The airline announced this morning it would start flying to Houston, in the US state from December.
The carrier's refitted Boeing 777-200 aircraft is set to fly between Auckland and Houston up to five times a week.
It's being billed as opening up a direct connection between New Zealand and the American south for the first time, including popular nearby tourist states Louisiana and Florida.
The new route was set to become the fastest way for Kiwis to get to popular East Coast and Midwest destinations, such as New York and Chicago, Air New Zealand said.
It brings the airline's US offerings to five - Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Hawaii and Houston.
The airline was hugely excited to be adding Houston to its list of international destinations, Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon said.
"Houston offers our customers direct access into the heart of the American South and a world of new tourism experiences," he said.
"The great American road trip features on many bucket lists. The addition of Houston to our network will mean our customers can fly direct to Texas and then set out to explore one of the most vibrant and fascinating parts of American culture and experience down home southern hospitality through the food, music and sights of Texas and the American south.
"It's a great part of the USA for visitors to immerse themselves in and I know it's going to have tremendous appeal for our customers."
Air New Zealand will code share from Houston to other key USA domestic destinations, as well as Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean with Star Alliance partner United Airlines, which has a large Houston based hub.
United will code share on the Air New Zealand flight from Houston to Auckland and points beyond.
Tickets are expected to go on sale next month, with flights commencing mid December.
The new route comes shortly after the airline announced it would start flying to Buenos Aires in Argentina, also from December.
By Patrice Dougan of NZME. News Service
