Views of the Southern Alps from an Air New Zealand flight

How long is the flight to New Zealand from the USA?

29 Jun 2021

tanya

This handy guide answers the question "How long is the flight to New Zealand from the USA?", with flight times to New Zealand from all major North American airports.

How long is the flight to New Zealand?

Travelling from the USA to New Zealand is a relatively straightforward journey. The flight time from Los Angeles and San Francisco airports to Auckland, our primary international gateway, is slightly over 13 hours. These flights are both non-stop and direct, minimising any unnecessary hassle. Moreover, there are convenient direct flights available from other US cities: Honolulu (9 hours), Houston (just under 15 hours), Dallas-Fort Worth (15 hours), and New York (18 hours).

Canadians can either fly directly to Auckland from Vancouver on Air New Zealand or Air Canada, with a flight time of 14 hours, or take a connecting flight from their local airport to San Francisco or Los Angeles before the final 13-hour leg of their journey to Auckland, New Zealand.

An added benefit of this route is that departures from the West Coast typically occur in the evening. This provides a delightful beginning to your vacation – you can ease into it with a leisurely evening, enjoy a restful night's sleep, and awaken refreshed, conveniently close to New Zealand and the start of your exciting adventure.

Flight times to New Zealand from major North American cities

Flights to New Zealand from:	Flight time to Auckland, New Zealand
Los Angeles	13 hours direct
San Francisco	13 hours direct
Vancouver	14 hours direct
Honolulu	9 hours direct
New York	17.5 hours direct
Washington	21 hours (two flights)
Houston	14.5 hours direct
Chicago	16 hours direct
Miami	19.5 hours (two flights)

Is it longer to fly from the USA to New Zealand or to Europe or Asia?

Interestingly for travellers from North America, some flights to European destinations have similar flight times to New Zealand. Compare the flight times below.

And just consider what is at the end of it. The trip of a lifetime!

Don’t forget New Zealand is one of the first places on earth to see the sun each day – an excellent point to brag about to your whanau (faa-no: Maori for wider family including friends).

Compare flight times from the USA to New Zealand and Europe

From	to Auckland, NZ	to Paris	to London
Los Angeles	13 hours	11 hours	10 hours
San Francisco	13 hours	11 hours	7 hours
Vancouver	14 hours	12 hours	9 hours
Honolulu	9 hours	18 hours	17 hours
New York	21.5 hours	7 hours	8 hours
Washington	21 hours	8 hours	7 hours
Houston	14.5 hours	9.5 hours	9 hours
Chicago	16 hours	8 hours	8 hours
Miami	18.5 hours	8.5 hours	8 hours

Compare flight times from the USA to New Zealand and Asia

From	to Auckland, NZ	to Tokyo	to Shanghai	to Bangkok
Los Angeles	13 hours	12 hours	14 hours	19 hours (two flights)
San Francisco	13 hours	10.5 hours	13.5 hours	19 hours (two flights)
Vancouver	14 hours	10 hours	11 hours	18 hours
Honolulu	9 hours	8 hours	12.5 hours	16 hours
New York	21.5 hours	17 hours	18 hours	19 hours
Washington	21 hours	16 hours	18 hours	20 hours
Houston	14.5 hours	10 hours	18.5 hours	22.5 hours (two flights)
Chicago	16 hours	13 hours	14.5 hours	20 hours
Miami	18.5 hours	19 hours	20 hours	21 hours

Finding a flight is the first step to visiting New Zealand

One of the first things you need to know is how to get here, and you probably think that getting to New Zealand requires a long flight? The good news is that it may not take as long as you think, and airlines (especially our national carrier Air New Zealand) are working really hard to make your flight super comfortable and fun.

You may think it's a long way to New Zealand, and we know it's longer than flying inside North America, but when you compare it to other main holiday spots around, flying to New Zealand stacks up pretty well. Which is longer, the flight to New Zealand or the flights to Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai or Bangkok? That's all here too.

Lots of people make the flight from the North America for our small group tours every year and they all tell us is that it's definitely worth it, one sleep on a plane and you're in New Zealand!

When you look at a world map, you’ll see that New Zealand is isolated. It is surrounded by over 2,500 kilometres (1500 miles) of ocean to the nearest land mass and that’s just in one direction towards Australia.

Fortunately, New Zealand is very well-connected for folks in USA and Canada.

Why fly all the way to New Zealand?

To visit places like this, Milford Sound

What to expect when you arrive in New Zealand?

When you arrive in New Zealand there will be a few things you notice straight away:

Our weather will be different to yours at home. Our seasons are the opposite from the northern hemisphere, so if you left in winter it will be summer here (which you'll love). For more info, read about our weather and climate here so that you pack the right gear (clothing).
The pace of life is a bit slower here. There is no hurry; we will have time to get to know you well.
Everyone is friendly and smiling at you, even in an airport. Don't worry it's normal, you're in New Zealand now!

Why does everyone love New Zealand so much?

Sure, it's a beautiful country, everyone knows that. But what you'll notice right away is something different, a connection with people and a real sense of caring.

It's hard to explain, you'll just have to come down and find out for yourself. We have a wonderful country and great people, and we want to show you all our favourite spots. We can’t say more than that!

We hope you've found this travel article helpful for your trip.

We're MoaTrek, and we've been running small group tours here in New Zealand since the early 1970s, and we love nothing more than sharing all our favourite spots with visitors.

To start the ball rolling on your "Dream Trip to New Zealand" drop us a line, we'd love to chat.