NYC Is Getting A Non-Stop Flight To New Zealand & It's One Of The World's Longest Trips

Ever dream about flying to the mystical country of New Zealand without switching flights?

It's not just the home of Hobbits, wizards and Taika Waititi, but also some of the most enchanting forests in the world. And soon you'll be able to fly direct to New Zealand from the East Coast of North America, thanks to a new route from Air New Zealand.

The airline just announced that it's launching a brand-new route for passengers to travel non-stop between JFK Airport in New York City and Auckland, New Zealand in about 17.5 hours.

We're pretty sure you could binge-watch all of the Lord of the Rings movies in that time and still have hours to spare. But at least you won't have to fly to the West Coast anymore with this new route.

Seventeen hours might seem like a long time to sit on a flight, but it's kind of neat that it's up there with some of the longest flights in the world. And seriously, who doesn't want to go to the homeland of Lorde.

Of course, if you're on the West Coast you can already hop a plane to New Zealand from Los Angeles. That flight is just shy of 13 hours, so you're looking at a marathon plane ride either way.

After two years of having its borders closed to international travellers due to COVID-19, New Zealand is finally opening back up to the United States and Canada on May 2.

"The U.S. has always been a key market for us, and this new route cements our commitment to growing opportunities for tourism between the two countries. In the six years leading up to Covid, the U.S. visitor numbers to New Zealand doubled so we expect our much-awaited non-stop service to be incredibly strong year-round," said Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran in a press release.

The new air route will feature an upgraded Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with "27 seats in Business, 33 in Premium Economy, 215 in Economy and 13 Economy Skycouches."

You might be asking yourself "what in the world is a Skycouch?"

After take-off, some seats convert into literal couches, so passengers can get comfy and even take a nap during the lengthy journey. Cool, right?

The flights are scheduled to leave John F. Kennedy airport in New York City starting on September 17. They'll depart NYC late at night, so you can get to New Zealand bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Tickets are on sale now.

Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.