If you did travel with Air New Zealand back in 1999, you would most likely have have arrived on one of the airline's Jumbo Jets. Unfortunately, the last 747 was retired in 2014, so flying on your exact "waka" wouldn't be an option. Today, you'd most likely be travelling on one of their Boeing 777s or Dreamliners, with more than a dozen flights a week.
Qantas still uses 747s, but no longer offers direct flights to Auckland from LAX. The operate a partnership with American Airlines with its 787 Dreamliner — departing at around 11pm and arriving around 8.40am.
I'm looking to do a trip somewhere that's far from New Zealand, but I'm going to be on a budget. What's the cheapest and farthest away place you can get to from Auckland?
Trixie
What a great question! Well, I've done a bit of research and found the very handy website furthestcity.com, which tells me that the furthest spot from Auckland (that's not in the ocean) is the corner of southwestern Europe/northern Africa. So you're looking at Spain, Portugal and Morocco, all of which are quite affordable destinations. If you can nab a cheap flight to Europe in the early-bird sales (usually around August), you could easily get a connecting flight to any of these destinations with a budget airline.
In particular, Morocco often makes the lists of best-value destinations — you can save money on accommodation by staying in hostels, or finding good deals on Airbnb. When buying souvenirs in the markets, get your haggling skills up to scratch and you can pick up some great bargains. And when it comes to cheap eats, there's plenty of delicious street food on offer.
Spain is one of the cheapest countries in Europe and Portugal is even better for budget-minded travellers.
Many budget airlines operate in this area, so if you book in advance, you should be able to pick up a great deal.
