$58 Find Cheap Flights to South Island

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 22/10. 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.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to South Island

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to South Island
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to South Island
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Cheap Flights to South Island

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Christchurch
Christchurchdirect$121
Queenstown
Queenstowndirect$157
Nelson
Nelsondirect$123
Dunedin
Dunedindirect$194
Invercargill
Invercargilldirect$196
Blenheim
Blenheimdirect$256
Christchurch
Christchurchdirect$121
Queenstown
Queenstowndirect$157
Nelson
Nelsondirect$123
Dunedin
Dunedindirect$194
Invercargill
Invercargilldirect$196
Blenheim
Blenheimdirect$256

Book Cheap South Island Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights to South Island that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent return flight deals to South Island

Wed, 8 Oct - Sun, 12 Oct
Jetstar Logo
06:25 - 07:50AKL-CHC
1h 25mdirect
Jetstar Logo
06:15 - 07:35CHC-AKL
1h 20mdirect
$121Jetstar
Find Deal
Wed, 8 Oct - Wed, 15 Oct
Sounds Air Logo
06:00 - 06:50WLG-NSN
0h 50mdirect
Sounds Air Logo
13:40 - 14:25NSN-WLG
0h 45mdirect
$123Sounds Air
Find Deal
Thu, 9 Oct - Thu, 16 Oct
Jetstar Logo
08:15 - 09:05WLG-CHC
0h 50mdirect
Jetstar Logo
18:10 - 19:00CHC-WLG
0h 50mdirect
$123Jetstar
Find Deal
Tue, 7 Oct - Tue, 14 Oct
Jetstar Logo
16:10 - 17:35AKL-CHC
1h 25mdirect
Jetstar Logo
18:50 - 20:10CHC-AKL
1h 20mdirect
$125Jetstar
Find Deal
Sat, 11 Oct - Sun, 12 Oct
Jetstar Logo
19:40 - 20:30WLG-CHC
0h 50mdirect
Jetstar Logo
06:45 - 07:35CHC-WLG
0h 50mdirect
$125Jetstar
Find Deal
Tue, 7 Oct - Tue, 14 Oct
Jetstar Logo
20:50 - 22:15AKL-CHC
1h 25mdirect
Jetstar Logo
10:30 - 11:50CHC-AKL
1h 20mdirect
$126Jetstar
Find Deal
Wed, 8 Oct - Wed, 15 Oct
Sounds Air Logo
06:00 - 06:50WLG-NSN
0h 50mdirect
Sounds Air Logo
07:10 - 07:55NSN-WLG
0h 45mdirect
$130Sounds Air
Find Deal
Fri, 12 Sep - Mon, 15 Sep
Air New Zealand Logo
06:40 - 08:05AKL-CHC
1h 25mdirect
Air New Zealand Logo
18:10 - 19:35CHC-AKL
1h 25mdirect
$177Air New Zealand
Find Deal
Fri, 12 Sep - Mon, 15 Sep
Air New Zealand Logo
06:40 - 08:05AKL-CHC
1h 25mdirect
Air New Zealand Logo
10:00 - 11:25CHC-AKL
1h 25mdirect
$179Air New Zealand
Find Deal
Fri, 5 Sep - Sun, 7 Sep
Originair Logo
12:50 - 13:30WLG-NSN
0h 40mdirect
Originair Logo
13:20 - 14:00NSN-WLG
0h 40mdirect
$239Originair
Find Deal
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to South Island

Get data-powered insights and trends for 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 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to South Island from New Zealand found in the last 72 hours was to Christchurch, at $56 return. The most popular route is Auckland (AKL) to Christchurch (CHC) and the cheapest return airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $56.

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 $258 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $51 for the route Wellington (WLG) to Blenheim (BHE). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Auckland to Blenheim which costs $311 on average, and Wellington to Blenheim, which costs $249 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 October, when tickets cost $191 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and April, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $317 and $299 respectively.

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 8 weeks before departure, which saves you about 47% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 16 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 Queenstown Intl Airport (ZQN), with an average flight price of $120.

Good to know

Low seasonMarch
Cheapest flight$58
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 1% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 2% lower on average.
Flight from Wellington to Christchurch

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

Insights shared by verified travellers who flew to South Island 
Verified travelerFlew with Air New ZealandAKL-ZQNSept 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 ZealandAKL-CHCNov 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 Tuesday when return tickets can be as cheap as $306. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, when return prices are $371 on average.

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

    The cheapest time of day to fly to South Island is generally in the afternoon, when retur flights cost $104 on average. Morning departures are around 9% 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 $137.

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 Auckland $192, from Dunedin $243, from Wellington $287
  • 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 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
Air New ZealandOverall score based on 505 reviews
8.2Boarding
8.0Comfort
8.5Crew
7.4Entertainment
7.3Food
Airline reviews

Not a comfortable trip, the seats are not good, and they look old.

4.0 OkayAnonymous, Jul 2025AKL - SFO
Read more Air New Zealand reviews

Not a comfortable trip, the seats are not good, and they look old.

Lost my luggage and brought someone else luggage to my airport.

I flew United from San Francisco to Auckland. My connecting flight from Auckland to Christchurch was canceled with no explanation. I was finally told the cancellation was due to fog. Even though it was clear when we landed. I am from San Francisco, I know what fog is! And I didn't see any fog. I was told the next available flight was 7 hours later. Unacceptable, they should have had a flight ready to go as soon as it was deemed safe to take off.

Our original flight was cancelled from SFO to AKL on 6/16/25. So we had to stay overnight at a hotel after a 12-hour layover plus 3-hour delay before the cancellation. Then had to fly to LA and then to AKL the following day losing an entire day of our vacation in NZ, that we can never get back.

Two hours was not enough time to transition from the international to domestic terminal. You have to go through customs, a biological hazard check, gather your luggage, take a bus to the domestic terminal and recheck your luggage. The bus was slow and crowded and the lines to recheck your bags were very long. We missed our connecting flight. Initially, the Air New Zealand officials were not helpful at all in helping to get us on another flight. Told us we would have to buy another ticket for a flight 11 hours later. Found another agent that was more helpful. He helped arrange to get us on standby for another flight three hours later. Had to ride in jump seats next to the flight attendants, but at least we eventually got to out destination.

Full flight. Flight attendants were harried. Otherwise, fine for the typical cramped seating conditions in coach.

Great! Flight was delayed by 30 mins but all was great. Thanks.

I love the “boarding from the back” idea - it’s so much better than the “Zones” idea that many others use. Also, the inflight wifi was a first for me! Very nice to have on a 13-hour flight!

Again, Air New Zealand was great. They kept bathrooms clean, food was actually very good, New Zealand wines a big hit

The issue was with getting our boarding pases. There were issues with our arrangements that were made through Kayak. I am sorry to say that we will not use you again because of this. The flight itself was good and the flight attendants excellent.

Flight was delayed more than 1.5 hours. Gate changed multiple times

The good thing is that the flight got us from Darwin to Brisbane. However, it would have to be the most uncomfortable flight I have ever taken and if I can possibly avoid flying Jetstar again, I will.

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

no announcement about why we where delayed which is very poor

Overall good trip I find seats a bit hard. We were waiting on board for about an hour for 2 passengers with some document issue. This main our arrival late for our pickup person.

15kg allowance is outrageous. Change of time a few days before departure and more than 2 hours of delay in the end. The worse we’ve taken so far in Oceania.

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

stuck in the aircraft for over three hours due to engineering work, significantly delayed and made a lot of passengers missed the connecting transport, no mention any compensation

Very quiet plane!! One of the quietest planes we have been on.

Jetsatar refused to take my foldable stroller in the plane, despite following all the rules on dimensions and packaging. Similar thing happened on our previous fight. However, at that instance, they offered to check in the stroller. At this fight, the staff was rude, trying to rush us to board the flight. They made excuses that the stroller was not allowed and even offer to leave it behind and ship it back at our own cost. Fortunately, we had someone else attending. Since the flight was about to take off, they left it behind and send it back to us on the next available flight.

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.

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