On this page 5 sections
How it works
Open your chat and tap Plan a date. It's at the top of every conversation with a match.
Choose coffee, drinks or food, a day and a time. You can plan up to two weeks ahead.
Say roughly where you're coming from. Pick your suburb or town. Matcha suggests the nearest one to start with, and remembers it for next time.
Matcha finds a spot about halfway. You get up to three places, open for the whole date wherever their hours are listed, each with how far it is from you. Tap Another spot to see the next one.
Send it to your match. It arrives in your chat as a date card. They can accept, decline, or suggest a different place or time. Once it's accepted, it shows as confirmed for both of you.
Meet in the middle works anywhere in New Zealand, for matches up to 150 km apart, and it's free.
Your location stays private
Most "halfway point" tools need both addresses. Matcha doesn't, and nothing in the date card can be used to work out where either of you lives.
Only your suburb.
You choose a suburb or town, never an address, and it's rounded to about a kilometre before anything is worked out.
Never shown to them.
Your match doesn't see where you're coming from. Each of you only sees your own distance to the spot.
Not the exact middle.
The spot is picked near the halfway point, not on it, so it can't be traced back to where the other person is.
How the spot is chosen
- Fair for both of you. Places where one of you would travel much further than the other are left out.
- Open when you'll be there. Where a place lists its hours, it has to be open for the whole date: an hour for coffee, an hour and a half for drinks or a meal.
- Somewhere people like. Well-reviewed places come first, with a little variety so you don't always get the same one.
- Somewhere public. Only cafes, bars and restaurants, never someone's home, which is the right setting for a first meeting anyway.
Places come from Google Maps or OpenStreetMap, and the location on each card opens straight in Maps for directions.
Tips for a halfway first date
- Start with coffee. An hour in the daytime is easy to say yes to, and easy to extend if it's going well.
- Check how you'll both get there. Halfway by distance isn't always halfway by bus or traffic. If the trip looks awkward for either of you, try another spot or time.
- Tell a friend where you're going. The date card has the place and time in one spot, so it's simple to share. Our online dating safety guide has more on meeting for the first time.
- Want something more memorable? Our first date ideas for Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and other cities go beyond coffee.
Common questions
Does Matcha share my address with my match?
No. You only ever pick a suburb or town, your match never sees it, and each of you only sees your own distance to the spot.
Is it the exact halfway point?
Close to it, but deliberately not exact, so the spot can't be used to work out where either of you is. It's always somewhere with a fair trip for both of you.
What if we live far apart?
It works for matches up to 150 km apart. Further than that, a halfway spot usually isn't a realistic first date, so Matcha will say you're too far apart.
Can I pick a different place?
Yes. Tap Another spot, or change the type, day or time to search again. Your match can also suggest a different place or time instead of accepting.
Does women message first still apply?
Yes. A date suggestion is a message, so in a match between a man and a woman, she sends the first one. After that, either of you can plan a date.
Does it cost anything?
No. Planning a date is free for everyone on Matcha.