$68 Find Cheap Flights to South Island – Compare and Save

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from New Zealand to South Island departing on 3/11. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
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Cheap Flights to South Island

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 5 days
Christchurch
Christchurchdirect$131
Queenstown
Queenstowndirect$158
Dunedin
Dunedindirect$178
Nelson
Nelsondirect$166
Invercargill
Invercargilldirect$231
Blenheim
Blenheimdirect$329
Christchurch
Christchurchdirect$131
Queenstown
Queenstowndirect$158
Dunedin
Dunedindirect$178
Nelson
Nelsondirect$166
Invercargill
Invercargilldirect$231
Blenheim
Blenheimdirect$329
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to South Island

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights to South Island to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to South Island?

These are the best return prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 5 days.

The cheapest ticket to South Island from New Zealand found in the last 5 days was to Queenstown, at $78 return. The most popular route is Auckland (AKL) to Christchurch (CHC) and the cheapest return ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $103.

How much is a flight to South Island?

The average and cheapest price for all round-trip flights to South Island from each origin found by users searching on KAYAK in the last month.

A flight to South Island costs $288 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $61 for the route Auckland (AKL) to Blenheim (BHE). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Wellington to Blenheim which costs $283 on average, and Napier to Christchurch, which costs $637 on average.

See prices from:

What is the cheapest month to fly from New Zealand to South Island?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from New Zealand to South Island, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from New Zealand to South Island is May, when tickets cost $119 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are February and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $199 and $199 respectively.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to South Island?

The average price for all round-trip flights from New Zealand to South Island depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to South Island is generally in the afternoon, when retur flights cost $168 on average. Morning departures are around 1% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to South Island is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $191.

How far in advance should I book a flight from New Zealand to South Island?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to South Island, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below-average price on a flight from New Zealand to South Island, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 39% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 9 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in South Island?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in South Island is Picton Koromiko Airport (PCN), with an average flight price of $99.

Good to know

Low season

March

Cheapest flight

$68
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 3% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 1% lower on average.
Flight from Auckland to Christchurch

Flights to South Island: the best tips from KAYAK users' own experiences

Insights shared by verified travellers who flew to South Island 
FernandoFlew with Air New Zealand-Feb 2026
Bumpy ride. Don’t eat too much before flying this route. Go to restrooms before boarding.
MichelleFlew with Air New Zealand-Nov 2025
Make sure you have a back up plan for transportation. My ride was unfortunately delayed due to a multiple car accident that closed the road for seven hours. I had no way to get to my hotel near Greymouth.There are no taxis, but I was fortunate enough to find a lovely bus driver who dropped me at my hotel on her route to Greymouth.
Verified travelerFlew with Air New Zealand-Sept 2024
There is a domestic Air NZ lounge AFTER security, right next to the gate if you are flying Air NZ. Looks like it is new. I had flown the same route about 10 months earlier, and there was no lounge inside. The only Air NZ lounge was in the checkin area (next to regional airlines). The plan was good, and had decent space (legroom and overhead).
ScottFlew with Air New Zealand-Nov 2024
Make sure you have at least 2 hours layover if going to CHC from out of country. Getting to domestic terminal takes either a 15 minute walk or waiting for a shuttle which is not easy to locate.

FAQs - booking South Island flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from New Zealand to South Island?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from New Zealand to South Island.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from New Zealand to South Island?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from New Zealand to South Island is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from New Zealand to South Island?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly from New Zealand to South Island with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from New Zealand to South Island?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from New Zealand to South Island up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to South Island?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to South Island is Saturday when return tickets can be as cheap as $257. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, when return prices are $294 on average.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to South Island

  • Looking for cheap airfare to South Island? 25% of our users found return tickets to South Island for the following prices or less: From Wellington $175, from Auckland $190, from Palmerston North $218
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest South Island flight deals.

Reviews of the top 3 airlines flying to South Island

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to South Island. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from New Zealand to South Island. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from New Zealand to South Island? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.0
Fiji AirwaysOverall score based on 254 reviews
8.0Boarding
7.5Food
8.0Comfort
8.5Crew
7.4Entertainment
Airline reviews

This is not what I paid 6000 dollars for this seems like a joke. The lounge was pitiful with one shower for 100s of women. The food was scarce at best. There was curry, pasta and beef. What if someone was on a diet and allergic to stuff in the curry? I couldn’t eat anything there. I really would like a refund even a partial refund.

2.0 MediocreAnonymous, Jul 2026
Read more Fiji Airways reviews

This is not what I paid 6000 dollars for this seems like a joke. The lounge was pitiful with one shower for 100s of women. The food was scarce at best. There was curry, pasta and beef. What if someone was on a diet and allergic to stuff in the curry? I couldn’t eat anything there. I really would like a refund even a partial refund.

Everything was great . Arrived on time was smooth plane was clean. Crew/Staff was friendly and helpful.

.very good and as I needed wheelchair assistance all staff excellent.. only suggestion is get rid of those plastic chairs hard to ride in and staff have trouble compared to others. Everything else very good experience. Will use Fiji Air again.

See previous comments. Didn’t take this flight because my other flight was so delayed. Ending up on two other flights as a result and was more than a day late.

Food choices perhaps not the best. Only offered beer and wine, when it appeared other liquor was available. Entertainment wasn’t so good.

Business class Seats on the A350 from Nan to YVR were wonderful. The flight crew was okay but could do with better training. Toilets were clean but ran out of paper towels towards the end of the flight. The food/menu and the wine offered really needs considerable improvement. Dinner options were either Bolani, a beef sandwich (even this could be made much better), or paneer butter masala. Unfortunately, if you are not a fan of Fijian food, there isn’t much choice. Dessert was either turmeric ice cream or fruits but unfortunately, they were out of fruit! So the only option was turmeric ice cream. I’m not certain how many passengers like turmeric but I am not one of them. They need to cater to a more diverse group of people. Perhaps they need a new chef? The movies& tv shows were mostly older so I didn’t find that interesting either. It was however, fun to view the plane’s exterior cameras as we take off and land. The best thing about this flight are the business class seats.

Really liked the plane and business class seat. Food was ok but could be better. Service was very good.

The A350 aircraft business class experience was very good. Comfortable and well appointed pod, and supplemental bed pad available for sleeping. Food was very good.

1.5Hrs to get from plane into terminal. Long wait. Flight to NZ 1 he late

Excellent service all staff where very friendly patient and efficient solved a boarding problem for me due to me not being able to access the visa portal for the USA.

Crew members are so courteous and easy to talk to. My flight ticket was expensive from Chicago to Rotorua at $2800 usd. Everything else is very nice!

Great first time experience with ANZ. Such a great customer service. The crew was very friendly and welcoming

Great first time experience with Air New Zealand and loved it. The flight crew was extremely friendly and provided great service.

Boarded on time, smooth flight and "gentle" landing in Palmerston North. Ahead of time due to a tailwind

Appreciated the ability to get an earlier flight home after flying in from in from Japan. No problem with boarding or crew service. The limited choice of snacks, compared to previous years. Aircraft seats seem to be getting harder and more uncomfortable all the time. Overall, happy to be home

The Air New Zealand product is terrible, it's as expensive as a Jetstar ticket with add ons but with surely staff and old aircraft.

Wonderful trip. Everyone from checking in to the gate to the flight itself was amazing - kind, helpful, and has a beautiful smile.

The seats are feeling very hard to sit on. All the padding is flat, like sitting on a park bench for over an hour

Space between seats on Air New Zealand is generally tight. The crew on this flight was excellent! Very attentive and nice. You get free wine or beer and chips and of course the Air New Zealand candies. 1 hour and 35 min flight approximately.

The disembarking steps in Wellington were precarious and I felt quite insecure. There was no one on the tarmac to greet us and help. The embarking ramp in Blenheim was much more satisfactory. The rest of the flight was fine.

Great. Seats are a little cramped with only a very small recline. Service was great. Food was fine.

Jane at Sydney International airport check in was amazing. She set up the whole experience to be a positive one.

The flights got us to our destination. The seats on the planes were uncomfortable.

The flight ticket were not reimbursed on Jan 22nd from Auckland to Wellington. Very Very dissatisfied.Please reimburse the ticket of my onward travel.

I was treated poorly in Dunedin by check in crew, then my bag was lost in Auckland. Never again.

They added the weight of my back to the carryon luggage and charged me NZ$75 for being over 7 kg.

a constant reminder that you need to work harder so you can avoid this airline

The price difference/saving isn't sufficient to compensate the experience difference, don't recommend unless flight is under 3 hours. Huge queues for check in and the priority lane of other ailines blocked checked in Jetstar passengers from proceeding through to screening. Gate change to a "dungeon gate" that didn't have toilets in the vicinity. 45minute delay in boarding, no updates or explaination, let alone apology for any inconvenience. 1 scanner working for a full fight to board, no coordination. Loaded on to crowded buses to get on the plane in the middle of the tarmac, up stairs with no explaination. 4 bus trips. No system for boarding in sections. Over an hour late departing. Nothing complimentary, not even water or in-flight music. Pay wave not available and no cash sales. Staff onboard were friendly and professional.

Flight departing too early at 06.15 Difficult to get to airport

Plane was more than 3 hrs delayed as the only plane on that day. Had to wait 1 hrs in the plane which was very unpleasent.

Everything you need to know for your flight to South Island

Cabin class types available on flights to South Island

Cabin classes available on flights to South Island. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.