Discover Miami, Florida

Often called 'The Magic City', Miami is eye-popping, energetic and opulent. It's also sandy and sunny with its own brand of sassy sizzle. You can embrace its world famous city-by-the-sea lifestyle on one day and slide into the natural world of the Everglades National Park the next. If you know the right places to go, Miami will surprise you with its ability to make everybody happy.

About our flights from Auckland to Miami

Air New Zealand's alliance with United Airlines makes it easy to book all the way from Auckland to Miami international airport through our website or the Air New Zealand app on your phone. Depending on the day and time you prefer to travel, your Auckland to Miami flights will transit through Houston, San Francisco or Chicago. If you want to add other USA destinations to your trip, use the multistop booking feature. So much easier than booking all the flights separately, it will ensure you receive the same baggage allowance and fare conditions throughout your trip. The Auckland to Miami flight time depends on transit duration, however it's generally about 21 hours.  

If you're interested in cheap flights to Miami from Auckland or any other city in New Zealand, we run regular special offers. You can sign up for low fare alerts to receive early notice of flight deals to Miami. You can also sign up to receive regular email updates about flight deals, packages, competitions and exclusive opportunities.

Slip into the Miami beach scene

Miami gets more than 3,000 sunshine hours in a year, so you can be pretty certain about some excellent beach weather during your stay. Even in January, the middle of winter, the average temperature is 20°C.

If you want all the sights, sounds and flavours Miami is famous for, head for Miami Beach (comprised of North Beach, Mid Beach and South Beach) along the ocean side of the massive Miami sandbar. It's a glorious concoction of super-white sand, bikini bodies, bronzed lifeguards, Art Deco architecture, big brand shopping and eateries. Or course you can swim as well - the water is reliably clear, warm and calm. 

If you prefer beaches that are not so much on the tourist radar, there are some excellent choices in and around Miami.  For starters, head over the causeway to Key Biscayne. The ocean side of this idyllic sand island includes Crandon Park and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, complete with picturesque lighthouse. Or venture north to Oleta River State Park, often called Miami's 'best kept secret'. It's a great spot for kayaking, biking and picnics.

Another option is to hire a car and investigate the seemingly endless white sand beaches along State Road A1A, which hugs the Atlantic coast from Key West at the southern tip of Florida to Fernandina Beach in the north. Be sure to visit Delray Beach, once named 'most fun small town in the USA'.

Discover the neighbourhoods of Miami

It would be a crime to visit Miami and not explore further than South Beach, because the neighbourhoods to the west of Biscayne Bay are full of character, art and unique shops. Here are some highlights:

• Little Havana is the focus for Cuban culture in Miami. It has a fascinating history, a colourful community and plenty of Latin American eateries. Drink some café con leche, watch the old guys play dominoes at Domino Park and taste rum at Cubaocho
• Wynwood is where you can get excited about art - in galleries and all over the buildings. The food is also legendary, whether you're tucking into a plateful of tacos or working your way through gourmet pasta at an Italian café
• The Miami Design District is bordered by Buena Vista, Upper Eastside, Edgewater, Midtown and Wynwood. It's where you'll find warehouses that have been converted into showrooms for innovative furniture and all kinds of arty objects
• Coral Gables is all about lush greenery and old Spanish architecture. Stroll along the Miracle Mile to find a restaurant for a memorable lunch
• Coconut Grove, aka The Grove, is romantic and relaxed with a nautical twist. Visit the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, then find a bar or restaurant with a view of the marina. Watching the boats manoeuvre in and out of their berths while you sip a margarita is a quintessential Miami experience

Experience Miami's iconic attractions

There are certain things about Miami that live in everyone's consciousness, like the pastel coloured 1940s buildings and neon signs along Ocean Drive, the Art Deco Historic District at South Beach, the outdoor mall known as Bayside Marketplace and American Airlines Arena, the official home of the NBA's Miami Heat. Any or all of these are great inclusions to flesh out your Miami itinerary.

Another Miami classic involves putting on your togs. Built in a disused coral rock quarry, the Venetian Pool is a lavish public swimming pool designed in 1923. It has waterfalls, cave-like grottoes and a movie-style tropical setting.

Charles Deering Estate also demands a look. The vast park surrounding the Stone House mansion includes virgin tropical forest and a mangrove boardwalk. You can also arrange a canoe trip to Chicken Key if you book ahead.  

Coral Castle Museum falls into the 'weird and wonderful' category of Miami attractions. It was created by a heart-broken man who left Latvia to live in Miami in 1919. His wife-to-be had left him at the altar, so he worked through his misery by sculpting coral into a castle and an assortment of outdoor sculptures.

Explore the Florida Everglades

You can't visit Florida without dipping into the incredible watery world of the Everglades National Park. If you're an outdoors lover, you'll find every kind of explorative fun here - trails for hiking, sheltered waters for sailing, reefs for snorkelling and diving, and beach upon beach for relaxing and wandering the shoreline.

Here are some of the top things to do in nature's own theme park:

• Drive the main road through the Everglades National Park, stopping frequently to discover hiking trails, board walks and wildlife observation sites
• Bike from the Shark Valley Visitor Centre to the Shark Valley Observation Tower. When the weather's fine (and it nearly always is), you'll get a 360° view of the swamp habitat. If you don't want to bike or hike, there's a tram
• Rent a kayak at Flamingo Marina and explore the park at sea level. There are trails you can follow on the water - like hiking trails, but for boats
• Walk a trail - there are so many to choose from. Anginga, Pa-hay-okee, Gumbo Limbo, Pineland and Coastal Prairie. Each one presents a different habitat and new opportunities for nature photography
• Visit the Museum of the Everglades in Everglades City. Housed in an old laundry building, it's full of stories about local history from early Native American habitation through to the present