$259 Find Cheap Flights from Cairns to New Zealand

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Cairns to New Zealand departing on 19/8. 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

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Cheap Flights from Cairns to New Zealand

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Auckland
Auckland1 stop$554
Queenstown
Queenstown1 stop$682
Christchurch
Christchurchdirect$461
Wellington
Wellington1 stop$931
Nelson
Nelson3 stops$1,119
Auckland
Auckland1 stop$554
Queenstown
Queenstown1 stop$682
Christchurch
Christchurchdirect$461
Wellington
Wellington1 stop$931
Nelson
Nelson3 stops$1,119

Book Cheap Cairns to New Zealand Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights from Cairns to New Zealand 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 from Cairns to New Zealand

Sun, 16 Nov - Mon, 24 Nov
Jetstar Logo
22:55 - 06:50CNS-CHC
4h 55mdirect
Jetstar Logo
08:05 - 10:40CHC-CNS
5h 35mdirect
$461Jetstar
Find Deal
Wed, 10 Sep - Sun, 14 Sep
Jetstar Logo
15:35 - 04:30CNS-AKL
10h 55m1 stop
Jetstar Logo
06:15 - 17:10AKL-CNS
12h 55m1 stop
$554Jetstar
Find Deal
Wed, 3 Sep - Thu, 11 Sep
 Logo
13:50 - 04:30CNS-AKL
12h 40m1 stop
 Logo
19:50 - 10:40AKL-CNS
16h 50m1 stop
Sat, 13 Sep - Sat, 20 Sep
Virgin Australia Logo
20:25 - 16:45CNS-ZQN
18h 20m1 stop
Virgin Australia Logo
18:05 - 13:10ZQN-CNS
21h 05m1 stop
$682Virgin Australia
Find Deal
Thu, 11 Sep - Thu, 18 Sep
 Logo
06:00 - 04:30CNS-AKL
20h 30m1 stop
 Logo
07:30 - 22:50AKL-CNS
17h 20m1 stop
Tue, 26 Aug - Tue, 2 Sep
Virgin Australia Logo
10:20 - 16:45CNS-ZQN
28h 25m1 stop
Virgin Australia Logo
16:30 - 23:35ZQN-CNS
9h 05m1 stop
$698Virgin Australia
Find Deal
Mon, 18 Aug - Mon, 25 Aug
Air New Zealand Logo
11:55 - 18:35CNS-AKL
4h 40mdirect
Air New Zealand Logo
07:10 - 10:45AKL-CNS
5h 35mdirect
$866Air New Zealand
Find Deal
Thu, 18 Sep - Mon, 29 Sep
Air New Zealand Logo
11:55 - 13:20CNS-CHC
23h 25m2 stops
Air New Zealand Logo
11:05 - 09:45CHC-CNS
25h 40m2 stops
$932Air New Zealand
Find Deal
Mon, 18 Aug - Mon, 25 Aug
Qantas Airways Logo
14:25 - 23:55CNS-AKL
7h 30m1 stop
Qantas Airways Logo
06:15 - 13:45AKL-CNS
9h 30m1 stop
$952Qantas Airways
Find Deal
Mon, 18 Aug - Mon, 25 Aug
Qantas Airways Logo
11:45 - 09:50CNS-AKL
20h 05m2 stops
Qantas Airways Logo
06:15 - 22:50AKL-CNS
18h 35m1 stop
$1,032Qantas Airways
Find Deal
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Cairns to New Zealand flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Cairns to New Zealand to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly, and much more.

What is the cheapest Cairns to New Zealand flight route?

The cheapest price for flight routes found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks for round-trip flights from Cairns to New Zealand.

The cheapest ticket to New Zealand from Cairns found in the last 72 hours was to Christchurch, at $301 return. The most popular route is from Cairns (CNS) to Auckland (AKL), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $774.

Can I save money by flying with a stopover from Cairns to New Zealand?

The average return price for all direct flights, flights with one stopover, and flights with two stopovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

No, with an average price for the route of $552, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Cairns to New Zealand?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Cairns to New Zealand, 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 Cairns to New Zealand is February, when tickets cost $648 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and November, when the average cost of return tickets is $1,045 and $1,002 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Cairns to New Zealand?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Cairns to New Zealand clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to New Zealand on a Tuesday and more expensive on a Saturday. On your return trip to Cairns, you should consider flying back on a Wednesday, and avoid Sundays for better deals.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Cairns to New Zealand, 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 Cairns to New Zealand, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 25% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 26 weeks before departure.


Good to know

Low seasonAugust
Cheapest flight$259
Best time to beat the crowds (8% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (3% more expensive on average)
Flight from Cairns to Christchurch

FAQs - booking New Zealand flights

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

    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 Cairns to New Zealand.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Cairns to New Zealand 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 Cairns to New Zealand?

    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 Cairns to New Zealand 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 Cairns to New Zealand?

    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 Cairns to New Zealand up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to New Zealand?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to New Zealand is generally at night, when retur flights cost $436 on average. Morning departures are around 72% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to New Zealand is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $757.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to New Zealand

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found tickets from Cairns to the following destinations at these prices or less: Auckland $579 one-way - $955 round-trip; Christchurch $255 one-way - $345 round-trip

Reviews of the top 4 airlines flying from Cairns to New Zealand

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Cairns to New Zealand? 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.
7.9
Air New ZealandOverall score based on 501 reviews
8.5Crew
7.4Entertainment
7.3Food
8.2Boarding
8.0Comfort
Airline reviews

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

4.0 OkayAnonymous, July 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.

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.

It was good for a short domestic flight. As no food ar entertainment provided, there should be a n/a rating available for those.

Economy was much nicer on the Air New Zealand planes.

At Coolangatta International it is difficult to hear voice boarding announcements when away from screen announcements.

Business class points redemption - good value for points paid, dubious value if out of your own pocket, domestic class business product okay for this length of flight. The flight left and arrived on time, crew were good, aircraft was a bit old and tired, but still miles ahead of their competitors in Virgin and Jetstar.

Airline running better than post Covid, proper boarding process now implemented, some aircraft feeling a bit old and tired, crew fine, online experience better.

We were upgraded and after just a short delay in attending to a safety check we were on our way. Would definately fly Qantas International on their Dreamliner again.

Five hour flight instead of four hours due to westerly headwinds which wasn’t the fault of Qantas !

I tried to check in online but was unable to do so. I stood in line for nearly two hours to check in. American Airlines was understaffed. When I finally got to the kiosk to check in, I was still unable to check in. No AA staff was available to help. Finally one of the airport security agents who was helping passengers became of lack of AA Staff told me: “I think the reason you can’t check in is that you are starting your name with an upper case letter when you write it. Just write it with all lower case letters.” That did allow me to check in. HOW COULD ANYONE POSSIBLY KNOW THAT IF THEY USE AN INITIAL UPPER CASE LETTER TO SPELL THEIR OWN NAME, AA WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO CHECK IN?????? Then I had to wait in line over half an hour again to drop off my baggage. Although I arrived at the airport 3 hours early, by the time I got to the gate, they had already started boarding.

One of the oldest most uncomfortable "lay down" seats I've ever experienced. Old plane and old seats that don't lay flat. The seat back does not even recline - at all. Instead the legrest awkwardly extends to fill the gap between a small cubby into which you must insert your feet/legs. I am 5' 11" and could not lay straight but had to tuck my knees. Ticket was also very expensive. Would not recommend flying business/first on Finair from Melbourne to Bangkok and will not do so again myself.

The wifi was out. Otherwise it was great flight. Richard, as CSM, was excellent.

Traditional economy class. Not a full flight so spare seats. Food and drinks were good

Was bumped to a later flight because of inefficiency on part of the airline.

Inflight entertainment, poor that there are no headrest screens on aircraft used for an international flight.

Only answered OK and poor as there was no entertainment and I didnt have any food

4.5 hr international flight. We got a glass of water. Ranks up there with Ryan Air, Easy Jet, Spirit and Frontier. Expected better.

Gluten free options less explicit on business class, but great service

Very good… seems the virgin staff particularly in the lounge and in flight exceeded expectations.

I liked everything about the experience but would have liked some free snacks!

Crew was great but flight was delayed almost three hours due to a technical issue and we had to go back to the terminal and wait for another one.

Being told why we delayed three hours and not even given an apology by someone. Not a word. Not my airline of choice ever.

Checked Baggage line up was long but moved quickly, rest of the process, boarding, crew was excellent

Virgin has always provided a smooth and comfortable flight. This one was no different. Seats are comfortable. Staff are great. This is my favourite airline.

Virgin changed the flight to an Alliance flight. Smaller plane, tea coffee and water the only refreshments available and not sure what happened to the extra money I paid to sit in a selected seat with extra leg room. This is obviously a regular switch as it happened on our flight there and back. Do not recommend.

It was better than I expected. Thought $5 for a small cup of tea was a bit much!

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.

Overall, it was good. The only concern was that I couldn't charge my phone because the USB port didn't work after we took off. One of the crew members tried to restart it but never came back to me with an update.

Comfortable seats, boarding was easy and staff were very nice.

Flight was fine but a domestic flight was called by Jetstar international. This meant going through immigration and custom scanning twice. Long queues were experienced which were frustrating. We were using a wheelchair and exit at Perth needed a scissor lift as no air bridge provided. No fast lane at Perth for wheelchair. The staff were helpful but this system is poor.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Cairns to New Zealand

Information on your arrival and departure airports

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