).<\/p>\n
\u201cOur pricing is the same as last year,\u201d says Bradburn, noting florists have to factor in damaged flowers and wastage, along with their own labour. <\/p>\n
Are they worth it?<\/p>\n
\u201cRoses are symbolic. They\u2019re not just a product, they\u2019re a declaration of love and you pay for that. Like oysters, they\u2019re not growing on every street corner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Online searches showed that, this week, supermarkets were selling small bouquets of red roses for $35, and some florists were offering one dozen bunches for $125. The New Zealand Herald\u2019s attempts to find an inner-city red rose for a photo shoot were thwarted by the price tags \u2013 $15 for a single stem with no ribbons or wrapping, from a florist who said wholesale prices had doubled since last Valentine\u2019s. <\/p>\n
Bradburn, meanwhile, says one red rose is not the same as the next.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can definitely find cheaper roses. But the heads on ours would probably be three times bigger and they\u2019ve been well looked after, nurtured and loved and adored \u2013 as opposed to mass-produced, mass-picked, mass-bucketed and mass-marketed.<\/p>\n
\u201cRomance is romance and people associate red roses with romance. If you\u2019re romantically involved with someone, it\u2019s the ultimate gift. It\u2019s saying \u2018I absolutely adore you\u2019 \u2013 because we both know these roses are costing you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rose orders were, so far, on a par with last year, Bradburn said, although some customers had opted for cheaper deliveries of hydrangeas and cupcakes.<\/p>\n
How do you say \u201cI love you\u201d without breaking the bank? Read on for one dozen Valentine\u2019s Day gifts that are lighter on the wallet \u2013 but no less laden with meaning.<\/p>\n
Pack a pink picnic (this one features ros\u00e9 from Astrolabe, one of Viva’s Top 50 wineries in 2025). <\/p>\n
Pink drinks: Roses for $240 or a decent ros\u00e9 for less than $24? It\u2019s amazing what a price difference l\u2019accent can make.<\/p>\n
Happily monogamously masked lovebirds. <\/p>\n
Animal attraction: Auckland Zoo has 25 pairs of resident masked lovebirds. Grab your own significant other (and a $24 adult day pass) and promenade the African savannah for close-up views of the Tanzanian bird that mates for life. Other ongoing zoo romances include the monogamous siamangs Kera and Intan, and Zayana and Ramah \u2013 Sumatran tigers who have their own rooms but come together for mating.<\/p>\n
Tourism New Zealand used beach art to promote its $6.3m spend on the Michelin Guide (but you could probably write “I love you” for less).<\/p>\n
Long-distance love: Find a sandy beach. Write a message. Hire a drone. Film your message. Open your laptop. Press send. Mic drop.<\/p>\n
Homemade (with love): Marry Me Chicken is the internet\u2019s favourite matchmaker. The recipe that features heavy cream sauce, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese, the dish was first created in 2016 when, coincidentally, New Zealand\u2019s divorce rates dropped to some of its lowest levels since 1979. Alternately, consider a readymade package like the $140 flowers, dinner and dessert deal from My Food Bag because nothing says \u201cI love you\u201d like a lasagne (serves four). <\/p>\n
Trust us, cheese is a love language. Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n
Say cheese: In which the British attempt to get sexy with cheese. (Mature Cheddar might sound like the Coronation Street of the dairy section but then you remember that time Rosie Webster wore rollerblades and a mini-skirt and while this analogy might not be 100% working if you don\u2019t watch Coro, this cherry red, heart-shaped block of Somerset\u2019s finest is definitely the cheesiest $16 you could spend this Valentine\u2019s Day).<\/p>\n
Kawakawa: Nature’s Valentine.<\/p>\n
All the other flowers: How, exactly, did roses get the monopoly on love? Consider the heart-shaped profiles of kawakawa (free from your neighbour\u2019s fenceline), violets (less than $12 from Bunnings) or cyclamen (buy now, regift at Mother\u2019s Day) and spend the hundreds of dollars you saved on something truly romantic like a toasted sandwich maker. <\/p>\n
An $11 packet of petals from Secret Kiwi Kitchen.<\/p>\n
Edible dried rose petals: Romance AND a plant-based snack.<\/p>\n
Double-scoop entendres: Ice cream lovers are no longer limited to hokey pokey, chocolate and vanilla. New Zealand\u2019s artisan brands are delivering flavours that speak to hot dates and cozy mornings. Consider Little \u2018Lato\u2019s pink champagne sorbet followed by crumpets and golden syrup, or Island Gelato\u2019s grapefruit gin and yuzu with a breakfast-adjacent coconut latte.<\/p>\n
George Bernard Shaw once said there is no sincerer love than the love of a squishy marshmallow heart (or something like that). Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n
Sweet nothings #1: Repeat after me \u2013 chocolate is not a cop out. Also, this raspberry marshmallow heart from Potter Brothers definitely looks like it is worth at least $2 more than the $3 you will actually pay for it (stylish wrapping not shown).<\/p>\n
Two hearts beat as one (etcetera). Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n
Sweet nothings #2: Multiple Valentine\u2019s? No judgement here. This $4.29 seasonal treat from Molly Whopper\u2019s offers double ginger biscuit bang for your buck.<\/p>\n
Venison heart for the more literal Valentine (as recently eaten al fresco, in the romantic courtyard at Auckland’s Cazador restaurant).<\/p>\n