Plane
If Road Scholar is arranging your air travel to and from the program, and you travel on the scheduled start and end dates, you’ll receive free round-trip transfers from the airport to the hotel.
Arrival day is on September 25, 2025
Meet the group at Movenpick Hotel Auckland in Auckland
Start of Trip: 12:00 noon lunch at hotel.
Getting to the site: For participants making their own way from Auckland airport to our Auckland hotel, a regular SkyDrive Airport Express bus service (www.skydrive.co.nz) runs from the airport to Sky City in Auckland's Central Business District. From Sky City, it is a short taxi ride or 20-minute downhill walk to the Movenpick Auckland. The SkyDrive bus from the airport to Sky City currently costs NZ$16. Payment (card-only) can be made to the driver on board.
Alternatively, take the AirportLink bus from bus stop A of the international terminal to Puhinui Station. At Puhinui Station take the Eastern Line train to Britomart Station. Our hotel is a two-minute walk from the station. The bus/train fare is approximately NZ$6. You will need to purchase an AT HOP card to ride the AirportLink bus. These cards cost NZ$10 but can be used on all Auckland Transport's public bus, train and ferry services during your stay in Auckland. AT HOP cards can be purchased from the Take Home Convenience Store in the international terminal.
A taxi to our hotel direct from the airport will cost from NZ$65 - NZ$95 depending on traffic conditions.
Shuttle services are also available and will be cheaper than taxis, but you may find yourself visiting more of Auckland than you intended as you drop other passengers off at their destinations en route to the hotel. The cost varies according to the number of people travelling.
Ola, Zoomy and Uber ride-share services also operate in Auckland.
Your trip ends on: Saturday, October 4, 2025 in Queenstown at Copthorne Hotel & Apartments Queenstown Lakeview
End of Trip: 1:30 p.m. at Queenstown airport; 10:00 a.m. hotel check-out.
Getting to the airport: Please note that this program concludes in Queenstown. No flight from Queenstown is included in this program. As the program concludes in Queenstown, participants who are booking their own flights to and from North America need to ensure that their flights home commence in Queenstown.
For those participants needing to make their own way to the airport from our hotel, the taxi ride from our Queenstown accommodation takes approximately 15 - 20 minutes and will cost around NZ$40.
Alternatively, a public bus to the airport runs every 15 minutes and costs NZ$12.
Information if you are purchasing your own airfare: Participants who have not purchased airfare through Road Scholar are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements to the first site at the beginning of the program, as well as from the last site at the end of the program. The Information Packet Road Scholar sends in advance of the program includes details needed to make your transfer arrangements. If you wish to purchase airfare through Road Scholar, please call (800) 241-1404.
Please note: In the unlikely event Road Scholar must make changes to the program's arrival or departure details, we will notify all participants as soon as possible. Participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare are protected against airline change fees; however, anyone who has not purchased Road Scholar airfare will be required to make their own adjustments and may incur fees imposed by the airline.
