A Two-Fer Trip to New Zealand and Tahiti, with Hotels, That Costs the Same As Airfare Alone

A good deal saves you money.

A really good deal does that, but also solves a problem.

I'll put the surprisingly generous deal I found today in the second category.  It's for travel from Los Angeles (LAX) or Seattle (SEA) to Auckland, New Zealand, including a 4-night layover in Tahiti. 

Prices start at $1,496, close to the average cost round-trip airfare between the West Coast of the U.S. and Auckland these days. Except that price gets you a whole lot in addition to flights, and it solves the problem of where to stay in French Polynesia.

This package deal also comes with four nights at either the Hilton Hotel Tahiti or the Te Moana Tahiti Resort. Both properties are full-service beachfront resorts on the main island of Tahiti in French Polynesia. They may not be the type of hyper-luxury honeymoon hot spots you find on the outer islands, but they are solid, mid-range choices in terms of service and style.

In addition, guests also get a free round-trip ferry between the island of Tahiti (where the airport and hotels are) and the island of Moorea (pictured above) for a full-day boat tour from a family-owned local company (click here for more on that). Ground transportation to and from the airport and to and from the ferry is also included.

Guests from Los Angeles can carve up their time in Tahiti in two ways: by either taking all four nights at the start of the trip, or doing two nights in Tahiti before New Zealand and two more nights on the return. Travelers from Seattle may only stop in French Polynesia on the way Down Under.

Oh, and everyone will also have lots of time to explore New Zealand—a life-changing experience on its own.

Valid travel dates are February 21–June 24 and August 27–September 30, 2024. Many of those dates allow carrier Air Tahiti Nui to solve a problem of its own by filling seats to winter New Zealand (remember: its seasons are the reverse of the ones in the northern hemisphere) but add a taste of perpetual summer in tropical Tahiti.

All for a price that's very close to what you'd usually pay to fly to New Zealand alone..

To learn more, click over to Air Tahiti Nui.

(Please note that Frommer's does not earn commission for your booking. We are journalists. I just thought this was a darn good deal.)