Stopover en route to New Zealand

Q: A friend I are planning a holiday to New Zealand next year. However, we would like to break our trip by stopping off on the way there and back by spending a few days at one city on the way there and another city on the way back - maybe Singapore and Hong Kong. Will this make the trip expensive? Are there any other cities we could use for a stopover? - Heather Bisset

A: It would be expensive to travel through one city on the way out and another on the return leg, as it would probably involve different airlines. However, what you can do is book a ticket that allows you two stopovers in one city (you may have to pay extra) and then travel to another city using one of the low-cost airlines on your return leg. The best cities for this would be Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. If you are only permitted one stopover you could use this to investigate your stopover city and then fly to a second city while you are there. Some of the cheapest flights are with Air Asia (if you book early) or with Tiger Air and Jetstar/Valuair. You can even get to Hong Kong quite cheaply. Other possible destinations you could consider for a side-trip include Penang, Langkawi, Macau, Phuket and Bali. (12/6/11)