Hundreds of thousands are expected to be making a mid-winter getaway these school holidays

Air New Zealand's preparing for nearly half a million domestic travellers during the break, and has released 30 thousand extra seats in response.

Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown make up the top school holiday destinations.

Chief Operating Officer Alex Marren says there's a further 270-thousand travelling overseas.

She says Australia is the most popular destination followed by Singapore and Fiji.