Travel
Flight
New Zealand Flights
Auckland International Airport (AKL) will be the arrival point into New Zealand, no matter where you are flying from. Flights can be expensive, so we highly recommend making a trip out of your time in NZ! We are so grateful for everyone who can make it over from the US, so please reach out if you need help booking flights, have questions, or want to make sure you're getting the best flight prices. As someone who has flown to and from NZ quite a lot, and a self-proclaimed flight tracking guru, Cameron will provide more information about best routes and prices to expect out of a few locations further down on this page.
Travel Note
Passport and Visa
Make sure your passports are up-to-date and you have applied for a NZeTA (New Zealand's form of travel visa). It is a simple application and if booked directly through New Zealand Immigration website, should only cost $10-15 USD. One thing to note is your visa does not need to be approved to fly into the country, it only has to be pending. Still, get it done early and off your plate! If you leave it last minute, however, you need not stress! Also, keep in mind, in crossing the International Date Line you'll lose a day on the way over but you will gain a day on the way back!
Rental Car
Car Rentals
The drive to Whangamatā from Auckland is about 2 hours depending on traffic. Rental cars are a fairly cheap and the easiest way to get around the island. If you are wanting to carpool, or renting a car and have room for others, please reach out to us and we'll help coordinate! Quick reminder: you do drive on the left side of the road in New Zealand. Once you are out of main cities, there can be a fair amount of tight and windy roads, but just stick to the left side, drive at a speed you're comfortable with, and you'll be fine! Roundabouts and one-way bridges are common throughout, so just be aware of signage and it shouldn't take too long to get accustomed to.
Hotel
Lodging
Whangamatā is the nearest town to the venue, around a 15 minute drive. There are very few hotels and motels around the area, so we highly recommend searching Airbnb, VRBO, and other rental sites to find a place to stay. If you are having troubles finding a rental, wanting to join a shared house or have an extra room in a house, please let us know and we can help coordinate! Pauanui, 30 minutes north of Whangamatā and the venue, is where we'll be staying the week before the wedding. It is a beautiful town with plenty of beach and things to do! Pauanui is a great option if you want more rental options and don't mind the drive. April is a slower season, but be aware that rentals may book out quickly as the time gets closer.
Travel Note
Cam's Flight Tips
Somber Disclaimer: Since the US has decided to start a super fun and totally not meaningless war, amongst all the other terrible consequences, flight prices appear likely to raise moving forward due to fuel shortages. The following was written before all this, and flight prices mentioned may not be quite as cheap moving forward. Disclaimer: All this info is based on my own experience booking flights, but flight prices can be very volatile. I recommend Google Flights for any initial flight research/tracking, and then always booking directly through the carrier from there. There are only 5 cities in the US that fly direct non-stop to Auckland (AKL). They are Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Houston (IAH), Dallas (DFW), and New York City (JFK). If you are flying out of any of these cities and want to avoid layovers, your flight search will be a little easier. There will likely be cheaper flight routes that include layovers, but that is entirely up your flying preferences/budget to decide. Flights will go live approximately 9 months before date of flight - if you search and book early you can sometimes find great deals, but often prices can start quite high, go down a bit over time, and then go back up. I personally would recommend booking about 4-6 months out, unless you are risk-averse or find a great deal early. For the risk-takers, you can find quite good deals 1-2 months out from your date, but it is not guaranteed.
Travel Note
Seattle Flights
The most direct and consistently priced round trip from Seattle, around April, is through Air Canada/Air New Zealand, taking the following route: SEA - VAN - AKL I think under $1,000 for a round trip on this route is very possible. Air New Zealand is a great airline, and I would recommend booking that route ASAP if you find it for less than $750 (hopefully possible). There are a few other options, via a variety of other airlines (sometimes a route will involve 2 carriers either side of your layover) that will have a layover in either LAX, SFO, or HNL (Honolulu). My biggest piece of advice is just keeping your days semi-flexible, and being open to any airline. You can also look at booking a round trip out of LAX or SFO, and then booking separate flights to and from those cities, but that is more planning, and may only be a marginal cost saving.
Travel Note
Oklahoma / Texas Flights
For our Oklahomies, the unfortunate reality is that Tulsa/OKC flights can be rather pricey and awkward. My #1 recommendation is that if you have somewhere in Dallas you can park your car while you're traveling, drive down and book your flights out of DAL. The non-stop round trip will be booked through American/Qantas, and if you are semi-flexible with dates, can be under $1,000. We understand these flights are expensive, so please reach out to me if you need any help booking flights or finding cheap options out of Oklahoma.