Welcome to our airport

Find out what to expect at the airport when you travel internationally.  

New travel rules for New Zealand

The New Zealand Government introduced a new travel requirement for some visitors and transit passengers from 1 October 2019. It’s called the NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority) and travellers need to request theirs via the official mobile app or website. Approval can take up to 72 hours, so get yours before you go.

Visit immigration.govt.nz/nzeta to find out if you need one.

Visitors who are not required to have a visa will still need to show: 

• A return travel ticket or evidence of onward travel arrangements 
• Evidence that you have sufficient money available to fund your visit. 

For everything you need to know about visiting New Zealand please visit the New Zealand Immigration website.

Before you arrive in New Zealand you can complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration online or on the NZTD app. It is free and everyone travelling into New Zealand needs to complete a declaration. The earliest you can submit your declaration is 24 hours before departing for New Zealand.

If you are unable to access the digital declaration you will be given an NZTD paper declaration form to complete during your flight or in the International Arrivals area.

Your declaration will be checked when you arrive and any goods you’ve declared will be inspected by a Ministry for Primary Industries Officer after you’ve cleared Passport Control and collected your bags. Your bags may be sniffed by detector dogs, X-rayed or searched.

Every passenger carrying NZ$10,000 or more in cash and/or foreign currency equivalent must notify a Customs officer.

Find out more about completing your New Zealand Traveller Declaration.

New Zealand has strict biosecurity procedures to prevent the introduction of unwanted pests and diseases. When you fly to New Zealand from overseas, it's important to follow New Zealand law. That means when you arrive at a New Zealand border you must fill out a New Zealand Traveller Declaration and declare or dispose of biosecurity risk goods. If you’re unsure – declare.  

What to declare 

• Any food – including cooked, uncooked, fresh, preserved, packaged or dried  
• Animals or animal products – including meat, dairy products, fish, honey, bee products, eggs, feathers, shells, raw wool, skins, bones or insects
• Plants or plant products – including fruit, vegetables, leaves, nuts, parts of plants, flowers, seeds, bulbs, fungi, cane, bamboo, wood or straw   
• Traditional or herbal medicines or remedies, animal medicines, biological cultures, organisms, soil or water 
• Any equipment used with animals, plants or water, including for beekeeping, fishing, water sport or diving activities   
• Any items with soil attached, outdoor sport or hiking footwear and tents.   

If you fail to declare biosecurity risk goods you could face a $400 instant fine or be prosecuted. 

For the most up-to-date information, please visit the Biosecurity New Zealand website.

Aelia Duty Free is located in International Arrivals. If you’ve pre-ordered duty free items, remember to pick these up from the collection point in-store before proceeding to passport control.  
 
You may bring the following goods into New Zealand free of duty:  

• Goods obtained overseas and/or purchased duty free in New Zealand with a total combined value up to NZ$700 (excluding clothing, toiletries and jewellery intended for your own personal use and not for gift, sale, or exchange). 
• If you are 17 years of age or over you may also bring in:
  • 3 bottles or containers, each containing not more than 1125ml, of spirits, liqueur, or other spirituous beverages AND 
  • 4.5 litres of wine or beer (i.e. six 750ml bottles) AND
  • 50 cigarettes OR 50g tobacco OR 50 cigars OR a mixture of all three not weighing more than 50g.

Please Note: You have to be 17 years or older to claim the alcohol and tobacco concessions. You have to be 18 years or older to buy these items in New Zealand.

You will need to pay full Customs charges on goods which are not eligible for concession or are over the above allowances.  
 
If the duty and/or GST payable is less than NZ$50, no collection will be made UNLESS for tobacco products or alcoholic beverages, for which you will have to pay GST, regardless of the amount.  
 
For more information, please visit the New Zealand Customs Service website.

Find out more about transiting to another flight here.

If you need to store luggage during your stay, you can find out more here.

Items that have been lost and found at the airport are stored with our Airport Services team. They are open 9.30am - 4:30pm Monday to Friday. Please submit a lost property form.

If you’ve lost something on board an aircraft, please contact your airline directly.

If you have a baggage question for Air New Zealand, contact details can be found here. The Air New Zealand bag trace office is located on the ground floor of the terminal.

For all other airline baggage enquiries please contact PlaneBiz by emailing baggageservices@planebiz.co.nz.

There are no sleeping facilities at the airport terminal.

The terminal currently opens at 3am each day and closes after the final scheduled flight. If you have a query about the terminal's operating hours, please call +64 3 353 7777.

There’s a number of hotels and motels near the airport. Your closest hotel is Novotel, located right outside International Arrivals. Sudima Airport Hotel is located five minutes’ walk from the terminal and LyLo offers affordable accommodation just ten minutes’ walk from the terminal.

New Zealand is famous for its scenic drives. However, driving here can be challenging and there’s a few things that you may not be used to.

For example: 

• We drive on the left side of the road.
• It's easy to underestimate travelling times here.
• Our roads are steeper, narrower and more winding than you might expect. 
• Our roads are mostly two-way, with one lane in each direction. We have few multi-lane motorways.

For a safe and enjoyable journey, please download Driving in New Zealand for information on New Zealand road rules. It’s available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Arabic. You can also click here for more information about driving in New Zealand.

The South Island boasts a range of unique experiences that are all within an easy drive of each other; from golden beaches to glacial valleys, thermal springs to thrilling adventure and local wildlife to wineries. Discover the attractions, activities and events of our regions.

• Nelson and Tasman
• Marlborough
• Kaikoura
• Hanmer Springs and Hurunui
• Christchurch and Canterbury
• Aoraki/Mt Cook/Mackenzie
• West Coast
• Oamaru and Waitaki
• Lake Wanaka
• Queenstown
• Central Otago
• Dunedin
• Fiordland
• Southland