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Franz Josef in September
Better avoided: September is outside the recommended season (November – April (clearest skies often in winter)). Against it: Snow on Arthur's Pass and the Haast Pass.
The season opens in November, 2 months away. Snow on Arthur's Pass and the Haast Pass: usually over after September.
2 days in Franz Josef in September · from ₹27,114 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
The weather in September
What the season does to Franz Josef this month.
Worth knowing
Snow on Arthur's Pass and the Haast Pass
The two roads over the Alps to the glaciers, Arthur's Pass from Christchurch and the Haast Pass from Wānaka, can need chains or close after snow from June to September; slips close them after heavy rain at any time of year. The TranzAlpine train usually keeps running. Allow a spare day.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹27,114 for two
- Room a night₹8,250
- Food a day, each₹3,939
Mid-range
₹57,953 for two
- Room a night₹14,300
- Food a day, each₹9,090
Luxury
₹1,27,807 for two
- Room a night₹27,500
- Food a day, each₹21,210
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for New Zealand yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Christchurch (CHC), 199 km away
Then: Flight · 4h (Air New Zealand via Hokitika (HKK) + Franz Josef shuttle)
Flights from India: from 4 cities, one way from ₹54,000
Fly into Auckland (AKL), 825 km away
Then: Flight · 8h (Air New Zealand via Christchurch and Hokitika (HKK) + Franz Josef shuttle)
Flights from India: from 8 cities, one way from ₹54,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 270 days, about ₹24,260
- Apply online for a New Zealand Visitor Visa on Immigration New Zealand's Immigration Online (immigration.govt.nz), at least 6 weeks before you fly and earlier for December to February. Indian passports can't use the NZeTA.
- Pay the NZ$341 visa fee and the NZ$100 tourism levy (IVL) online, together about ₹24,300. If INZ asks for your passport or documents, the VFS Global centres in India handle them for a service fee.
- Upload your passport, a photo, 3-6 months of bank statements, flight and hotel bookings, a letter from your employer or business, and your income-tax returns.
- The visa comes by email as an eVisa (nothing is stuck in the passport): print it and carry it.
- Before you land, fill in the free New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) online or in its app, and declare all food on it: undeclared food brings an instant NZ$400 fine.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave New Zealand; Visitor Visa (eVisa) printout; Return or onward ticket; Proof of funds: NZ$1,000 per person per month of the stay (NZ$400 a month if your accommodation is paid), about ₹55,000 a month; Hotel bookings or a host's invitation for the whole stay; NZTD confirmation.
The fee rose to NZ$341 plus a NZ$100 levy in October 2024; older guides quoting NZ$211 are out of date. INZ moved visitor applications to its enhanced Immigration Online system in September 2026, so check the current steps and processing time on immigration.govt.nz before you apply.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in New Zealand in September
Instead in season this month.
- Waitomo · great month
Want this as a real plan?
Franz Josef in September, day by day, priced for your group.