If I recall, the flight originated in AKL, making AKL-JFK a one stop direct journey. But it never seemed to pick up enough traffic. French Polynesia is super expensive, and skews toward a narrow band of leisure travellers. Almost every other island nation in the south Pacific is less expensive--and many are just as gorgeous (Cook Islands in particular).
Originally Posted by
jlemon
Indeed. Some years ago, Air Tahiti Nui operated nonstop A340 service between New York and Papeete (and on some days this flight routed over LFT - I remember seeing the TN aircraft when it was flying at a somewhat lower altitude working its way around thunderstorms over southern Louisiana). However, it appears the route wasn't viable as it was subsequently discontinued.