Yasawa Island Resort & Spa

I have been researching destinations for a long overdue Winter’s getaway.

Fiji is looking very appealing and getting there has never been easier with an increased number of flights from Auckland.

As you are aware, there are many Resort options available.

Working out what kind of holiday you want is the important thing. Do you want your kids entertained (and out of your hair) while you relax? Do you want a romantic getaway? Do you want to get amongst the locals and learn more about Fijian culture? What is your budget?

One destination that resonates with me is the Yasawa Island Resort & Spa. Having spoken to people that have stayed there and reading more about it puts me in an anticipatory state of relaxation. I can’t help it!

This resort is located on one of the most remote and unspoiled islands of Fiji. It has only 18 bures so you’re guaranteed seclusion.

You can learn more about the Yasawa Island Resort & Spa here.

Call us about getting you and your loved ones to Fiji! We can book your flights, transfers and accommodation and make it easy. Your holiday will start before you get on the aircraft.

And who knows? You might even see me there!

* imagery is the property of Yasawa Island Resort & Spa and used by permission.

What can we do for you?

We’ve been chatting to a few of our clients and have realised that we’ve been so busy planning the best routes at the best prices for people, that we haven’t really communicated what other services we provide.

As well as being experts at ticketing and getting you to your destinations at the right time via the airlines you want, we can also actually put together the complete holiday package for you and remove the stress.

That’s right.

Not only will we get you there, we will find you the ‘there’ that you want to go.

We can organise (and recommend!) your accommodation, your rental cars, your cross-continent busses, your trains, your helicopters, your dream ride on Route 66 on a Harley Davidson. We can put you on a cruise ship to see the majesty of the Antarctic.

We can do the hard work so you can start relaxing weeks before you get on your way.

A note about Domestic Travel:

We are really good at making your Domestic travel a breeze. Just tell us where you want to go and when. Having personal service from a real person isn’t any more expensive than booking online, and actually is a whole lot more flexible.

There are definite advantages to using an Agent to oversee all your travel needs.

Try us. We’re up for your challenge!

Why Use a Travel Agent? Reason number 305

Here's a tale:

A client of ours was traveling to New York on a 5:30pm flight with her husband and son.

Unfortunately she left her passport at home. She made a frantic dash to collect it but she got back too late for the flight.

She called us at 5:30pm and asked us to help.

Daniel gave her some advice whilst looking at options that were available. All the flights were mostly full and were going to cost her in excess of $2,000.00 to rebook according to the airline. However, Daniel was able to get her on a flight later that evening for less than $1,200.00.

She arrived in the USA at the same time as her husband and son, and they were able to travel together on to New York.

Target Travel is much more than just a ticket agent.

We also recommend that you don't forget your passport when you leave for the airport.

Typhoon Hayian Charity Basketball Game

It’s our SKYCITY Breakers Christmas themed game on December 13th in a much anticipated game versus Perth Wildcats!

"At the SKYCITY Breakers we were saddened by the news of Typhoon Haiyan and its devastation across South East Asia and especially the Philippines.

To show our support we would like to offer your employees/family/friends a special ticket to this game at Junior Prices (Bronze - $18.50; and Silver $20)* with $3 from every ticket sold through this link donated to the Typhoon Haiyan Appeal.

Please spread the word to your networks to show your support and join us for a fun-filled and festive night at the SKYCITY Breakers.

*Ticketmaster fees apply; a reminder that your game ticket also includes transport on event buses and trains making travel easy to and from the game."

Also, Justin Bieber was in town when we held our last event, and we would like to leave you with this link as he was in Tacloban (Philippines) recently to entertain those affected by Haiyan.

Air New Zealand is back flying Non-Stop to the Sunshine Coast

Air New Zealand is pleased to announce that they will operate a third season of non-stop flights between Auckland and Sunshine Coast in a response to high passenger numbers for the 2013 season.

The 2014 season will offer an increase in capacity of 24% moving from twice weekly services in 2013 to twice weekly services plus a 3rd weekly service which will operate between 8-22 Jul and 23 Sep–7 Oct. The 2014 season will also have an extended season of 1 week operating from 27 Jun–26 Oct 2014, subject to government approval.

Chilé and Peru

Earlier this month one of our team, Jenny, visited Chilé and Peru with Adventure World and the First Travel Group in order to learn more about those countries.

Here’s a brief overview of her trip and experiences.

She flew from Auckland to Santiago with LAN and did a quick tour of that city.

From Santiago she flew to Peru. Her destination was Cuzco. The tour of Cuzco City and Ruins showed her the amazing colonial city built on the foundations of the Inca palaces. She visited the Temple of the Sun and explored other sites in the region which reveal the history of the Incas.

To get to Machu Picchu, she took the Vistadome Valle tourist train which travels through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to Aguas Calientes.

Machu Picchu was a highlight! Jenny said that it was larger than she expected and that it was more impressive than the photos we’ve all seen.

After her return, she then traveled by bus to the city of Puno. During the trip she stopped off at several villages where she got an insight into the lives of the local people. Andahuaylillas, Racqui and Pucar all have history - beautiful churches, archaeological complexes and famous pottery.

Jenny enjoyed her time there and would love to talk to you about her experiences as she helps you book your South American adventure. There are many different ways to discover Chilé and Peru. She says that it’s worth spending time in the Sacred Valley. It’s a relatively new and unexplored region, and would give you amazing memories.

We’d also like to recommend that you consider staying in Santiago for more than a day. It’s a rich, vibrant city and a great destination in its own right.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2014

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival runs from 28 February - 16 March 2014.

You can now browse the schedule of events. Tickets go on sale on the 3rd of December 2013.

Talk to us about your flights and accommodation once you've made the call to attend!

Air New Zealand Airpoints changes

Air New Zealand wishes to advise changes to its Airpoints programme to better recognise and reward passengers’ travel with Air New Zealand.

Airpoints Dollars will now be earned on every regularly available fare and members can look forward to enjoying several million more Airpoints Dollars every year – with the majority of changes taking effect for sales & travel from 31 March 2014.

These changes follow the largest review of the Airpoints programme in a decade, which included seeking feedback from tens of thousands of members.

Key changes include:

• Airpoints Dollars now to be earned on every regularly available fare (excludes last minute grabaseat greenlight fares through grabaseat.co.nz and tickets purchased using Airpoints Dollars).
• Every fare class will now have its own Airpoints Dollars & Status points earning rate. These changes result in a much fairer reward and recognition system as they are directly linked to value of the fare paid.
• Higher Airpoints Dollar earning rates on 62% of all airfares.
• Recognising more regional, domestic and trans-Tasman travellers, with 78% of all Smart Saver and Flexi fare classes on these routes offering higher Status Point earning rates.
• Easier to understand Airpoints Dollar and Status Point earning rates when flying on partner airlines.
• A new Airpoints website available from today which is computer and tablet optimised and enables members to make the most of their benefits, track their status progress and manage upcoming flights with ease.
• Gold Elite members provided with a third Recognition Upgrade for use specifically on short haul routes across the Tasman and to the Pacific Islands.
• Our very top individual spenders can look forward to a personal invitation from Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon to be part of an exclusive Elite Priority One annual membership that will provide them a range of additional benefits and dedicated personal travel support services, details of which will be revealed to those members in the New Year.

Naming and branding changes will also be rolled out over the coming months:

Airpoints:

• The name of the programme entry level for Members

Silver:

• The first frequent flyer tier of the Airpoints programme (will continue to be recognised as they are today)

Gold:

• Gold members will continue to be recognised as they are today

Elite:

• Gold Elite will be rebranded to ‘Elite’. Providing a simplification of the current naming and representative of top tier status.

Elite “10”:

• The number of years someone has been consecutively at Gold Elite will be recognised on their membership card – a subtle acknowledgment of tenure for everyone to see.

Elite Priority One:

• Reserved for our top customers by invitation only (as outlined above)

Full details of the changes are available at www.airnz.co.nz/airpoints-news

First Five, NZ and Philippine Team Up for Charity Basketball Game

This is a fundraiser in support of Typhoon Haiyan victims in Philippines.

This game will feature NZ Best Basketball Players - past and present Tall Blacks and Breakers will play with a Filipino Community Team.

Where: Youthtown Downtown Auckland (68A Nelson St Auckland Central, Auckland)
When: 23 November 2013, 7pm

Tickets:
$25 per entry, $10 goes to charity
Sold on site from 4pm onward. Limited seats only (300 maximum).

Participants:

• Paul Henare: NZ Basketball Legend. Former NZ Breaker & Tall Black, Current NZ Breaker & Tall Black assistant coach
• Casey Frank: NZ Tall Black, Former NZ Breaker, current NZ Breakers commentator
• Jarrod Kenny: Current NZ Tall Black
• Alonzo Burton: NZ Breaker
• Hayden Allen: Former NZ Breaker & Tall Black
• Konrad Ross: Former NZ Tall Black
• Daryl Cartwright: Former NZ Tall Black
• Houston O'Riley: 2013 Super City Rangers Captain, 2012 NZNBL Champion (Auckland Pirates)
• Johnny Fesolai: 2013 Super City Rangers
• Ana Haku: 2013 Waikato Pistons

King Kapisi: MC for events / guest player

Notes:

• Playing uniforms (xballer) provided by Paul Berridge (Hoop Nation) to be signed & auctioned.
• BBNZ to provide a singlet for auction
• Signed NZ Breakers singlet/s to be auctioned (Hayden Allen)
• Signed Youthtown balls to be auctioned

Philippines - Typhoon Haiyan support

Here at the office we've been shocked to see the destruction caused by typhoon Haiyan in a country that is close to our hearts.

If you want to help financially, here are some sites where you can do so:
Christ's Commission Fellowship New Zealand
Auckland NZ Pinoys
Unicef
World Vision
Save The Children

Here's an article posted in Christianity Today which gives some insight and useful ways for churches to help.

If anyone needs to travel urgently, we are here to help. Contact us with what you need.

Update:
Forex-Umac Cargo NZ shipping company has given everyone an opportunity to help the victims of typhoon Haiayan by shipping goods for free. If you have canned goods, clothes, toys, gold coins or spare money that you can donate, drop it off yourself.

Their office is at 19 Ormiston Road, East Tamaki, Auckland. Please put the goods in a banana box or A3 box. Please deliver on the 16th of Nov, Saturday, from 9am to 4pm.