Distance from Christchurch to Queenstown

The straight-line (great-circle) distance between Christchurch and Queenstown is 357.9 kilometres, roughly 52 min by plane at 850 km/h. By road it is about 482 km via Tekapo-Twizel Road and Lindis Pass Tarras Road, which takes around 6 h 20 min of driving without stops. The map below shows both routes, and the calculator recomputes them for any other pair of places.

Straight line357.9 km
By road482 km
Driving time6 h 20 min
Flight time52 min

About this page

This page is for anyone planning a trip from Christchurch to Queenstown, in New Zealand. The straight-line distance comes from the haversine formula (great-circle distance). The road distance and driving time are the fastest car route on the OpenStreetMap road network, computed with OSRM; the actual time depends on traffic, stops and the roads you choose. Tap "Calculate distance" in the calculator to redraw the route live.

Frequently asked questions

What is the distance from Christchurch to Queenstown?
In a straight line it is 357.9 km. By road it is about 482 km, roughly 6 h 20 min of driving.
How long is the flight from Christchurch to Queenstown?
Roughly 52 min: the distance at a cruising speed of 850 km/h plus about 27 minutes for take-off and landing.
How many kilometres by road between Christchurch and Queenstown?
About 482 km on the fastest route via Tekapo-Twizel Road and Lindis Pass Tarras Road, which takes around 6 h 20 min by car. Tap "Calculate distance" in the calculator to see the route on the map.
How is this distance calculated?
The straight-line distance uses the haversine formula, which gives the shortest path between two points on the Earth's surface.