NEW ZEALAND: Introduction — Wellington, a ferry to Picton for a South Island holiday

• NEW ZEALAND: Introduction — Wellington, a ferry to Picton for a South Island holiday
• LOUNGE REVIEW: Update to Qantas First Lounge Sydney for Autumn 2025

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Time for the next trip report. This time, we spent a short week in Wellington, New Zealand. We stayed at two different Wellington hotels, took a ferry trip across the Cook Strait and into Queen Charlotte Sound to Picton in the north of the South Island, stayed at an Airbnb, drove around the Marlborough wine district, and had a couple of memorable winery lunches. Finally, we flew on Air New Zealand back to Wellington and a Qantas flight back to Sydney.

Reports on the Qantas Business Class flights between Sydney and Wellington will be minimal. I have taken these flights crewed by New Zealand-based staff many times, and there is really nothing much new to report. The trip report will concentrate on the accommodation and the Air New Zealand flight.

Introduction

This trip was primarily a holiday, initially focused on walking the Queen Charlotte Sound walking track. However, after a busy work period, it morphed into a bit of rest and recreation for me and my husband. It didn’t help that I had injured my ACL, which meant a multi-day hike was not really on the agenda.

Airfares, status and frequent flyer points earn

Between Sydney and Wellington, we booked return flights with Qantas in Business Class at Business Sale fares of AU$1,790 each, return. We booked in October 2024 for travel in March 2025, earning us 80 status credits and 4,250 plus 250 bonus frequent flyer points for each leg.

Flights to Wellington, New Zealand

Both flights were on Boeing 737-800 aircraft with Business Class cabins of 12 seats. Scheduled flight details were:

• QF 163 Departs Sydney 18:40, arrives Wellington 23:50. Travel time 3 hrs 10 min
• QF 164 Departs Wellington 16:00, arrives Sydney 17:40. Travel time 3 hrs 40 min

The flights were uneventful, with standard but professional service from the New Zealand based crew.

I won’t be reporting on these flights in any detail, however, you will see images of the on-board catering. There is also a separate post as part of this Trip Report on our visit to the Qantas Sydney First Lounge, with some notable furniture updates.

The Trip Reports

This report will cover the Naumi Hotel, Wellington, our ferry trip to Picton, the Airbnb we stayed in plus two winery lunches. A separate report on our flight back to Wellington and our stay at the Museum Art Hotel back in Wellington, as our visit to the restaurant Rita.

2PAXfly Takeout

This trip reinforced my belief that New Zealand never disappoints. Picton and the Marlbourough region, including Blenheim and Queen Charlotte Sound, deserve further exploration. We only got a taster, but we have resolved to return.

Only our hotel stays were slightly disappointing. The hotels weren’t bad; it’s just that they lacked a few basic but substantial things. I’ll be more specific in my reviews. Given that Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, this is particularly disappointing. Other features, such as the natural landscape, the Botanic Gardens, the wineries, and restaurants, were amazing. Enjoy the trip reports.

Other Posts in the Series

LOUNGE REVIEW: Update to Qantas First Lounge Sydney for Autumn 2025 >>