Air New Zealand Flights from Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) to San Francisco (SFO)
As part of booking roundtrip flights which depart from US airports,
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Air New Zealand, which operates a daily non-stop flight from Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) to San Francisco (SFO) regularly scheduled to depart at 7:30pm and arrive at 10:45am. Usually a Boeing 777-200 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Auckland, New Zealand to San Francisco, CA is 12 hours and 15 minutes.
During your San Francisco vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Cable Cars
Although they may not be San Francisco's most practical means of transportation, cable cars are certainly the best loved and are a must-experience when visiting the city. Designated official historic landmarks by the National Park Service in 1964, they clank up and down the city's steep hills like mobile museum pieces, tirelessly hauling thousands of tourists each day to nowhere in particular.London-born engineer Andrew Hallidie invented San Francisco's cable cars in 1869. He got the idea by serendipity. As the story goes, Hallidie was watching a team of overworked horses haul a heavily laden carriage up a steep San Francisco slope. As he watched, one horse slipped and the car rolled back, dragging the other tired beasts with it. At that moment, Hallidie resolved that he would invent a mechanical contraption to replace such horses, and just 4 years later, in 1873, the first cable car made its maiden run from the top of Clay Street. Promptly ridiculed as "Hallidie's Folly," the cars were slow to gain acceptance. One early onlooker voiced the general opinion by exclaiming, "I don't believe it -- the damned thing works!"Even today, many visitors have difficulty believing that these vehicles, which have no engines, actually work. The cars, each weighing about 6 tons, run along a steel cable, enclosed under the street in a center rail. You can't see the cable unless you peer straight down into the crack, but you'll hear its characteristic clickity-clanking sound whenever you're nearby. The cars move when the gripper (not the driver) pulls back a lever that closes a pincerlike "grip" on the cable. The speed of the car, therefore, is determined by the speed of the cable, which is a constant 9 1/2 mph -- never more, never less.The two types of cable cars in use hold a maximum of 90 and 100 passengers, and the limits are rigidly enforced. The best views are from the outer running boards, where you have to hold on tightly when taking curves.Hallidie's cable cars have been imitated and used throughout the world, but all have been replaced by more efficient means of transportation. San Francisco planned to do so, too, but the proposal met with so much opposition that the cable cars' perpetuation was actually written into the city charter in 1955. The mandate cannot be revoked without the approval of a majority of the city's voters -- a distant and doubtful prospect.San Francisco's three existing cable car lines form the world's only surviving system of cable cars, which you can experience for yourself should you choose to wait in the endless boarding line (up to a 2-hr. wait in summer).
Glide Memorial United Methodist Church
There would be nothing special about this Tenderloin-area church if it weren't for its exhilarating lively sermons and accompanying gospel choir. Reverend Cecil Williams's enthusiastic and uplifting preaching and singing with homeless and poor people of the neighborhood attracted nationwide fame over the past 30-plus years. In 1994, during the pastor's 30th-anniversary celebration, singers Angela Bofill and Bobby McFerrin joined comedian Robin Williams, author Maya Angelou, and talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey to honor him publicly. Cecil Williams now shares pastor duties with Douglas Fitch, alternating presiding over the nondogmatic, fun Sunday services in front of a diverse audience that crosses all socioeconomic boundaries. Go for an uplifting experience and some hand-clapping gospel choir music.
Fisherman's Wharf
Few cities in America are as adept at wholesaling their historical sites as San Francisco, which has converted Fisherman's Wharf into one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Unless you come really early in the morning, you won't find any traces of the traditional waterfront life that once existed here; the only fishing going on around here is for tourists' dollars.Originally called Meigg's Wharf, this bustling strip of waterfront got its present moniker from generations of fishers who used to base their boats here. Today, the bay has become so polluted with toxins that bright yellow placards warn against eating fish from the waters. A small fleet of fewer than 30 fishing boats still operates from here, but basically Fisherman's Wharf has been converted into one long shopping mall that stretches from Ghirardelli Square at the west end to PIER 39 at the east.Accommodating a total of 350 boats, two marinas flank PIER 39 and house the Blue & Gold bay sightseeing fleet. In recent years, some 600 California sea lions have taken up residence on the adjacent floating docks. Until they abandon their new playground, which seems more and more unlikely, these playful, noisy creatures (some nights you can hear them all the way from Washington Sq.) are one of the best free attractions on the wharf. Docent-led programs, offered at PIER 39 on weekends from 11am to 5pm, teach visitors about the range, habitat, and adaptability of the California sea lion.Some people love Fisherman's Wharf; others can't get far enough away from it. Most agree that, for better or for worse, it has to be seen at least once in your lifetime.
The Laurel Inn
If you don't mind being out of the downtown area, this lovely hotel, renovated in 1999, is one of the most tranquil, affordable places to rest your head. Tucked just beyond the southernmost tip of the Presidio and Pacific Heights, the outside is nothing impressive -- just another motor inn. And that's what it was until the hotel group Joie de Vivre breathed new life into the place. Now decor is très chic and modern, with Zen-like influences (think W Hotel at half the price). Some rooms have excellent city views; all have spiffy bathrooms. The continental breakfast is fine, but why bother when you're across the street from Ella's, which serves San Francisco's best breakfast? Other thoughtful touches: 24-hour coffee and tea service, pet-friendly rooms, and free parking! Add the great shopping 1 block away at Sacramento Street and the new and very hip bar, G, which serves libations and a surprisingly active slice of glamorous young Pacific Heights-style revelry, and there are plenty of reasons to stay here.
Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf Hotel
Built in the mid-1970s, this contemporary, four-story hotel offers the reliable comforts of a Sheraton in San Francisco's most popular tourist area. In other words, the clean, modern rooms are comfortable and well equipped but nothing unique to the city. A corporate floor caters exclusively to business travelers.
The Ritz-Carlton
Ranked among the top hotels in the world, the Ritz-Carlton has been the benchmark for San Francisco's luxury hotels since it opened in 1991. A Nob Hill landmark, the former Metropolitan Insurance headquarters stood vacant for years until the Ritz-Carlton company acquired it and embarked on a $100-million, 4-year renovation. The interior was completely gutted and restored with fine furnishings, fabrics, and artwork, including a pair of Louis XVI blue marble urns with gilt mountings, and 19th-century Waterford candelabras. The Italian marble bathrooms offer every possible amenity: double sinks, telephone, name-brand toiletries, and plush terry robes. The more expensive rooms take advantage of the hotel's location -- the south slope of Nob Hill -- and have good views of the city. Club rooms, on the top floors, have a dedicated concierge, separate elevator-key access, and complimentary meals throughout the day. No restaurant in town has more formal service than this hotel's Dining Room, which is a fine place but is not included in this book's dining chapter, because, while excellent, others in its price range are more exciting. The less formal Terrace Restaurant offers contemporary Mediterranean cuisine and the city's best Sunday brunch. The lobby lounge serves afternoon tea and cocktails, daily, and sushi twice a week, with low-key live entertainment from 3pm to 1am.Facilities: 2 restaurants; bar; indoor heated pool; outstanding health club; Jacuzzi; sauna; concierge; courtesy car; business center; secretarial services; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage and manicure; babysitting; same-day laundry service/dry cleaning.
