New Zealand on sale!

Freestone

Freestone

Life of the Party
Forum Legend
If you have always wanted to go to New Zealand and have Alaska Air miles, now is the time to book a trip. One of Alaska’s partners, Fiji Airways, is having a milage sale until March 31st. Normally, an Alaska ticket to New Zealand is 40,000 miles each way and I just booked one for 20,000 miles each way! NZ is supposed to open for tourism in October but if they don’t open and I cancel the flight any time before take-off, Alaska said they will put the milage back in my account and I will only lose the small ticketing fee.

I had a hard time getting a flight into Auckland so I booked it into Christchurch, which is fine as I prefer the South Island. I only booked my outbound flight right now as I want to stay for the whole winter and those flights aren’t available to be purchased yet, for money or milage. I can’t wait! If any of you end up booking tickets, let me know and maybe we can have a PNWFF outing in NZ!
 
Spent two weeks on the south Island in 2019. I'd go back there is a heartbeat., Just unbelievable landscape. Unfortunately did not do any fishing but I plan to go back one day just to fish. Christchurch is a great city but I really like Queenstown and Franz Josef.
 
You should bring Mint Thins, the Girl Scout Cookies, as a token of cultural ambassadorship. You hand them to the New Zealander who has done you a favor and then when they say Munt Thuns .... well that is the joy of giving and receiving right there.

Also cultural sensitivity training might include



before they were Crowded House:
 
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Aleforme said:
Spent two weeks on the south Island in 2019. I'd go back there is a heartbeat., Just unbelievable landscape. Unfortunately did not do any fishing but I plan to go back one day just to fish. Christchurch is a great city but I really like Queenstown and Franz Josef.
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I was there for 5.5 months in 2000 and fished something like 42 bodies of water. I had the time of my life and have been wanting to go back for an extended time ever since. I know things will have changed a lot in 23 years as I rarely saw anyone else fishing and I hear it is more crowded now. I have been saving my frequent flyer miles and retired in July and would be there now if the country was open. But being able to go for half price is like icing on the cake!
 
Wadin' Boot said:
You should bring Mint Thins, the Girl Scout Cookies, as a token of cultural ambassadorship. You hand them to the New Zealander who has done you a favor and then when they say Munt Thuns ....that is the joy of giving and receiving right there.
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Or, maybe I could trade the Munt Thuns for Tim Tams, LOL! I rue the day that I discovered those damn biscuits as I love them a little too much!
 
Freestone said:
I was there for 5.5 months in 2000 and fished something like 42 bodies of water. I had the time of my life and have been wanting to go back for an extended time ever since. I know things will have changed a lot in 23 years as I rarely saw anyone else fishing and I hear it is more crowded now. I have been saving my frequent flyer miles and retired in July and would be there now if the country was open. But being able to go for half price is like icing on the cake!
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Your previous trip sounds amazing. I don't doubt there will be more people fishing now but the rivers I did see had hardly anyone on them. Compared to the US, even a "crowded" NZ river will likely seem uncrowded. I will say this, everything is way more expensive down there now. Not sure what it was like in 2000 but man, everything costs a lot more down there. Price you pay for being a remote island I guess.
 
Good for you!!

I visited the north island on business about 20 years ago...no time for the more desirable south island (from a fishing perspective anyway). Such a lovely place....even the largest airports were like flying in America during the 1950's. A very human place that runs on a sedate pace...hope it's still somewhat the same....which is probable, since it has some of the most rigid immigration controls in the world.

You'll no doubt be permanently 'ruint' for PNW fishing if you spend another entire season there!
 
krusty said:
Good for you!!

I visited the north island on business about 20 years ago...no time for the more desirable south island (from a fishing perspective anyway). Such a lovely place....even the largest airports were like flying in America during the 1950's. A very human place that runs on a sedate pace...hope it's still somewhat the same.

You'll no doubt be permanently 'ruint' for PNW fishing if you spend another entire season there!
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Hey, now that you are retired too, maybe you and the rest of the Obscure Lakes team can come down and we can hit some lakes! We just need to convince the founder to get a passport and get on an airplane, two things he said he’d never do. When I was there, lakes were not fished as much as moving water, even by locals. I did some lake fishing last time and this time, I am hoping to bring my packraft or buy a tube or something to get out on more lakes.
 
This sounds entirely too cool, and what a break for it to be half off!
I'm sure I speak for a lot of people when I say that you're going to live my dream. Please live it as much as you can. Drink deep and fish hard and go find some damn adventure!! For all us broke suckers with young kids and stupid jobs.
 
i would move there in an instant... absolutely wonderful people and so many sights and sounds to explore. i have a silver fern on my fishing cap.
 
I first went to NZ as a guest of the Tourism Board in the early eighties and spent 2 or 3 weeks a year there for the next about 15 years. I have always said that had I not had a home and mortgage, a family with kids and a business with employees I would have without hesitation found a way to move there to live permanently. Ski Coronet Peak in the am and get in 18 at Millbrook Resort in the afternoon followed by a few days of throwing dries at 6 to 8 pound trout in crystal clear water. Add in great food, great folks and weather surrounded by ocean and call me happy.
 
Freestone said:
Or, maybe I could trade the Munt Thuns for Tim Tams, LOL! I rue the day that I discovered those damn biscuits as I love them a little too much!
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But then you have to involve Aussies on account of Tim Tams being Australian. Everyone knows Aussies are just capital B Bullshitters when it comes to flyfishing. That scenario Could be about as comfortable a when Brett, Murray and Germaine meet the Aussie Consulate...
 
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