Distance from Christchurch to Wellington

The straight-line (great-circle) distance between Christchurch and Wellington is 305.6 kilometres, roughly 44 min by plane at 850 km/h. By road it is about 439 km via Wellington - Picton (Bluebridge) and State Highway 1, which takes around 8 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 line305.6 km
By road439 km
Driving time8 h 20 min
Flight time44 min

About this page

This page is for anyone planning a trip from Christchurch to Wellington, 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 Wellington?
In a straight line it is 305.6 km. By road it is about 439 km, roughly 8 h 20 min of driving.
How long is the flight from Christchurch to Wellington?
Roughly 44 min: the distance at a cruising speed of 850 km/h plus about 23 minutes for take-off and landing.
How many kilometres by road between Christchurch and Wellington?
About 439 km on the fastest route via Wellington - Picton (Bluebridge) and State Highway 1, which takes around 8 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.