Hot deals: Brisbane sun beckons

By VICTORIA BARTLE

Under $250

Get to Brisbane and home again from $249 a person when you fly with Garuda Indonesian Airlines, but allow between $130 to $150 for your Australia departure tax on top of the New Zealand departure tax of $25. The date you choose to fly determines the cost of your airfare. Flights are available at these prices until December 11. The Garuda flights leave Auckland on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The maximum stay is 21 days and you must book and pay by the end of the business day tomorrow with cash, cheque or Eftpos only.

* Contact: Itchyfeet Travel, (09) 353 2626.

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Under $600

Europe and Asia-bound travellers are being enticed to include a cruise in their itinerary, with the promise of 45 per cent reduction in some fares.

On offer for purchases made by the end of this year, a four-day, three-night cruise called Straits of Malacca is priced from $570 a person. It will take you to Singapore, Penang and Phuket, with a twin-share stateroom cabin. The price includes meals and entertainment. Surcharges such as port taxes are not included.

Sailings are on most Sundays, and peak-season surcharges may apply. This cruise package must be completed by March 26, 2006. Airfares are not part of the package.

* Contact: House of Travel, freephone 0800 838 747.

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Under $2300

Get to Vancouver, Canada, in time for a stunning performance by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver Bach Choir at the Orpheum Theatre. Performances are held from November 20-22. A five-night package with accommodation and return flights starts at $2299 a person, twin-share, from Auckland. If leaving from Wellington or Christchurch, add $100 a person. Other surcharges and taxes are not included. The package is valid for purchases made by November 27.

* Contact: Flight Centre, freephone 0800 354 448.

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Under $7000

An escorted tour through South India from the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea is on offer for $6890 a person. The 20-day tour leaves on February 14 next year from Auckland, and travel in India is by air-conditioned coach and train with accommodation in quality hotels. Fully escorted from Auckland, with an Indian escort from Chennai. The tour includes a night in a boathouse on the Kerala backwaters.

* Contact: Travel Smart, (06) 758 5712 or email