Australia-New Zealand routes are busy and competition is fierce, resulting in an ever-changing range of deals and special offers; your best bet is to check the latest with a specialist travel agent . It's a relatively short hop across the Tasman: flying time from Sydney to Auckland is around 3 hours.

All the fares quoted below are for travel during low or shoulder seasons; flying at peak times (primarily December to mid-January) can add substantially to these prices. Ultimately, the price you pay for your flight will depend on how much flexibility you want; many of the cheapest deals are hedged with restrictions - typically a maximum stay of thirty days, and an advance-purchase requirement. Qantas and Air New Zealand each have daily direct flights from most Australian cities to Auckland. Flights from the eastern states cost around A$550, while flights from Perth start at A$949; flying to Wellington or Christchurch can add an extra A$150-200, though Qantas and Air New Zealand don't add any premium. Look out for occasional promotional fares , which can bring down prices to as low as A$379 for a 30-day return from Sydney to Auckland.

Open-jaw tickets - which let you fly into one city and out of another, making your own way between - can save a lot of backtracking, and don't add hugely to the total fare, if at all. For example, flying from eastern Australia into Auckland and out of Christchurch, or vice versa, with Qantas or Air New Zealand costs from A$699. There are also various air passes for internal flights available .

Cruise ships do pass through the Pacific between November and January, but not on a regular basis; travel agents should be able to advise on which vessels are operating each season.