Cunard's Queen Elizabeth to offer epic voyage to New Zealand

Cunard Line's 2,092-passenger Queen Elizabeth in Port of Southampton on Oct. 8, 2010

Want to visit New Zealand from the USA without getting on an airplane? You'll want to take a look at the latest offering from Cunard.

The historic line on Monday announced its newest ship, the 2,092-passenger Queen Elizabeth, would sail an epic, 36-day voyage from Los Angeles to New Zealand and back in early 2013.

Details of the sailing, including fares, have yet to be posted online, and the voyage won't go on sale until early April, but Cunard says the trip will include the ship's maiden calls in Hilo, Hawaii; Bora Bora, French Polynesia; and Christchurch, New Zealand.

Cunard says customers will be able to book one-way legs of the voyage. The outbound leg of the trip, from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand, will be 15 days long. The return leg to Los Angeles is 21 days.

The new itinerary was unveiled as Cunard announced its fleet-wide schedule for late 2012 and early 2013. Among notable changes from previous years: The Queen Elizabeth will take the place of the Queen Victoria in sailing fall voyages in the Mediterranean in 2012.