Air New Zealand Air Points - ANZ v. UA/North v. South Island?

Greetings!

I am planning a trip to New Zealand/Australia in August and had a few questions. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

First, I am trying to decide between flying ANZ LAX-AKL-SYD or UA LAX-SYD with an add-on flight to NZ. Can someone compare ANZ Y with UA E+?

Second, ANZ seems to have great vacation packages. One in particular I was looking at included airfare, hotel, and car rental for about $1400. Anyone have experience booking such packages?

Finally, I am trying to decide where I should spend my time in NZ. I will have about 2 weeks there and 1 week in Australia. I would like to concentrate on either the south or north island and not try to do both. Weather is a big concern for me since I am coming in August. Any advice/suggestions as to possible itineraries? One thing to note is that I am not a big skiier which I know, would be the main draw to the South Island.

Thanks in advance!

I would definitely go with UA Y+ over NZ Y as a rule. Personally, I don't find NZ's Y seats comfortable to sit in. However, since the NZ armrests can go back behind the seatback, the NZ seats are great if you can get 3 or 4 to yourself and lie down.

As to which island to concentrate on, I can only suggest looking at what they offer and see what sounds most interesting. South Island will tend to be colder and windier, so my preference for that time of year would be the North. If it were me at that time of year, I'd spend less time in NZ and more time in northern Australia -- Great Barrier Reef, Daintree, etc. However, that's because I love water and especially marine wildlife. All depends what you most want to see and do.

My personal preference would be for AirNZ economy (assuming we're talking about the 744) over UA Y+ any day of the week. Why?
1. The legroom is basically the same... UA may have an advantage of about 1" pitch but both are generous
2. NZ's actual seats are far, far superior IMHO. UA's are very basic but OK; NZ's are supportive, the seat cushion tilts when you recline, have decent lumbar support and excellent winged headrests
3. The service on NZ is at worst good, at best superb - and more often the latter than the former. On UA it is at worst absolutely godawful, and at best quite good, and a complete lottery as to which end of the spectrum you'll get.
4. Food and wine on NZ is some of the best in economy class - ironically, especially on the shorthaul trans-Tasman services - though occasionally the quantity is less than it could be (but this is especially noticeable because the food is actually good enough that you would LIKE some more). UA's food is usually OK, as is the quantity, though the wine is consistenly of bare-minimum quality.
5. Entertainment isn't a strong point of either, since UA's 744's have no PTVs. Nothing much in it there.

I have no experience with NZ's package deals, so can't help you there.

As to where to go, probably a good idea not to try to do both islands in 2 weeks. Skiing is not the only draw to the South Island in winter - much of that landscape looks even more stunning with a bit of snow on the mountains. Anywhere in NZ can be hot or cold at any time of the year, but even in the deep south we're not talking about cold by Illinois standards! Much of the North Island, while milder, can tend to be grey and wet in winter while the South gets colder but clearer, sharper weather. If it were me, I'd fly down to Christchurch then drive to Queenstown via the McKenzie country, spend some time in the Queenstown area and get down to Milford Sound (stunning with snow on the mountains) then head up the west coast via the Haast Pass and the glaciers (Fox is preferable to Franz Josef, I reckon) then back over the Arthurs or Lewis Pass to Christchurch, perhaps via the Hot Springs at Maruia or Hanmer. You could always jaunt up to Kaikoura for seal or whale watching (though you really feel the cold out on the open sea, and the sea can be pretty rough at that time of year) or over to Akaroa on Banks Peninsula if you have some extra time. You could also spend a day or so in Auckland, since you'll have to fly through there, as the contrast to the South Island is marked.