Mwenenzi

See post 13 above

If that is both ways and USD:- sort of OK tending to high. If NZD:- Yes.
But fares can peak at school holiday/vacation time.
Some of the cheapest fares may not includ checked baggage or food/water

All fares are simple one way. None the silly rules that seem common in the USA. A return is effectively just 2 one ways.

As regular trans Tasman flyer I almost never use the same airline both ways

Look at the co.nz, com.au sites or select NZ if a .com site

There is no particular advantage in booking both flights on one airline.
But NZ fares can be less than the same flight bought in Australia (as the 2nd leg of 2 segment fare)

Airlines that fly Australia (CNS BNE OOL SYD MEL ADL PER) to/from New Zealand (AKL WLG CHC ZQN) (not from all airport to all airports)
- Air New Zealand (codeshares with VA) [Star Alliance]
- Virgin Australia (codeshares with Air NZ) (Delta partner)
- Jetstar (a low cost low quality carrier with low-medium-high priced fares owned by QF)
- Qantas (codeshares with EK) [OneWorld Alliance]
- Emirates (codeshares with QF)
- LAN (SYD AKL) [OneWorld Alliance]
- China Airlines (BNE/SYD/MEL – AKL/CHC) [Skyteam Alliance]

emofeng

I'd like to apologize! I totally forgot I already asked that question. I will visit each website instead of going flights.google.com

emofeng

Update:

As I'm planning the activities in New Zealand, I've learned that the 9 days I want to spend traveling across NZ is NOT enough time especially if I want to drive around the country. I wanted to couple my NZ trip with a 4 night stay in Sydney but have made the really really hard decision to skip Sydney and spend the extra 4 days in NZ.

Now that I've found some extra time...I've made a rough itinerary.

SFO-AKL(Lands at 6am)

1) Auckland - 2 days: Not too sure the activities yet
2) Matamata - 1/2 day: Hobbitton Tour and ???
3) Waitomo - 1/2 day: Glow Worm Cave and ???
4) Rotorua - 2 days: Luge, OGO, Te Puia. There seems to be a lot of activities here.
5) Wellington - 2 days: Cable Car/Mt. Victoria

Ferry to Picton

6) Nelson - 1 day: Abel Tasman National Park
7) Franz Josef - 1 day: Tour the glacier - Ice Explorer Tour?
8) Lake Tekapo - 1/2 day: Star Gazing
9) Queenstown - 3 days: Milford Sound + Coronet Peak and ???

ZQN-AKL-SFO

Am I missing any of the "must sees"? As I'm doing my research...I just realized how much more this trip will cost! It seems like there is a fee for everything I want to see! Hobbitton, Glow worm cave, Te Puia, Ice Explorer tour, etc etc.

Questions:
1) Are there any discounts for the things I want to see/do? Should I book the tours online prior to departing to AKL?
2) Which Ice Explorer tour option do you guys recommend?
3) I've not looked at car rental yet, but I was going to try redeeming my Hertz points...if there is a Hertz in NZ?
4) For Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown, I was going to look to stay at some of the US chains...Hilton? For everywhere else, say Rotorua, Franz Josef area, and Nelson, do you guys have any recommendations. I'm looking for rooms that cost in the low 100s. I would pay for a nice view!

Thank you all for the help in making this a one heck of a trip! I will continue to update my itinerary as I go.

Philatravelgirl

In Franz Josef I stayed at the Scenic hotel (nothing like seeing the glacier outside the door). Many others stayed at various hostels. The town is maybe three blocks long? Had a great massage at hotel after a fabulous and much recommended kayaking adventure with Glacier Country Kayaks. I did the helicopter hiking tour which due to weather was cut short as we were on glacier

In Queenstown I stayed at the Crowne Plaza good location, great views much cheaper than Sofitel

emofeng

Thanks. I will probably stay at the Scenic Hotel as well! For Queenstown I was thinking of the Hilton DoubleTree(~$100USD a night). Hoping to get something out of my Hilton Diamond status.

Scrooge McDuck

After being a few times to NZ (both Islands), I do think that your schedule is nothing but a big hassle. You end up seeing nothing and have the constant preussure to move on.

Is there any way of taking out either the South Island or the North Island? If not, then what are your main interests and focus on these. I'd also recommend to bypass Franz Josef and go to Mt. Cook or Lake Tekapo instead. And don't forget that the conditions in the Alps might be tricky with lots of bad weather.

One final advice from my side: Don't underestimate the jet lag and the fact that you end up driving at the "wrong" side of the streets. The combination of both can cause real problems.

Amelorn

26 year old New York expat in NZ:

I did the round-trip drive from Auckland to ZQN and back over Monday Dec 7 - Tues Dec 15. I don't recommend it for the casual holidayer unless you love driving.

Auckland: The city isn't particularly interesting, but the nature-ish stuff like the wineries on Waiheke Island, the wild/stark/beautiful West Coast beaches, and the marine reserve at Goat Island can turn a boring CBD weekend into a far more memorable one.

Hobbiton/Matamata/glow worm caves: OK if you're a fan of. The glow worm caves can (read: should) be skipped on an itin as short as yours.

Rotorua: A beautiful lake and surrounding countryside. It turns into a tourist park in the summer. I much preferred the solitary walks in the woods in the winter when I was the only one there.

Wellington: Always a visitor favourite.

Nelson: Imagine a New England seaside town in Florida. A fine place to unwind. BUT...

If you want to see the glaciers, I would suggest flying straight from Wellington to Queenstown, skipping Nelson and giving the time to Queenstown/the glaciers. The landing in ZQN wows people (never did it myself, my love affair with the car overwhelms the love of flying).

Were I you....

Itin:

Auckland Day 1: Jet lag/explore city sights/museum
Day 2: Day trip to Hobbiton; have nice dinner on return (I'd suggest the Langham )
Day 3: Waiheke Island

Fly to Wellington: Don't miss Te Papa (the big museum). The city is foodie/cafe/pub heaven. The surrounds include coastal towns and the majestic scenery east of the city.

Fly to Queenstown; hire a car here.
-LotR stuff/horse treks in Arrowtown + gold panning. This is a neat place.
-Pay for a lake view in ZQN. I stayed at the Heritage hotel paying US$130. I woke up to this view in the morning
-Did I mention hiring a car?
-See glaciers; You might consider a scenic flight to Milford or the glaciers. They can be had for US$280-300+ per person.

Should you want a local to show you around in AKL; do PM me. I'm open to hosting a miniature Flyertalk do. My credentials include being roughly your age, not an axe murderer, etc.

Some hotel recommendations for you as well:

AKL:
-Hilton for the harbour views. I think their prices are outrageous, but that's your business.
-The Langham: Possibly the second best* in the city. They're the one true international 5* in Auckland, IMO. Rooms start at US$120/night room + internet only. B&B rates (food is amazing) from $150. I've done a staycation or two here.
-Skycity - Rooms from $80+; it is a casino property - which may impact your decision.

*Mollies Hotel is the best and is favoured by visiting gliteratti looking for discretion.

WLG:
-Intercontinental
-James Cook Grand Chancellor
-Copthorne Oriental Bay (my choice, usually have the best base prices and are always doing deals for add-ons for breakfast; I like the cheap parking across the St. They've begun upgrading me given my frequent stays with this chain)

PsiFighter37

I am in Rotorua right now and second the above comment - place is completely flooded with tourists. After getting more than my fair share of smelling sulfur while hiking the Alpine Crossing yesterday, I'm not terribly enamored by smelling it with relative frequency here. I do kind of wonder if I should've just gone direct to Auckland today (stopping by Hobbiton, of course)...

To the person who posted above - the South Island is big and is a lot of driving. Nelson to FJ is going to be a really, really long drive...

CPMaverick

This is exactly right. You'd be driving for 3-4 hours per day if you wanted to take everything in (stop for photos, roadside, etc). There are no major highways outside of Auckland, and driving in NZ is very mentally draining IMO. It is do-able, but it would be far from pleasant.

If you are set on doing some driving, consider flying to Christchurch and driving to Queenstown, it's quite a nice drive. Or fly to Queenstown and drive to Fox Glacier or Te Anau for a night, then back.

PsiFighter37

For driving - it really is a matter of YMMV. I found driving Christchurch-Franz Josef and Franz Josef-Queenstown rather doable, in large part because it is so scenic, and we split up the ~4.75 hour drives with a multi-hour hike in the middle. The only drive that I found to be quite difficult was driving from Martinborough to Tongariro National Park, as you have a lot of flat, rolling hills with very little to look at until you get closer to the park.

That said, 9 days is pretty tight for the entire country. I did both islands in 2 weeks and that was a bit of a stretch (although I did one-way car rentals, so did not have to worry about returning to a starting destination point).

emofeng

Sorry if I didn't clear this up. I planned on a 9 day trip but have found out 9 days is NOT enough. I've changed my itinerary to 13 days which adds a bit more time. I do agree this may still be a stretch!

Thank you all for the recommendations and comments. I'm currently working on the hotels. I will probably stay at Hilton properties in Queenstown and Auckland since I have Hilton Diamond.

CPMaverick

Just be aware that the Hilton properties in 'Queenstown' are really in Frankton. They are in a nice spot for views and relaxing but not anywhere close to walkable to Queenstown itself. I believe there is a water taxi service you can use to cross the lake, but still seems like a hassle.

I was going to stay at the Doubletree Queenstown next month, but stopped through Queenstown in December and decided against it. I haven't actually stayed there, so someone may be able to give more specific advice, but I realized the distance between this property and the town was more than I wanted.

The Crowne Plaza is perfectly placed in town, and I have also stayed at the Heartland Hotel which was in a nice spot and a very good value.

manderwa

Did you already book your flight? If not, I would definitely recommend pricing out a multi-stop trip on Air New Zealand. I booked a flight this week for a really good price which includes US to AKL, MEL and SYD for about the same price as booking just to one of those destinations. My flight back from SYD is an Air New Zealand codeshare on United.

worldiswide

We just stayed at the Museum Hotel in Wellington. .quirky lots of interesting art, great restaurant, across the street from Te Papa, and a couple of blocks from any bus you need. We actually stayed in a small apt there, with a galley kitchen and washer dryer for the price of a hotel room

Stayed in the Auckland Hilton many times.. on points or paid? .. it's pricey..so good use of points good location.. see if you can get one of the rooms suites at the end. Also want to know if a cruise ship is there during your stay ..if so, harbor view won't matter, youll have a view of the ship

Driving in NZ is not like driving in the US.. requires much more concentration on the roads

daftboy

I found this thread very useful when planning earlier this year, so just wanted to add a few points with some recent experience (November 2017) on travelling in NZ, with 13 nights on the ground (and the long journey to and from Europe on either side). I haven’t included details of any bars or restaurants in any of the places below, but happy to do so if anyone is looking for a recommendation, we had lots of great meals over the two weeks.

The full itinerary (for completeness) was LHR-OSL (BA Y)/OSL-DOH-AKL (QR J)/AKL-BHE (NZ Y)/Ferry to Wellington/WLG-ZQN (NZ Y)/ZQN-AKL (JQ Y)/AKL-DOH-OSL (QR J)/OSL-LHR (BA J)

Some general thoughts:

• We jumped around the islands in our travelling a little, based on what we wanted to see; internal flights are plentiful and can be had for reasonable cost and the domestic terminals are very calm and relaxed (and there is no liquids screening etc for domestic flights, so super easy if your hand luggage is full of wine…!).
• NZ is not a cheap destination. I found hotels consistently expensive, flights were a mixed bag – we could probably have travelled at slightly less convenient times at a lower cost, but we went for convenience and paid accordingly. We booked car hire relatively late so it wasn’t particularly cheap, but all the major chains are present so I am sure there are deals and offers to be had.
• Food and drinks felt in line with European prices, so may read as expensive for US visitors. Conversely there isn’t an expectation of tipping, so the price you see is the price you pay etc.

We found the itinerary below very workable and didn’t feel like we were overloaded with travel:

• Upon arrival in AKL we connected straight away to Blenheim/BHE in Marlborough (north of the South Island), where we spent 4 nights visiting wineries and enjoying the local scenery – stayed in the Marlborough Vintners Hotel (2 nights), the Hotel d’Urville in Blenheim town (1 night) and then an expensive but special night in the cottage on property at Hans Herzog vineyard, along with dinner in their restaurant. I’d happily return to all of those.
• We then took the ferry back to North Island from Picton to Wellington; as noted you leave your hire car in Picton, but this is very straightforward. It’s a 3-4 hour trip, with nice scenic views, but in bad weather I can’t imagine it is much fun (luck of the draw I think; we had clear skies and sunshine)
• We spent 5 nights in Wellington, as I have a friend who lives there – otherwise I would say 3 nights would be plenty of time, it’s a charming city with lots of nice bars and restaurants. We spent the final 2 nights in the Grand Mercure, which was quite cheap in comparison to other options as it is slightly out of the way, but really only a 10 minute walk to Cuba Street and it has recently been expensively refurbished so was a pleasant stay
• From Wellington/WLG we flew down to Queenstown/ZQN, where we spent 3 nights – stayed at the Hilton in Frankton, which I was a little apprehensive about re location but I needn’t have been. It was nice to be out of the madness of Queenstown itself, the property is very nice and there is a small café, a pub (which does pizzas, burgers, salads etc) and a normal restaurant on site (good food, only ok service). To get to town there is both a water taxi (NZD10 per person each way) and a hotel shuttle bus (free, but need to book your slot in the morning) – last shuttle back is at 11pm, which worked well for us. We booked in a sale but otherwise it seemed to consistently be very expensive, as are other properties around Queenstown. There is a Doubletree in the same complex providing another Hhonors option.
• We then flew back to Auckland for a final night, on Jetstar (other internal flights were on AirNZ); what I hadn’t realised was the fare including a checked bag that I booked also included a NZD10 per person voucher to spend onboard, which covered a drink and snack for the flight up to Auckland (the crew know about this via the iPad they use in flight, we didn’t get a paper voucher). Jetstar is an LCC but it was a perfectly pleasant and easy experience; AirNZ also operates a single cabin for their domestic routes, so I’d only particularly go with AirNZ if a *G to get lounge access, but the principal airports are all quite nice in any case with good coffee shop options in all of the ones we visited, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that.
• For our last night in Auckland we stayed in the Sofitel Viaduct Harbour, which was nice and in line with the standard I expect of Sofitels, but it was jam-packed full of cruise ship joiners and leavers as far as I can tell, which made it a bit manic. It’s also not in a very interesting location (it’s a newer office district) but it’s not a long walk to the downtown area with bars and restaurants, or take an Uber or taxi (taxis are expensive in NZ however). I expect the Hilton Auckland is not dissimilar to the Sofitel so may be worth staying in a more boutique style property to get a better feel for the city (I had booked Hotel deBrett, which looked interesting, and cost the same as the Sofitel). For us, on our last night in the country, it didn’t really matter too much.