Vegas is the gold standard for decadence, indulgence and living life dangerously. It's up to the wheel of fortune how that goes. For example, in 1973 Frederick W. Smith gambled FedEx's last $5,000 in Vegas. He won $27,000, which was enough to keep the wolf from the door and allow the company to trade its way back into the black.

But Las Vegas isn't all about games of chance. You can pay to drive bulldozers at a 'heavy equipment playground', visit the Mob Museum (National Museum of Organised Crime & Law Enforcement), visit ancient Rome at Caesars Palace, stay at The Palms in a suite that has two functional bowling lanes or get married by an Elvis Presley impersonator. Just remember the golden rule: what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (except the marriage, that's for real!).

About our Auckland to Las Vegas flights

Air New Zealand's alliance with United Airlines makes it easy to book flights to Las Vegas through our website or the Air New Zealand app on your phone. Depending on the day and time you prefer to travel, you'll transit through Los Angeles or San Francisco. 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 and it will ensure you receive the same baggage allowance and fare conditions throughout your trip. Flights from Auckland to Las Vegas generally take around 16 hours, depending on transit duration.

If you're interested in cheap flights to Las Vegas 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 Auckland to Las Vegas airfare reductions. You can also sign up to receive regular email updates about flight deals, packages, competitions and exclusive opportunities.

Find lady luck and hope she's on your side

The Strip is the stuff of legends. Full of the world's largest hotels, casinos and resorts, its skyline is epic and the lights will leave you star-struck. It's constantly evolving, but there are some long-term classics. The Bellagio is famous for its iconic fountain and unparalleled luxury. It has relatively high table limits, but with over 10,000m² of gaming space and 2300 gaming machines, it's easy to find something in your budget.

At the end of the Strip, head to Stratosphere Casino, Hotel and Tower. It's the tallest observation tower in the USA and has a 7,400m² casino. Stratosphere is loved for its thrill rides - Insanity, X-Scream, Big Shot and SkyJump - so you can give your lungs some screaming exercise before you settle into your hotel suite.

There's also the MGM Grand, the largest hotel in the USA. It's filled with waterfalls, shops, nightclubs, restaurants and a massive 15,930m² casino. Even if you're just looking, the MGM Grand is worth a visit to appreciate the sheer scale of this resort. About 70,000 people move through the hotel every day - that's equivalent to a small city.

Go to a blockbuster show

Las Vegas is known for massive shows and in-house performers. It started with the Rat Pack at the Sands and then Elvis at the Hilton. For some stars, Vegas became the 'sunset' at the end of their career; a last hoorah before retirement. It all changed when Celine Dion arrived - she opened in 2003 and continued until June 2019. During that time Celine changed the way people view a Vegas residency. Now the city's entertainment scene is full of massive stars at the height of their power.

The current line-up includes Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Boyz II Men, Def Leppard, Diana Ross, Cher, Lady Gaga and Cardi B. It changes all the time, so check who's playing while you're there. 

You can also catch the Chippendales, UFC fights, David Copperfield or the incredible Cirque de Soleil. At the moment Cirque du Soleil has seven residency shows including R.U.N, new for this year, and the popular Michael Jackson tribute packed full of his irresistible music and jaw-dropping stunts.

Discover Vegas after dark

Vegas never sleeps. Once you've had a flutter and seen your favourite performers, it's time to enjoy the amazing dining and clubbing options in the city. While most hotels offer lavish buffets, the a la carte restaurants are where you'll find the crème de la crème of dishes.  

Mizumi offers faultless sushi, sashimi and their world-famous snow beef, which is not for the faint-of-wallet! It's a romantic restaurant, so take your other half for an unforgettable meal.

Bazaar Meat by José Andrés is about…meat! Try foie gras with candyfloss, suckling pig or the classic tartare or carpaccio. There's the Michelin-starred Wing Lei, cosy Raku, Latin-style Chica and, of course, world-famous Nobu.  

If you're up for partying until the small hours, Jewel is gloriously opulent, while 1OAK (1 Of A Kind) is all about the dancing. Then there's Hakkasan with DJs Tiesto and Steve Aoki, and Light (Cirque du Soleil in nightclub form). Vegas is about over-the-top drinks, incredible music that zips through your veins and unbridled fun. Don't hold back.

Flex your shopping muscles

Las Vegas is also known for its retail scene. While many people are keen to donate their travel budget to casinos, shopping has become a leading attraction and a good way to get your money's worth. From high-end to high street, there are plenty of options. 

The Grand Canal Shoppes can be found inside The Palazzo. It has real canals that you drift along in gondolas, so you can literally float from shop to shop. About 20 million visitors a year try this experience. Fashion Show Mall is another standout, with 186,000m² of shopping area, 200 stores and its own iOS app. You can buy almost anything your heart desires. 

The Forum Shops at Caesars are an ideal solution for couples who are torn between passions. The non-shopper can play at the casino while the shopper explores the high-end couture stores. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Christian Louboutin, Cartier, Versace and Van Cleef & Arpels all have a presence here. Whether you're a serious buyer or a window shopper, there is a day's worth of walking at Caesars. 

In Vegas, you can buy a Ferrari or Maserati direct from the showroom. If your budget doesn't quite run to that, go to the Downtown Container Park. It's full of cute boutiques, live music and lots of small local brands.

Find every form of fun

Whenever you have a spare hour or two, Vegas is ready to fill that vacancy with a ton of fun. At Dig This Las Vegas, you can get rough and tough with state-of-the-art earth moving equipment. Basically, it's a giant sandpit for grownups. Or you can get some air on the world's tallest ferris wheel, the High Roller above the Linq Promenade. There's also a new Fly Linq zipline in this part of town, for thrills 12 stories above the boulevard.

If golf is one of your passions, a day at Topgolf is better than a hole in one. It's a four-level entertainment venue full of interactive golf-related games. Even the balls are smart - they keep score for you. Other Vegas playtime options include rides at New York New York, the extraordinary Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay and posing for a photo at the iconic Las Vegas sign.

Escape to the outside

There are some amazing things to do outside the city limits. Close by is the Hoover Dam, famous for its concrete arch-gravity engineering. It's made so that the more water pushing against it, the stronger it is. Even if you don't know much about civil engineering, the dam tour is fantastic.

Death Valley is another hot spot for sightseeing. Located in the northern part of the Mojave Desert, this valley has the lowest elevation in North America at 86m below sea level. Make sure you discover Furnace Creek, where it reached 56.7°C in July 1913, the highest air temp ever recorded on earth. There's a lot to see and photograph in the area, including amazing rock formations, sand dunes, wildflowers, waterfalls and salt flats.

If you've always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, it's just a short helicopter flight away from Vegas. At 446km long, it's an incredibly dramatic landscape that's best viewed from above. Red Rock Canyon is also worth visiting if you like hiking. Interesting wildlife, plants and incredibly stunning rock formations make this a trip you won't forget in a hurry.

Into the future

Just when you thought Las Vegas couldn't get any more exciting - with new resort builds and redevelopments from the likes of NoMAD, The Cosmopolitan, Caesars, The Palms and Waldorf Astoria rolling out over the past 12 months - along comes 2020. Shaping up to be one of the destination's biggest years yet, 2020 will see completion of the multi-billion dollar expansion and renovation of the Convention Centre; opening of the new Las Vegas NFL Raiders Stadium; and the launch of Elon Musk's high-speed tunnel system, slated to be up and running by the year's end.