December is one of the busiest months when travelling to and in New Zealand. It is the beginning of summer. Tourists flock to New Zealand, expatriate New Zealanders return for the Christmas holidays, and New Zealanders go overseas to visit friends and family. International students return home for the summer holidays. Because New Zealand is a small country, the capacity of airlines and other operators such as hotels does not scale overly well. Therefor, we strongly advise that you make your bookings as soon as possible to avoid inconvenience and extra expense at a later date.
The information below is intended to give you some orientation, without any claim to completeness:
As a general rule of thumb, travel on long-haul eastbound sectors is almost always overnight. Westbound longhaul from New Zealand is usually during the day, however, many of the connecting flights from Asia to Europe are also long night flights. Those airlines that have daytime flights available are usually the larger airlines which may have more than one flight a day to the chosen destination in Europe.
If you are planning to holiday in New Zealand before or after the conference, you may wish to consider a "forked" flight that sees you arrive in Christchurch and leave from Auckland, or vice versa.
The only airline that currently flies directly nonstop from Japan to New Zealand is Air New Zealand.
There are six flights a week from Narita, with daily departures except on Fridays. All flights are overnight and depart from Narita, arriving into Auckland the next day. Direct flights take around 11 hours. The flights on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday are 767s and have an extra stop at Kansai International before continuing to Auckland - good news for participants from the area, but an extra three hours travel time if you come from Tokyo! The rest of the flight use the newer 777s. On the return leg, all flights to Narita from Auckland seem to be nonstop, departing every day except Wednesday and Thursday.
From Osaka (Kansai International), there is a nonstop flight departing 5:30 pm on Fridays; on Wednesdays and Thursdays, there is a stop in Narita; on Saturdays and Sundays, Air NZ will take you all the way to Christchurch before flying you back up to Auckland. In either case, that's about three to four hours extra flying or sitting in lounges. On the way back, all flights are nonstop and direct, and operate every day except on Monday and Tuesday. All Osaka flights are on 767s - take work or your iPod along.
If you see Japan Airlines (JAL) advertising flights to New Zealand, be aware that these are all either codeshare with Air New Zealand on Air New Zealand operated aircraft, or connect via Australia. Note that if you have an Australian connection, you may need a transit visa for Australia. Please consult your travel agent.
If you cannot get a direct flight to New Zealand, your next best options are:
Too many options to list, with Air New Zealand and Qantas having the most flights and destinations in both countries. Emirates seem to provide good price competition to the local carriers across the Tasman. If you need to connect through Eastern Seaboard airports and you think about using two different airlines to get to and from your intermediate destination, note that some discount airlines let you only book tickets sector-wise and have the nasty habit of offering flights for sale that don't ever take off. Instead, they will send you a notification along the lines of "Good news, your flight has changed!", telling you that you're now going via someplace far off the direct route. This will almost certainly mean that you will miss your connection to NZ.
When booking flights from North America, please remember that you will be crossing the International Date Line - this means if you catch an overnight flight to NZ on, say, Friday, you will not arrive on Saturday morning but on Sunday morning local time! Conversely, going the other way, e.g., leaving NZ on a Thursday night, gets you to the Americas on Thursday lunchtime.
The traditional transpacific gateway to New Zealand has been Los Angeles. Air New Zealand and Qantas operate daily nonstop flights on this route, but buyer beware. Cheaper fares on this route could see you going via Sydney or Melbourne instead with both airlines, adding a whopping six hours flight to the journey, and of course a stopover in Australia. Air NZ may also send you on a nighttime island-hopping odyssey through the Pacific, with scenic destinations such as Rarotonga (Cook Islands), Tonga, or Samoa along the way. These make great stopovers if you book them on purpose and stay a few days, but are a nightmare if you're not being told about it before boarding the plane in Los Angeles. Also, many New Zealanders now avoid Los Angeles because of the lack of proper transit facilities and inconvenient security arrangements. If you change planes at LAX and you come from outside the US, you will spend several hours under armed guard in an austere windowless lounge with alarmed doors - if you must take this route, take a good book and some nibbles, and make sure you go to the toilet while you're still on the incoming plane.
San Francisco has in recent years been added back into the list of North American gateways, as has Vancouver, both of which are connected via direct Air New Zealand flights now. The San Francisco run operates daily overnight, and the Vancouver run operates Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only, overnight, with return flights also on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. flights.
Honolulu also has overnight direct flights on Fridays and Mondays, with the return legs on Tuesday and Saturday being daytime flights.
Other connection options exist with Air Pacific via Fiji and Air Tahiti Nui via Papeete (Tahiti)
LAN Chile have a nonstop service from Santiago to Auckland (13 hours) daily except Wednesdays, and return daily except Fridays. There's also a connection option via Papeete (Tahiti) once a week.
Aerolineas Argentinas have a nonstop service from Buenos Aires to Auckland (13 hours) daily except Thursdays and Saturdays, and return daily except Mondays and Saturdays.
Qantas have a nonstop service from Buenos Aires to Sydney three times a week (14.5 hours), which connects with the last flight to Auckland in the evening.
Europeans are spoilt for choice when flying to New Zealand - almost any direction will do and you can visit any continent but Antartica enroute on a stopover with only a few hours difference in total flying time.
Popular routing options include:
A more unconventional but entirely feasible route is with British Airways to Johannesburg and onwards with Qantas to Sydney and Auckland. Or try routing via South America!
Also, if you're not a member of a frequent flyer programme yet, it may be worth investigating joining the one of the airline you're flying with - given the distance you're flying, you may even qualify for a reward by the time you return home.
Qantas has a daily service to Sydney which connects with a flight to Auckland, currently five times a week (daily except Tuesday and Saturday). On the return leg, it's a daytime flight every day except Tuesday and Saturday, with an extra service being added on Tuesday from December 16 onwards. South African Airways codeshares on these flights but will take you as far as Perth on their own aircraft, from where you can catch a direct flight on Air New Zealand to Auckland.
If you are planning to holiday in NZ before , you may wish or need to travel to Auckland by air.
Air New Zealand is the national flag carrier with the most extensive network, serving Kaitaia, Kerikeri, Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Tauranga, Whakatane, Gisborne, Napier, Taupo, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Wanganui, Wellington, Blenheim, Nelson, Westport, Hokitika, Christchurch, Timaru, Oamaru, Wanaka, Queenstown, Dunedin, and Invercargill. Unless your Air NZ flight comes as part of a package, booking via their website is generally cheapest. Air NZ is a Star Alliance member. Note that flights from and to smaller centres are often on small turboprop planes with limited space for bulky hand luggage.
The main trunk routes (Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown) are also served by Qantas, a One World member. Pacific Blue, a subsidiary of Australia's Virgin Blue, also operates out of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Being flexible with travel dates is an advantage here.
Smaller airlines offer services to locations such as Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula, Mount Cook, Milford Sound, and Stewart Island.
Many international visitors hire a rental car as their main means of transport within New Zealand. While a little more expensive than bus or train, the latter bypass many places of interest. When they go, they usually don't go very frequently. For example, there is only one train a day between Auckland and Wellington in each direction, even if the train ride is renowned for the scenery. Buses are more frequent and have a wider network but are often not much cheaper than flying. In addition to a couple of nationwide operators, many bus lines operate regionally to centres of touristic interest such as the Bay of Islands, Rotorua, or the Coromandel, and represent a good choice for individual travellers with a few days to spare.
If travelling by rental car, you should be aware that:
When approaching Auckland from the South, be aware that many motels in the South Auckland area are quite run down (a hotel is generally the same as a pub). When it comes to motels, your best bet north of Hamilton is at Auckland Airport, or to the Northeast around Thames. If you have a campervan, stay at Miranda Hot Springs or at one of the regional parks in the area. There is also a very nice regional park (Ambury Farm Park) with camping facilities not far from Auckland Airport in Mangere.
If coming from the North, Waiwera or Orewa are reasonable choices, as are the beautiful regional parks at Tawharunui, Mahurangi and Shakespear for campervan users and tenters.
The venue of ISITA2008 is the Langham Hotel at the corner of Symonds Street and Karangahape Road at the southern end of Auckland's Central Business District. The main entrance is on Symonds Street. If you are trying to locate the hotel in a travel guide, please note that your guide may show a Sheraton Hotel in its place.
The only transport from Auckland International Airport to Auckland City is by road. Travel times to downtown vary between 25 minutes at night or in the early morning and an hour or more during rush hour.
The Airbus runs approximately every 15 minutes between 5.15 am and 10 pm from the airport, and the first stop in the city is right outside the Langham Hotel. This is your cheapest option for travelling into the city unless you arrive late, in which case an airport shuttle is the next best choice. Return fare is NZ$22.
The YHA is behind the Langham Hotel, and the stop for the return journey is exactly between the YHA and the Langham. If you are staying at the Quest on Cintra, also get off at the Langham and continue to walk down Symonds Street for another 200m or so until you see a small street going steeply downhill on your right on an intersection with traffic lights. Cross here and go down the small street. Cintra Lane is next on your right a few metres down and it's even smaller.
If you're staying at the Kiwi International Hotel, you may also get off at the Langham, continue along Symonds Street for a few metres and turn left into City Road. Walk straight along City Road past the back of the Langham Hotel and the YHA and straight down the hill. The street at the bottom of the hill is Queen Street, and the Kiwi is to your left a few metres up Queen Street on the opposite side. You'll need to walk down their driveway as the reception is at the back.
Passengers for the Airedale get off two stops further and backtrack up Queen Street. Look for a wedge-shaped building on your left. The Duxton is probably a little too far for walking with luggage. If you absolutely want to, get off at the Langham, backtrack a few metres to the next intersection, and turn right. Follow Karangahape Road for about 400m to the intersection with Pitt Street, then right down Pitt Street for about 200, the right again into Greys Avenue. The Duxton is about 120m down on your right. Shortcutting through the park is not recommended.
Airport shuttles (shared minibuses) are an economical way to get to town if you're arriving outside the Airbus operation hours and you are by yourself or two people travelling together. Shuttles will drop or collect you at the doorstep of your hotel. They cost around NZ$\$25$ per person one-way, but may take detours to drop off or collect passengers in other suburbs along the way. Please keep this in mind, especially on your journey back to the airport, as this can often mean an extra half hour travel time!
Shuttles queue at the airport terminal and you will be directed to the next available shuttle heading in your direction. It may not depart immediately if the driver is waiting for more passengers. For the return journey, ask your accommodation front desk to book a shuttle for you.
Taxis will cost you around NZ$60 one-way.
Contrary to common belief, it is actually possible to get to the city by public bus and train. It's not straightforward: it takes much longer, there's some walking involved, significant risk of delays, some "lower socioeconomic suburbs" along the way, and it's not a lot cheaper than the Airbus, especially if you need to buy a one-way Airbus ticket for your way back. To get to, say, the YHA in this way, you would pay almost the same and you'd have to change at least three times. It does however take you on a tour through Auckland's suburbs that you may find an adventure worth experiencing. So if you arrive early with light luggage and plenty of time to kill, these are your options:
Note that railway stations in New Zealand are generally just platforms with not much infrastructure around them. Except at Britomart, there are neither ticket offices (you pay on the train) nor food outlets, lockers, or bicycle rentals.
Now this is for the die-hards... Most Aucklanders use cars, and some strongly believe that the city would have no traffic problems were it not for the cyclists slowing them down. If you intend to cycle, be prepared for significant detours, verbal abuse from drivers, attempts to push you off the road, bad road surface, exhaust gases that would get vehicles off the road elsewhere, and sudden showers. Helmets are required by law. Your quickest option if you have brought your own bike is to pedal off in the direction of Manukau City until you hit the railway line, find yourself the nearest station and take a train from there.
If you want to cycle nevertheless, then head left at the intersection with the big flag, through the next roundabout, and left again once you're out of the industrial area. Now you're away from the crowds - bypass them by cycling in a big curve, heading for Mangere (suburb with a small volcanic hill). Then take the old Mangere Bridge to Onehunga, dodge the trucks and make for (N)One Tree Hill with the Obelisk in front of you for some proper orientation. From there, head two km or so to the west and then to the city along Mt. Eden Road. You'll eventually end up on Symonds Street.
The ISITA2008 local committee all enjoy New Zealand as a special place, and we'll be only too happy to send you in the right direction if you ask us. Here are some general hints if you intend to spend some time here (which is highly recommended!):
See anything that's missing? Anything incorrect? Please e-mail ulrich@cs.auckland.ac.nz.