Houston on sale now!

Air New Zealand is pleased to announce its new Auckland – Houston service is now on sale!

From 15 December 2015, Air New Zealand will begin operating up to five return services per week,  Tuesday through Friday and on Sundays using the airline’s newly refitted Boeing 777-200 aircraft as follows:

Flight #NZ28
From AKL
Dep (local time) 1830
To IAH
Arr (local time) 1315

Flight #NZ29
From AKL
Dep (local time) 2025
To IAH
Arr (local time) 0555

More detail about Air NZ's new Houston service

Air New Zealand is thrilled to share the news that they will start flying to Houston, Texas from December this year, opening up a direct connection between New Zealand and America’s South for the first time.

Today’s announcement means Air New Zealand will be offering direct services to five popular North American destinations – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Hawaii and Houston. With a flight time of approximately 13 hours, the new route is set to become the fastest way for Kiwis to get to popular East Coast and Midwest destinations, such as New York and Chicago.

They will fly their completely refitted Boeing 777-200 aircraft between Auckland and Houston up to five times a week, opening up the state of Texas as well as popular nearby tourist states such as Louisiana and Florida.

They are excited to add Houston to their list of international destinations, particularly as the move comes hard on the heels of their recent announcement that they will begin flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December.

Houston offers their customers direct access into the heart of the American south and a world of new tourism experiences. It’s a great part of the USA for visitors to immerse themselves in. It will have tremendous appeal for travellers.

Not only is Houston home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Mission Control and one of the world’s largest livestock shows and rodeos, it’s a great jumping off point for the home of country music in Nashville Tennessee; the jazz capital of New Orleans; and the resorts, theme parks and beaches of Florida.

Houston is also a key gateway for Mexico, the rest of Central America and the Caribbean. Air New Zealand also looks forward to welcoming more visitors to New Zealand from the Southern and Midwest states and major East Coast cities where the option to connect through Houston will make New Zealand’s tourism proposition more accessible than ever before.

Air New Zealand will code share from Houston to other key USA domestic destinations as well as Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean with Star Alliance partner United Airlines, which has a large Houston-based hub. United will code share on the Air New Zealand flight from Houston to Auckland and points beyond.

Tickets are expected to go on sale next month, with flights commencing mid-December.

Have you thought about Cuba?

As you may be aware, the relations between the USA and Cuba are improving and it’s looking increasingly likely that the restrictions that closed off Cuba will be relaxed or lifted.

We have been putting together packages for clients wanting to visit Cuba in its current state before any change occurs.

If you like Culture, revolutionary history, Eco-tourism, Sailing and Cruising, Diving and Snorkeling, Classic American Cars, Architecture, Food, Coffee or Cigars, then this is a must-visit destination. Check out this site which showcases some things you should plan for and definitely not miss.

Personally, Cuba has been on my list for a very long time. It has everything I'm interested in. So much history is encapsulated in this land. And of course James Bond has been there in spectacular fashion.

Our friends at Adventure World have tour packages from 8 days to 15 days, and right now they have a promotion where you will receive a free Cuban Tourist Card (valued at $95) when you book an Adventure World trip.

We’d love the opportunity to organise a trip of a lifetime for you.

Give us a call and we’ll get started!

Target Travel - Adventure World Special Experiences

Do you want to travel a little bit differently? How would you like to focus on an experience rather than a destination?

Our friends at Adventure World have released Special Interest Journeys.

Would you like to go on a Cruise? Explore a country’s Culture & Heritage? Go on a walking or cycling tour?

How about discovering a magical Winter destination?

Or follow your palate on a Culinary trip?

There are Festivals and special Events to tick off your list. Perhaps a Safari or getting up close with Wildlife in their natural habitat?

If you’re a keen photographer there’s a trip for you as well.

I’ve spent some time on the site and would LOVE to do some culinary touring. Vineyards in California? Eating through Vietnam or Turkey? Amazing.

Target Travel partners with Adventure World and we can put together the perfect holiday for you.

Call us for some options!

Destination Singapore

Singapore is becoming more than a stopover for our customers.

Lonely Planet has named it the world's top destination in travel for 2015. And for very good reason. It is a bustling city, full of culture, life and colour.

I've had the opportunity to visit several times and have grown to love this place. It ticks all of my tourist boxes!

The Chinatown enclave is heritage-rich and has pretty much everything you can think of. From fascinating temples (Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic) to food hawkers and bars.

If you're in Singapore during February, Chinatown is where the Chinese New Year celebrations are centered.

Singapore boasts a world-class performing arts centre which has a year-round line-up of shows. You can take a walk 22m above the ground at the Supertrees vertical gardens. Sentosa Island is known as the State of Fun. Check out Singapore's museums, cruise down the Singapore river.

My personal favourite is walking the Botanic Gardens and discovering the National Orchid Garden.

If you're a foodie, you won't be disappointed. Singapore has everything. I loved the outdoor food hawker market - the Malay crab I tried was amazing.

Traveling around Singapore is easy. The train, bus and taxi network is world class. 

There are lots of promotions available at present so if you've ever thought about giving Singapore a try, call us, and we'll help you put together an incredible experience.

Living on a Cruise Ship

We came across this article - it's a tale of an 86 year old woman who now lives on a Cruise Ship.

It may be Extreme Cruising, but we think it could be a fantastic way to live out your days.

In the meantime, if you're interested in dipping your toes into such a lifestyle, we are more than able to book you on Cruises - anywhere in the world. Have a think about where you'd like to go, and we can advise you.

NZTA - SH20A Construction

Work has commenced on the upgrade of SH20A at Kirkbride Road, Mangere, Auckland.

This will impact traffic flows to and from the Airport.

Key Messages for Air Travellers:

• Plan your journey to the airport
• Allow an additional 10 minutes travel time
• Use Montgomerie Road instead of Kirkbride Road to access off-site parking providers, rental cars and accommodation providers in the Airport Oaks business area.

More information can be downloaded here.

Happy Christmas from Target Travel!

We would like to thank you all for your business this year. We are very appreciative of you giving us the opportunity to look after your travel needs.

It's been an interesting year.

We saw the first Air New Zealand Dreamliner enter service. And with more on their way, you will probably get to experience first-hand how amazing this aircraft is quite soon.

Maridel returns from Maternity Leave on the 5th January. Join with us and welcome baby Nico to the Target Family.

2015 will see an increase in blogging activity. We're using this part of our website to give you detailed airline information, special offers and suchlike. We're also stepping up writing about Destinations that we have visited. South America and Melbourne were featured this year there will be more to come.

Keep an eye out on our Facebook page and Twitter feeds for links, and interesting tidbits. We also use these channels for information that needs to get out to you quickly.

We love interacting with people online so don't be shy.

Most importantly, stay safe through this Christmas period.

Our Christmas office hours are:

24 December - Closed (on call 021 343 318)
25-26 December - Closed (on call, urgent only. 021 343 318)
29-30 December - 9am to 3pm
31 December - Closed (on call 021 1541 229)
1-2 January - Closed (on call, urgent only. 021 1541 229)

Normal hours resume on 5 January 2015.

NOTE: a call-out fee applies on Public Holidays.

Here's to 2015. Bring it on.

Air New Zealand - New Regional Lounge opens in Auckland

From Air New Zealand:

Air New Zealand is pleased to advise we have today welcomed customers to our brand new regional lounge at Auckland Domestic Airport.

The new space is located at the regional end of the terminal building near the airline’s Valet Parking drop-off point and will offer customers travelling on regional services from Auckland who are entitled to lounge access a more streamlined journey through the airport.

We recently embarked on a significant lounge redevelopment programme and the Auckland regional lounge is the first of the new-look spaces to open.

The lounge boasts our distinctive look and feel and the design incorporates locally sourced products where possible.

Our lounge redevelopment programme continues with our Sydney International Lounge due to be completed in the second quarter of 2015 and Auckland’s International Lounge currently scheduled to open mid-2015.

The Auckland regional lounge complements the airline’s existing domestic lounge at Auckland Airport.  Customers travelling on regional routes are still able to use the domestic lounge if they prefer.

Melbourne Part 3 - A City of Shopping

This is part three and the finale of my writing about Melbourne. I visited to learn more about the City and to encourage you to spend time discovering it as well.

Shopping:

Melbourne is most commonly a destination for Kiwis because they want to shop. And for very good reason. You can purchase pretty much everything in this city.

Starting with Harbourtown, a massive outlet mall situated in Docklands. So many brands are represented here, quitting seasonal stock and also discounting new season clothing. It’s a must-visit, being the gateway to the Melbourne Star (previously mentioned) as well. I observed that this is not just a place for the female shopper. There is plenty for men to indulge in as well.

The two large retail companies, Myers and David Jones have stores, side-by-side, that span several blocks in the CBD. Each store has areas dedicated to brands within sections. An amazing array of clothing options. I was enamoured by the Alexander McQueen mens boots - right up until I saw the $1000 price tag. Just a little out of my ability to justify. I loved the David Jones food hall. A really nicely set up place, selling takeaways for the lunch crowd and high-end ingredients.

Melbourne Central and Emporium Melbourne. Both retail complexes worth visiting. Brands such as Topshop/TopMan, Armani Exchange hide within. Zara is present in Melbourne as well. H&M has an amazing flagship store. Multiple levels in an historic building. Definitely worth visiting for those inexpensive wardrobe fillers you need.

I loved the fact that there were many single label boutique designer stores. That you could find an amazing selection of Retro clothing, or boots, or shoes, or bags and other accessories in small shops hidden in laneways and mini-malls. I love that you could find specialty shops selling pens or stationery, magic items or pop culture.

Near Flinders St station is Degraves St - a bohemiam lane with great coffee and very cool arty shops. It is definitely worth an explore. I think it was my favourite place.

Getting Around:

Melbourne has developed a fantastic public transport network for its people, and have made it easy for Tourists to get amongst it.

Starting from the Airport with SkyBus - an $18 one-way fare that takes you directly to the CBD. It was much less expensive that taking a cab. That being said, from observation, cabs are reasonably priced when compared with their counterparts in Auckland.

Melbourne is blessed with being quite flat, so it is actually very easy to walk. We averaged 10kms a day and coped pretty well. They have a very useful tram and bus network. All you need is a MyKi and you’re away. Tag-on, Tag-off. Simple.

There are a couple of options designed with the tourist in mind. There is the City Circle Free Tram which runs on a loop around the outskirts of the CBD. It’s free and they’re repurposing some of the vintage trams of eras past. This tram will deliver you to multiple stops, all of which are near attractions. The Melbourne Visitor Shuttle is a bus network. Again, this runs in a loop with 13 stops. It complements the City Circle tram well. It used to be free, but now has a $5 daily charge, and you can hop-on, hop-off as you want.

And if practicality isn’t your style, there are always horse and cart options to discover.

Apps:

Definitely search the app stores before you arrive in Melbourne. There’s the Melbourne Guide, the realtime Tram Tracker and more. Most destinations support their business with apps now, which makes things very easy.

Summary:

I loved Melbourne. It’s a very liveable city. I need to return and discover the suburbs and surrounds. Next time I’ll hire a car and go further afield to see what this wonderful place has to offer.

For more information about Melbourne check out Visit Melbourne. There are always reasons to visit and fares are reasonable. Call us for more information.