I’ve flown this exact route before and done this exact thing, so I’ve been sort of following prices on this for a while, and I’m pretty impressed by the current deal from the West Coast of the USA to Australia. Roundtrip fares start at $994 (plus a bit in taxes, but no fuel surcharge) and include a free stop in New Zealand, or a stop on a Pacific Island for only $100 more. When I did it I actually paid about $1,100, and that was for a one-way ticket because the round trips were even more expensive. The fine folks at Air New Zealand must too many empty seats right now, because this deal is going to be hard to beat.