There are 3 ways to get from Wellington to Cairns by plane, bus, or car ferry
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Fly from Wellington
best- Fly from Wellington (WLG) to Cairns (CNS)plane WLG - CNS
12h 11m$557–1,009Bus to Palmerston, fly
cheapest- Take the bus from Wellington - Central to Palmerston Northbus
- Fly from Palmerston (PMR) to Cairns (CNS)plane PMR - CNS
22h 12m$238–999Car ferry to Woodbourne Airport, fly
- Take the carferry from Wellington to Pictoncarferry
- Fly from Woodbourne Airport (BHE) to Cairns (CNS)plane BHE - CNS
18h 25m$376–1,306
Wellington (WLG) to Cairns (CNS) flights
Comparing Your Travel Options
The cheapest way to get from Wellington to Cairns is to bus and fly which costs $230 - $1,000 and takes 22h 12m.
The fastest way to get from Wellington to Cairns is to fly which takes 12h 11m and costs $550 - $1,100.
The distance between Wellington and Cairns is 3896 km.
It takes approximately 12h 11m to get from Wellington to Cairns, including transfers.
Cairns is 3h behind Wellington. It is currently 5:40 PM in Wellington and 2:40 PM in Cairns.
There are 1028+ hotels available in Cairns.
What companies run services between Wellington, New Zealand and Cairns, QLD, Australia?
Qantas, Jetstar, and Air New Zealand fly from Wellington (WLG) to Cairns (CNS) 3 times a day.
- Website
- qantas.com
Flights from Wellington to Cairns via Sydney
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 42m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $440–1,600
Flights from Wellington to Cairns via Brisbane
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 5m
- When
- Monday to Thursday
- Estimated price
- $430–1,600
Flights from Wellington to Cairns via Melbourne
- Ave. Duration
- 13h 42m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $470–1,700
Flights from Woodbourne Airport to Cairns via Wellington, Sydney
- Ave. Duration
- 10h 30m
- When
- Thursday and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $600–2,200
Flights from Woodbourne Airport to Cairns via Wellington, Brisbane
- Ave. Duration
- 10h 25m
- When
- Friday
- Estimated price
- $550–2,100
- Website
- airnewzealand.com
Flights from Wellington to Cairns via Melbourne
- Ave. Duration
- 13h 40m
- When
- Monday
- Estimated price
- $240–1,000
Flights from Wellington to Cairns via Auckland
- Ave. Duration
- 15h 30m
- When
- Sunday
- Estimated price
- $200–850
Flights from Palmerston to Cairns via Auckland
- Ave. Duration
- 18h 31m
- When
- Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $220–950
Flights from Woodbourne Airport to Cairns via Auckland
- Ave. Duration
- 19h 20m
- When
- Friday and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $280–1,200
Flights from Woodbourne Airport to Cairns via Wellington, Brisbane
- Ave. Duration
- 12h 15m
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $270–1,200
- Website
- virginaustralia.com
Flights from Woodbourne Airport to Cairns via Wellington, Brisbane
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 50m
- When
- Sunday
- Estimated price
- $270–1,200
- Phone
- +64 9 583 5780
- [email protected]
- Website
- InterCity
Bus from Wellington - Central to Palmerston North
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 5m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- $16–45
- Website
- InterCity
- Phone
- 0800 844 844
- [email protected]
- Website
- Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferries
Car ferry from Wellington to Picton
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 30m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- $106
- Website
- Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferries
Want to know more about travelling around Australia
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