$74 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 15/10. 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, 0 bags

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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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights to South Island

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Christchurch
Christchurchdirect$141
Queenstown
Queenstowndirect$158
Dunedin
Dunedindirect$189
Nelson
Nelsondirect$188
Invercargill
Invercargilldirect$231
Blenheim
Blenheimdirect$251
Christchurch
Christchurchdirect$141
Queenstown
Queenstowndirect$158
Dunedin
Dunedindirect$189
Nelson
Nelsondirect$188
Invercargill
Invercargilldirect$231
Blenheim
Blenheimdirect$251

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, 5 Aug - Sat, 15 Aug
Jetstar Logo
16:10 - 17:35
AKL
-
CHC
1h 25mdirect
Jetstar Logo
10:30 - 11:50
CHC
-
AKL
1h 20mdirect
$141Jetstar
Thu, 23 Jul - Thu, 6 Aug
Jetstar Logo
16:10 - 17:35
AKL
-
CHC
1h 25mdirect
Jetstar Logo
06:15 - 07:35
CHC
-
AKL
1h 20mdirect
$142Jetstar
Thu, 16 Jul - Thu, 30 Jul
Jetstar Logo
11:40 - 13:00
AKL
-
CHC
1h 20mdirect
Jetstar Logo
09:40 - 11:00
CHC
-
AKL
1h 20mdirect
$144Jetstar
Wed, 29 Jul - Tue, 4 Aug
Jetstar Logo
08:25 - 09:50
AKL
-
CHC
1h 25mdirect
Jetstar Logo
12:55 - 14:15
CHC
-
AKL
1h 20mdirect
$146Jetstar
Thu, 28 May - Wed, 3 Jun
Jetstar Logo
07:15 - 08:40
AKL
-
CHC
1h 25mdirect
Jetstar Logo
06:15 - 07:35
CHC
-
AKL
1h 20mdirect
$147Jetstar
Tue, 19 May - Mon, 25 May
Jetstar Logo
11:40 - 13:00
AKL
-
CHC
1h 20mdirect
Jetstar Logo
20:30 - 21:50
CHC
-
AKL
1h 20mdirect
$149Jetstar
Fri, 5 Jun - Sun, 7 Jun
Air New Zealand Logo
10:25 - 11:20
ZQN
-
CHC
0h 55mdirect
Air New Zealand Logo
07:10 - 08:25
CHC
-
ZQN
1h 15mdirect
$196Air New Zealand
Fri, 5 Jun - Mon, 8 Jun
Air New Zealand Logo
07:10 - 08:25
CHC
-
ZQN
1h 15mdirect
Air New Zealand Logo
16:45 - 17:40
ZQN
-
CHC
0h 55mdirect
$196Air New Zealand
Fri, 17 Jul - Tue, 21 Jul
Multiple Airlines Logo
09:15 - 10:35
WLG
-
ZQN
1h 20mdirect
Multiple Airlines Logo
11:25 - 12:45
ZQN
-
WLG
1h 20mdirect
$196Multiple Airlines
Tue, 9 Jun - Thu, 11 Jun
Air New Zealand Logo
09:00 - 10:10
ZQN
-
CHC
1h 10mdirect
Air New Zealand Logo
08:40 - 09:40
CHC
-
ZQN
1h 00mdirect
$198Air New Zealand
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 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to South Island from New Zealand found in the last 72 hours was to Christchurch, at $89 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 $89.

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 $274 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $63 for the route Hokitika (HKK) to Christchurch (CHC). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Auckland to Blenheim which costs $282 on average, and Invercargill to Christchurch, which costs $632 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 $174 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are April and January, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $367 and $364 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 $160 on average. Morning departures are around 8% 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 $190.

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 36% 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 Hokitika Arpt Airport (HKK), with an average flight price of $120.

Good to know

Low seasonMarch
Cheapest flight$74
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 2% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 3% 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
ZQN
-
CHC
Feb 2026
Bumpy ride. Don’t eat too much before flying this route. Go to restrooms before boarding.
MichelleFlew with Air New Zealand
CHC
-
HKK
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
AKL
-
ZQN
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
AKL
-
CHC
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 $259. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, when return prices are $310 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 Auckland $188, from Wellington $195, from Palmerston North $219
  • 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.
8.1
Fiji AirwaysOverall score based on 240 reviews
8.2Boarding
7.5Entertainment
8.6Crew
8.1Comfort
7.5Food
Airline reviews

I thought Fiji and Fiji Airways was great. Looking forward to the next trip. Baggage claim at the end went to sh...t

8.0 ExcellentJoseph, Apr 2026
NAN - HNL
Read more Fiji Airways reviews

I thought Fiji and Fiji Airways was great. Looking forward to the next trip. Baggage claim at the end went to sh...t

Fiji Airways always goes above and beyond. If anything I'd say the food was less enjoyable than in the past. But that in no way lessened the experience with the cabin crew or the excellent attentiveness and service they provided throughout the entire trip!

Left on time , arrived on time. Staff was awesome!!!!! Great flight!!!!

Great food, wonderful staff made a long flight seem short

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

Everything from the staff to the comfort of business class was excellent. This is one of my new favorite airlines.

Ticketing said dinner for the almost 14 hour flight and we were delayed an hour. However, onboard we were only served a sluce if pizza bread and a cookie. Not at all dinner and insufficient for a long international flight. Breakfast was good.

We have had an absolutely horrific experience so far getting home from Australia on a $18,000 + flight we booked with you. The flight did not deplane in Dallas because there was no available gate or staircase. We sat in the plane for 3 hours waiting to deplane. As a result we missed our connecting flight to New York. American Airlines put us up in a hotel several miles away. We waited 45 minutes for a shuttle and The shuttle driver was horribly rude and unhelpful. They offered us $70 vouchers for food but actually there was no food left when we arrived minus some chicken nuggets and corn dogs. It was awful. Horrible way to end a vacation. There has to be accountability here.

A bit cramped in economy and the people in front wouldn’t put their seats up during meal service, crew did not help with that and I felt they could have done more about it.

The airline is ok, but it needs to improve it schedules.

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

Great airline service by the staff. I highly recommend it

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

My experience with Underpricer was not great. The representative assigned to me did not tell me beforehand that selecting seats, which i could not do through ANZ, WOULD ADD SIGNIFICANT cost to my ticket (all flight segments were reg economy seats. The seat selections for the ticket, MCI-AKL, AKL-PER, PER-MCI, cost $284 USD. I WAS NOT TOLD AHEAD OF SELECTING SEATS chosen by the rep OF THE COSTS and never received an itemized invoice of the seat selections.). The costs of seat selection, an option solicited as a service, with no mention of costs, should have been disclosed to me prior to seat selection and certaily should have been itemized. For all I know, the $284 was not referred from the airline but made up and taken directly by Underpricer. Next, when i checked in, united couldnt find my ticket. This is probably why i didnt get a seat selection on that flight and couldnt check in online, despite Underpricer prompts to do so a week before departure, or at the kiosk at the airport. I had to wait for special help at the counter, then was told that because the flight segment, MCI-IAH, operated by United Airlines via the ANZ. ticket, had changed schedule slightly since I BOOKED MY FLIGHT, the MCI-IAH segment had been decoupled from the rest of the ticket because the IAH layover was now 12.5 hrs AND DID NOT QUALIFY AS A THROUGH FLIGHT TO AKL.. This meant my checked bag could not be checked through to AKL and id have to pick it up at IAH, THEN WAIT MOST OF the long layover WITH the large checked bag until ANZ counter in IAH OPENED for checkING just prior to the flight. Apparently, although underpricer had notified me of schedule changes, they did not update the ANZ TICKET, leading to this problem. Finallly, although I RECHECKED TH BAG IN At IAH 3.5-4 hours before the scheduled departure and the IAH-AKL segment was a direct flight, ANZ LOST MY bag and it took 4 days to find it and get it to me. Not fun.

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

Both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our return home from Tokyo to Auckland and onwards to Palmerston North. We would recommend using the Premier Business class for long-haul travel, any day. Well worth the extra cost. Cabin staff were exceptional, Thank you

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.

Great service. Food could be improved but overall a very good airline

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

Delayed 50 mins. Check in was excellent, boarding was good, everything else was OK and perfectly acceptable for a budget airline. Price was excellent. I noticed this airline had two other flights to our destination cancelled so not very reliable.

Horrible. The people that get this flights are very sick, dangerous and unhygienic

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 smells on this plane were disgusting. So many sweaty and unhygienic people i couldn't stand it. I dream of being anywhere else in the world when I am on a JetStar flight they suck.

One of the better flights I’ve had w Jetstar. Smooth boarding, early take off, on time landing, very courteous crew, clean plane.

local frequent travellers know that Jetstar’s flights between MEL and LST are turnaround flights so those in the morning tend to run on time and become delayed increasingly through the day. We observed how the staff at check in and boarding try to assist, guide and facilitate travellers - they were courteous, efficient, amiable while enforcing Jetstar’s baggage requirements. They try to speed up boarding by having passengers board from both front and back. We would take Jetstar again.

Flight was fine with boarding starting a few minutes early. Not a fan of the crew pushing political messaging regarding indigenous naming of Brisbane city… really pushed it like I haven’t heard on Jetstar before.

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

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.