Wellington – known for being the creative and cultural hub of New Zealand, the Te Papa Tongarewa museum & their love for coffee (just like Melbourne across the Tasman Sea).
It is also the capital of New Zealand (indeed, Auckland is not).
Writing a list of all the cool things to do in Wellington would require another blog post (or a dedicated Wellington blog), so I will save you from that because you want to know what SIM card and eSIM options are available at the airport.
You can get a One NZ (formerly Vodafone) SIM card for between 29 NZD and 99 NZD at Auckland Airport (AKL).
That is quite a spread – what gives?
It is because mostly tourist SIM cards and plans are available at the airport.
However, the validity of these plans can last for two months, so that is not too bad.
So let's review all your options and see if getting a SIM card at Wellington International Airport is even worth it.
Original publication: 19th of December 2022. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
Mobile Operators in New Zealand
Before I tell you about the SIM card and eSIM options you have at Wellington International Airport, you first need to know about all the mobile operators in New Zealand.
New Zealand has three mobile operators and two Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:
- Spark New Zealand
- One NZ (formerly Vodafone New Zealand)
- 2degrees New Zealand
- Skinny Mobile (Spark New Zealand MVNO)
- Warehouse Mobile (2degrees New Zealand MVNO)
Sure, there are some online-based MVNOs, but it can take days before they get posted, so I would only recommend getting SIM cards that you can get in stores.
For more information about New Zealand SIM cards, check out my New Zealand SIM card buying guide.
Alright, back to what Wellington International Airport has to offer to us.
Where to Buy a SIM Card (or eSIM) at Wellington International Airport?
At Wellington International Airport, one store and a booth sell only one SIM card: One NZ (formerly Vodafone).
There is a One NZ booth at the arrivals hall.
In the departures hall, a Relay store sells the same One NZ Travel SIM cards at the One NZ booth.
Besides One NZ Travel SIM cards, no other SIM cards are sold at Wellington International Airport.
So let's see what your options are.
What SIM Cards & Plans does One NZ (formerly Vodafone New Zealand) Sell at Wellington International Airport (+Prices)?
One NZ (formerly Vodafone) only sells its One NZ Travel SIM cards at Wellington International Airport, ranging from 29 NZD to 99 NZD.
One NZ is the second-largest mobile operator in New Zealand, which was known as Vodafone New Zealand before rebranding to One NZ.
At Wellington International Airport, you have two locations for buying a One NZ Travel SIM: the One NZ booth at the arrivals hall (downstairs) or Relay in the departure hall (upstairs).
You do not have to clear security to go to the Relay store, so you can get your One NZ Travel SIM there before grabbing your luggage (or after passing passport control and customs if you have an international arrival).
Unlike Auckland Airport, where you can get a One NZ Travel SIM in the duty-free area and save 15% (by not paying GST), you will pay full price for your One NZ SIM cards at Wellington International Airport.
But you cannot miss the booth at the arrivals hall at Wellington International Airport.
The same actually applies to the Relay store, but you may have to walk a bit further if you enter the terminal from an international arrival.
Anyway, the following four (previously three) One NZ Travel SIM cards are available:
| Price | Data | Local Minutes | International Minutes 1 | Local SMS | International SMS 1 | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 NZD | 2 GB | 200 minutes | Combined with call allowance | 200 SMS | Combined with text allowance | 30 days |
| 49 NZD | 10 GB | Unlimited | 200 minutes | Unlimited | 200 SMS | 60 days |
| 69 NZD | 40 GB | Unlimited | 200 minutes | Unlimited | 200 SMS | 60 days |
| 99 NZD | 100 GB | Unlimited | 250 minutes | Unlimited | 250 SMS | 60 days |
1 to Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands (not for 29 NZD plan), Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan (not for 29 NZD plan), Thailand (not for 29 NZD plan), the United Kingdom & the United States
Disclaimer: the SIM card prices mentioned in the review were current when I was in New Zealand – the offering and prices may have changed since then. To see One NZ's current starter packs, check out my New Zealand SIM card buying guide
In most cases, your phone will automatically download the correct APN settings for your One NZ Travel SIM to work.
If not, add these values:
- Name: VFNZ Internet
- APN: vodafone
Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched. I suspect the APN name (VFNZ Internet) will change in the future, but the name can be whatever (even your name if you want) as long as the APN (vodafone) is set correctly.
And all these tourist SIM cards allow for 5G NR access – free of charge.
How much does a regular One NZ SIM card cost? They are sold for 5 NZD in One NZ stores (not the ones at the airports) and from resellers, like grocery stores, gas stations & convenience stores).
So should you get a regular One NZ SIM card and get a regular data-featured prepaid plan or a One NZ Travel NZ?
You can get either – it should not matter that much.
Initially, these One NZ Travel SIMs look expensive… which they kind of are.
However, most plans are valid for 60 days (besides the 25/29 NZD plan – that one is valid for 30 days instead), which somewhat explains the high prices.
With Spark, the Spark NZ Travel Packs are (somehow) more affordable than data-featured prepaid plans.
With One NZ, the prices are similar, but you can save a couple of dollars (if you buy your One NZ Travel SIM in the duty-free area at Auckland Airport).
But the savings will not be major (unlike with Spark, where the difference can be significant).
But if you do plan on visiting New Zealand for a month or two and would like your validity to be as long as possible, the One NZ Travel SIM will be more cost-effective.
For example, if you normally use 20 GB a month, the 60/69 NZD One NZ Travel SIM with 40 GB for 60 days will be a good option.
The cheapest way to get 20 GB of data with a One NZ data-featured prepaid plan would be getting a MyFlex Prepay plan with 25 GB of data and 100 local/Australia minutes for 57 NZD.
Multiply that by two (two months), and you would have spent 114 NZD (+5 NZD on a One NZ SIM card, making the total 119 NZD).
Lastly, can you get a One NZ eSIM at Wellington International Airport? No, you cannot… yet.
One NZ does have eSIMs, which was delayed by multiple months, but they are for postpaid customers only.
But I have been told they should be available to prepaid customers in early 2023.
However, the same people told me that it could take until mid-2023 before you can get a One NZ eSIM as a prepaid customer, so do not get too excited yet, lol.
Also, be sure to read my One NZ review if you are interested in getting a One NZ SIM card.
Should You Get a SIM Card at Wellington International Airport?
I recommend getting a One NZ SIM card at Wellington International Airport because you will save (some) money.
The savings with getting a One NZ Travel SIM are minimal unless you stay in New Zealand for more than a month.
But it is not like you are paying a tourist tax as in many countries.
If you do not want to get a One NZ Travel SIM for some reason or want to get a Spark, 2degrees, or Warehouse Mobile SIM card instead, you have some options if you do not mind walking for a bit.
Just like at Auckland Airport, there is a shopping center close to the airport.
However, the only way to get there is by walking for 20 to 25 minutes (unless you get a Uber or taxi or something – there is no convenient way to get there by public transport).
The shopping center is called the Airport Retail Park, where they have The Warehouse.
The Warehouse sells regular Spark, One NZ, 2degrees & Warehouse Mobile SIM cards (no Skinny Mobile SIM cards, unfortunately).
New Zealand SIM cards are sold for 5 NZD and include no credit (except for Warehouse Mobile in The Warehouse, where you can get its SIM card for 1 NZD giving you 5 NZD credit).
Because it is rather inconvenient to get to the Airport Retail Park, you may be better off waiting until you get to Wellington CBD to get a regular New Zealand SIM card.
Depending on where you get off the Airport Express bus, it is only a five to ten minute walk to get to the nearest Spark, One NZ, or 2degrees store, let alone any reseller (grocery stores, gas stations & convenience stores).
New Zealand SIM Card Reviews
I tried out all New Zealand SIM cards that you can easily buy from stores.
You should read those reviews.
>>> Spark Review | One NZ (formerly Vodafone) Review | 2degrees Review | Skinny Mobile Review | Warehouse Mobile Review <<<
I also tried out various travel eSIMs + a travel SIM card that work in New Zealand: Airalo (Nzcom & Discover Global), Holafly, Nomad & SimOptions + Orange Holiday World (SIM card).
You should also read those reviews.
>>> Airalo Nzcom New Zealand eSIM Review | Airalo Discover Global (in New Zealand) eSIM Review | Airalo Discover Global (in other countries) eSIM Review | Holafly New Zealand eSIM Review | Nomad New Zealand eSIM Review | Orange Holiday World Travel SIM Card in New Zealand Review <<<
Check out my reviews page if you want to read all the other reviews I have written, including other Oceanian SIM cards.