122. Pam's Trip to New Zealand Using Points and Miles

Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad

Alex, Pam and Jess

Places & Travel, Education, Society & Culture, How To

4.9 • 734 Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

New Zealand has been high on so many of your travel wish lists—and for good reason! In this episode, Pam shares details from her recent two-week adventure on the North Island of New Zealand, including how she booked business-class flights, multiple free hotel nights, and even covered rental cars and excursions—all using points and miles (and one fortuitous mistake fare). From kayaking Cathedral Cove to digging out hot tubs at Hot Water Beach, it’s a trip full of unforgettable experiences and major travel inspiration.

Finding Flights to New Zealand: A Challenge (and a Win!)

Getting to New Zealand in business class is no easy feat, but Pam pulled it off. After struggling to find availability, she scored two one-way business-class award tickets from Dallas to Auckland. The return flight was a mistake fare in United Polaris for just $1,000 cash (normally $3,800+).

Points-Powered Luxury: Park Hyatt Auckland & More

Pam raved about the Park Hyatt Auckland, calling it one of her favorite Park Hyatts ever. For just 25,000 Hyatt points per night, she enjoyed stunning views of the harbor, incredible Globalist breakfast, and unbeatable service. She also used Capital One Venture X credits to cover stays at boutique resorts.

The Itinerary: Coastal Drives, Kayaks, and Tiny Houses

Bay of Islands: Booked via Capital One credits, with a scenic boat tour to Hole in the Rock
Cathedral Cove: Kayaking through crystal-clear waters to one of New Zealand’s most famous spots
Hot Water Beach: Digging hot tubs in naturally heated sand
Rotorua & Lake Taupo: Rafting a 21-foot waterfall, visiting Maori villages, and relaxing in Hilton luxury
Bonus Stay: A tiny house Airbnb—Pam’s dream come true!

The Total Cost Breakdown

Using a mix of points, miles, Capital One credits, and cash, Pam calculated her total out-of-pocket costs at around $3,000—a fraction of the $28,000+ retail value for flights and hotels. With ten nights of free hotel stays, complimentary breakfasts, and first-class flight experiences, it was an unforgettable journey made possible by smart planning and strategic redemptions.

Links:

How to Get Your Next Vacation for Nearly Free - https://travelmomsquad.lpages.co/freevacation
Links For All Things Travel Mom Squad: stan.store/travelmomsquad

Episode Minute By Minute:

00:30 – Why Pam did New Zealand: Take 2
03:00 – Booking flights with AA miles and a United mistake fare
08:30 – Pam’s advice for finding flights to New Zealand
13:00 – Park Hyatt Auckland + Waiheke Island day trip
18:00 – Bay of Islands and boutique hotel stay
21:00 – Tiny house stay and Cathedral Cove
26:00 – Rafting a waterfall and Maori village experience
31:00 – Hilton Lake Taupo and relaxing
35:00 – Flying United Polaris home + final night at Grand Hyatt DFW
38:00 – Cost recap and final thoughts on why Pam can’t wait to return

Thinking about a trip to New Zealand? This episode will show you it’s totally possible with points and miles—and that even Grandma can conquer a 21-foot waterfall! 🛶🌿✈️

Transcript

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0:00.0	Is New Zealand on your radar to travel to?
0:02.5	Well, my mom just got back from visiting the North Island of New Zealand,
0:06.0	and she's here to spill the tea on her adventures.
0:08.9	This grandma of 21 takes us on her adventures that include kayaking in the ocean and rafting a gnarly river.
0:15.0	Let's get to it.
0:16.3	Welcome to Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad.
0:18.6	We are three moms who've discovered how to leverage
0:21.6	credit card welcome offers to get hundreds of thousands of dollars of travel expenses for nearly
0:26.8	free. We've used credit card points of miles to take vacations to places like Hawaii, Paris, Greece,
0:33.0	Maldives, Japan, and so much more. And the best part, we each still have 800 plus credit scores. Imagine being
0:40.5	able to take the vacation of your dreams for nearly free. It's totally possible and we're here to
0:45.4	show you how. Hey, I'm Alex and I'm Pam, Alex's mom, and I'm Jess. Let's Talk Points. Today we're talking all about Pam's
0:57.7	recent trip to New Zealand and when we say recent, we mean recent because she has been home for
1:05.0	exactly one day at the time of recording this. We know many of you are obsessed with New Zealand, want to figure
1:13.0	out how to get there, want to figure out how to stay on points. And so we cannot wait to hear
1:17.7	all about Pam's trip. Let's get into it. Pam, why did you want, okay, we know if you've listened
1:24.6	to our previous podcast episodes, you know that Pam has attempted
1:28.7	this trip once before. And then I think part of it went sideways. And so why did you want
1:35.4	to return to New Zealand in the first place? Were you feeling luckier this time?
1:40.3	Well, our first time we went over to Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
1:46.4	It was a long, great trip.
1:49.8	But we were in Australia and we were having dinner at the restaurant.
	...

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