How to Travel Cheaply to New Zealand

In the UK and the US there are travel agents known variously as bucket shops, wholesalers or consolidators who can often get you a (perfectly legal) ticket to NZ for far less than a normal travel agent or the airlines directly. You can often save hundreds of dollars this way. Your task is to find a good agent and a good deal. Most of the time it's on a reputable airline (e.g. Qantas, Air NZ, etc). Better deals are available on less reputable airlines (cousin of mine got an unplanned, but free, stopover in Jakarta the last time she did London-Auckland.)

Most wholesalers are legitimate, a few are bad apples. Try to deal in person if possible, never pay without receiving the tickets (unless you use a credit-card - sometimes they will tack on a 2-3% surcharge, but you will be protected by the credit card company if they fail to deliver the goods - at least in the US).

In the US - Big city newspapers have Sunday travel sections that will often list ads from travel agents. It's a good idea to also look at the NYTimes, LA Times or San Francisco Chronicle/Examiner, since NYC, LA and SF have some of the most active wholesalers. A couple of reputable agents are STA and Council Travel, which have offices across the country, mostly in big cities and college towns (e.g. Palo Alto, Cambridge, etc). They are not likely to have the very lowest fares, but it's a good place to start.

Getting a good fare involves a bit of phoning. Every place may seem to be charging within $20 of each other to one destination, and then you'll suddenly find another place that can get you there for $100 less. It all depends with what airlines that agency has deals.

Air fares from the USA to New Zealand are likely to be higher for the foreseeable future, since the number of carriers serving those routes has declined in recent years. It’s not really an issue though, you will forget about travel expenses as soon as you land in NZ. It can be worth phoning agencies that don't explicitly advertise NZ, but do have good fares listed for OZ, etc.

Accommodation

Accommodation in New Zealand includes a range of comfortable hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts, holiday holidays, and numerous other accommodation options. Any town which has a residence of at least a few hundred people will have some place to stay for the night.