Airline Logistics - New Zealand and Australia

I don't think you can go too wrong here on which country you start with and which one you finish with.

In terms of arriving without any jet lag, I can recommend flying Alaska Airlines to Honolulu on a daytime flight, spending the night in a airport hotel, and then continuing on on Hawaiian Airlines (now Alaska) to Sydney the next morning. You lose two days, but what you don't lose is your natural body rhythms as you are flying during the day and sleeping at night. The long flight is broken up and you will arrive in good shape. It was the very first time I had flown so far and not experienced any jet lag.

I think you need to flesh out your itinerary more before you concern yourself with flights. In NZ do you want to esplore the North or the South Island or both? You certainly have the time to rent a car and do both. Air NZ has a daily non stop into Aukland from YVR. All other flights, and flights into Queenstown and Christchurch would require at least one connecting flight.

Australia will require some serious thought. Even if you devoted your whole vacation to Australia, im not sure you could see your whole bucket list. The only nonstop from YVR is a once daily to Sydney on AC. All other major cities will require ar least one connection. Figure out which places you want to visit, and in what order, and THEN look at flights.

I agree that it doesn't matter logistically where you start and finish, but I would mention that September in NZ will be early Spring, and that some of the hiking trails in and around the Southern Alps (South Island) will still be snowed in at that time of year. Point being that if hiking is high on your list of priorities (as it really should be) you'd be better advised to start your trip by flying into Sydney and completing your excursions around Oz before flying over to NZ in October. That extra month can make a world of difference regarding the accessibility of many of the trails I think.
Flights within NZ are generally pretty economical on Air NZ, and economical flights within Australia can be had by booking with JetStar or Virgin Australia.
Know too that an open jaw itinerary can be stiched together pretty easily by using one of the low-cost carriers for direct flights between Sydney and either Christchurch or Queenstown.

Air New Zealand seem to offer the best fares from YVR, but it depends on your itinerary. Where do you want to in Australia and NZ? Are you traveling around? If so, you need to be looking at multi-city routings. An example would be flying into Sydney then driving up the east coast to Cairns,

Air NZ is an Air Canada Partner. Also look at Fiji Airlines who partner with Westjet and Qantas. I flew Air NZ from YVR to Brisbane, changing planes in Auckland. Excellent flights though looooong - great cabin service! You might be able to score a couple of days stopover in Fiji if using the Fiji/Westjet option.

Work out some potential itineraries in each country first and then look at flights. Kayak or Google flights can help with planning, but always book with airline especially with multiple flight legs.

@Warren

Nice skeleton, perhaps you could fill in a couple of organs. Heart, one lung, a kidney and that all important male only prostate.

I have a bit of experience flying around Asia, the Shakey Isles, and the Great South land. Business Class.

At this stage I presumptuously presume that for Australia you are looking at the usual draw cards. Sydney, Barrier Reef, and Great Ocean Road. In which case September is start of spring and usually a very pleasant time on the east coast, while in NZ is still cool to cold, particularly South Island. Consider starting on the east coast and scheduled NZ at the end.

Up front, what are you hoping to experience? Surfing, scuba on the reef, whale watching, bungy jumping? Are you the type of traveller who needs to do this on the cheap? Are you young, romantic and athletic or senior and passive sedentary?

Kind Regards

Ron

I was looking for some direction on what makes most sense from the 10,000' perspective. For example, fly to Australia first and then New Zealand. Looks like that this is the better move because of weather. Then, where to start in Australia- ie flying into Sydney seems to have more options, better flight times than say flying to Cairns. Since we would be going to New Zealand, it seems to make most sense to try to finish up in Melbourne to hop across. Once I get that figured out I can start planning on what to do and what regions to visit specifically. First time visitor, so the main ones would definitely be on the list - Sydney - Uluru - Great Barrier Reef - Outback. Or should we look at flying to Melbourne . . . This is what I was asking for

There is also a nonstop Air Canada flight daily from YVR to Brisbane (BNE). You could go from there to the Great Barrier reef; maybe Lady Elliott island if you do not want to go as far north as Cairns or Port Douglas. This allows you to start north where it will be the warmest. Then you could head to Sydney, Melbourne, etc and then fly on to New Zealand. There are a few flights each day between Melbourne and Sydney to Christchurch.

@ Warren

Can not help with ports of entry or moving between places in Australia. I mostly drive on the east coast and to Uluru in the centre.

I believe flying from Cairns to either Auckland, Queenstown or Christchurch is a realistic option.

Outback. This is the outback https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunbarrel_Highway.

Not too sure that is what you are after. Hot, 40c plus, dusty and billions of super friendly flies. Not really for tourists.

I find long haul from West Coast north America is best done overnight as you are going with the sun and not experiencing jet lag. Most airlines have lay flat Business Class seats. For example, I usually can sleep for about 8 to 10 hours of the 16ish hour flight time from LA.

Domestically I fly with Qantas, mainly because they have business lounges at the airports. I am wary of Virgin as they have failed on two previous occasions. Interested to see how they survive the current fuel costs, particularly if the US and Israel continue to wage war on Iran.

Kind Regards
Ron

Awesome information, thanks. It appears that most of our time would be spent on the east side, so I'm wondering how to fit Uluru in. Or even if it's possible?

There are direct flights to Uluru from either Melbourne or Sydney ... about a 3 hour flight as I recall.
Whether it's worth the time and expense is an entirely subjective call.
If you do decide to do it I'd recommend booking your accommodations well in advance - things tend to fill up weeks or months ahead of time depending on the season. Might add that there's more to see there than just the rock. We enjoyed hiking around the nearby Olgas about as much as we did Uluru itself.
Also, you're likely to be comprehensively bushed upon landing in Sydney after the long flight. Might be better to begin your stay with a few days in the city to rest, recharge, and shed any jet lag you might be feeling before setting off on more adventurous pursuits.

@ Warren

A barrister mate in Quebec just reminded me of these deals offered by Qantas to Canadians https://www.qantas.com/us/en/book-a-trip/flights/qantas-explorer.html

Disclaimer. I am a Qantas shareholder.

Do not know how this would meld with flying back to Canada from NZ. Might be useful.

Some thinking music while you contemplate your best plans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHYnkWjApiU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7DWgVz2XY8

Terra Australis. Great Southern Land by Icehouse.

Regards Ron

That Quantas Explorer is interesting. Thanks for that.

I would choose the Red Centre (Uluru) and environs over the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef is the only part of Australia that is like a lot of other places in the world, every other place is unique.