Auckland Flights

If you arrive from overseas and have a connecting flight to another destination in New Zealand you have to go through immigration in Auckland where your luggage is also checked. The bags never get checked through to other NZ destinations.

After the immigration procedure you have to re-check in your luggage. Air New Zealand has a counter next to the immigration exit in the Arrival Hall. If you fly with one of the other airlines (JetStar, Pacific Blue, etc.) you have to get your luggage to the Domestic Terminal and check it in there.

The Domestic Terminal is a 10 minute walk – along a blue line - from the International Terminal. Only walk in good weather conditions as most sections of the footpath are open air. You can take a trolley for your luggage, so it is easy walking in good weather conditions.

Especially from spring to January it is very nice to walk because the walkway is like a pohutukawa alley, and with the trees in red flowers you get a great welcome feeling ;-)

If the weather is rubbish or you are tired you can use the free shuttle bus that runs every some minutes between the terminals from 6am to 10.30pm.

The Domestic Terminal is closed from midnight until 5am.

Auckland is New Zealand’s major airport, and most tourists arrive here. However, if you only want to travel on the South Island, consider flying with an international carrier that flies directly to Christchurch. And if you have limited time you could fly into one of those main cities and fly out of the other. (You can check those airlines on my Christchurch page.) Some airlines have international flights to Wellington and Queenstown, but just from Australia and the South Pacific.

Air New Zealand’s international connections go via Auckland only.

The airport is about 20 kilometres south-west of the city centre, in the suburb of Manukau. I always consider the landing exciting as shortly before the touch-down you fly very low over a harbour, and I always hope that the pilot makes it to the runway… ;-)

The airport is open 24/7. After midnight it becomes very lonely, as there are only five or six departures between midnight and 5am. Most shops and restaurant are closed. Duty Free shops open for arriving and departing flights only during the night. There are showers, so at least you should be able to refresh yourself if you intend to stay at the airport for an early morning flight.

If you are waiting for a domestic connection, stay at the International Terminal. The Domestic Terminal is closed from midnight until 5am. The shuttle bus that links the two terminals operates only from 6am, so if you have a very early flight you either have to walk or take a taxi. The walk takes 10 to 15 minutes, and not the whole length of the track is sheltered by a roof.

Website: http://www.auckland-airport.co.nz
(If you forget the hyphen you get to a funny website about the sale of Auckland Airport ;-)

In addition to the above suggestions, you can also try STA http://www.statravel.co.nz/ and Flight Centre http://www.flightcentre.co.nz/, or Air New Zeland Holidays Store(their travel agent division not their reservations) http://www.airnewzealand.co.nz

Fares especially from the carriers own website are not necessarily more expensive. They are subject to availability and could go up in a flash compared to tavel agents who pre-purchase from suppliers and therefore can supply same low price for a length of time until they have sold out. If you purchase your ticket direct from the airline early enough you'll find you'll get some really good fares. And it is true it pays to subscribe to a carrier for email updates, they do come out with good deals every now and then especially when they need to fill up undersold flights.

The advantage of going to a travel agent is that they can put together a complex fare/itinerary simply because they deal with a lot more suppliers, something that the airline can't or don't do.

In addition to the above suggestions, you can also try STA http://www.statravel.co.nz/ and Flight Centre http://www.flightcentre.co.nz/, or Air New Zeland Holidays Store(their travel agent division not their reservations) http://www.airnewzealand.co.nz

Fares especially from the carriers own website are not necessarily more expensive. They are subject to availability and could go up in a flash compared to tavel agents who pre-purchase from suppliers and therefore can supply same low price for a length of time until they have sold out. If you purchase your ticket direct from the airline early enough you'll find you'll get some really good fares. And it is true it pays to subscribe to a carrier for email updates, they do come out with good deals every now and then especially when they need to fill up undersold flights.

The advantage of going to a travel agent is that they can put together a complex fare/itinerary simply because they deal with a lot more suppliers, something that the airline can't or don't do.

Do not miss out on the opportunity to see Auckland by air. One of the unique things about this city is that when you are on a flight from Australia, you actually fly all the way over the city, circle around, and make your approach back across the city before landing. It is only about 5 minutes wide by plane, as New Zealand is a very slender strip of island.

The view of the bays and small pennisulas are really great, although I do wish that they would have cleaned our windows before the trip, so we could have taken a couple more pictures that were worthwhile!

Auckland International Airport is AKL, and it is serviced by several major carriers, but the big ones are Air New Zealand, Qantas, LAN Chile, and United.

Air New Zealand, Qantas, and United have the most flights from Australia and the USA. Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand and is most likely the point of entry you will use.

Since New Zealand is far away from everything, it is a good idea to look for discounted tickets or shop around as much as possible. Another thing to consider is making a trip out of a stopover. Most people I know that have been to New Zealand from the USA or Europe have used their stopovers as a 2 or 3 day stop to see another Pacific destination, such as Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti, or L.A.

New Zealand’s largest and busiest airport. Most overseas visitors to New Zealand arrive here. It is located south-west of the city of Auckland in the suburb of Mangere. It is like a small town with shopping, service stations and all facilities.

The Mangere airport was officially opened in January 1966. It is situated 21km (14 miles) from Downtown Auckland City. The main International Terminal is known as The Jean Batten International Terminal Building after Jean Batten who was a pioneer New Zealand aviator in the 1920s and 1930s.

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Auckland Airport is the main airport in New Zealand and a link between Australia and South America and many Pacific islands. There is also a good range of duty free stores.