Last checked: 26 October 2026
The India tour of New Zealand 2026 runs from 27 October to 1 December 2026, with T20Is, ODIs and Tests in Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Christchurch. Tickets are sold through New Zealand Cricket's ticketing site. Most visiting fans need an NZeTA or visitor visa, and a data only eSIM keeps maps, tickets and messages working while the home SIM stays in the phone for calls and bank codes.
India tour of New Zealand 2026 fixtures, grounds and start times
The remaining matches run from Tuesday 27 October to Tuesday 1 December 2026, all on New Zealand Daylight Time, which is 13 hours ahead of UTC. Three T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests are shared between Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Christchurch.
T20Is, all 8pm New Zealand time:
- 3rd T20I, Tuesday 27 October, Hnry Stadium, Wellington
- 4th T20I, Friday 30 October, Eden Park, Auckland
- 5th T20I, Sunday 1 November, Seddon Park, Hamilton
ODIs, all 3pm New Zealand time:
- 1st ODI, Wednesday 4 November, Eden Park, Auckland
- 2nd ODI, Saturday 7 November, Hnry Stadium, Wellington
- 3rd ODI, Tuesday 10 November, Seddon Park, Hamilton
- 4th ODI, Friday 13 November, Bay Oval, Tauranga
- 5th ODI, Sunday 15 November, Bay Oval, Tauranga
Tests, all 11am New Zealand time:
- 1st Test, Thursday 19 to Monday 23 November, Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington
- 2nd Test, Friday 27 November to Tuesday 1 December, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Note that Wellington uses two grounds: the T20I and ODI are at Hnry Stadium, while the Test is at the Basin Reserve. Tauranga City Council confirms the two ODIs at Bay Oval. For anything not listed here, New Zealand Cricket's schedule and the venue sites will confirm.
Tickets for the India vs New Zealand ODIs and other matches
Official tickets for New Zealand home internationals are sold through New Zealand Cricket's ticketing site, tickets.nzc.nz. Buy there rather than through resellers, and check gate opening times before you travel to the ground.
- For the 27 October T20I at Hnry Stadium, gates open at 6.30pm with the first ball at 8pm.
- For the 4 November ODI at Eden Park, bus and train travel is included with the match ticket from 11.30am until the end of daily services; ferries are not included.
- Ticket categories, prices and any ballot or sale windows are set by New Zealand Cricket; tickets.nzc.nz will confirm the details for each match.
- Keep a digital copy of your ticket on your phone as well as a screenshot, so it opens even if the signal drops at the gate.
Entry to New Zealand for visiting fans
Entry rules depend on your passport, not your ticket. Some visitors need nothing beyond a passport, some need an NZeTA, and others need a visitor visa. Check the official Immigration New Zealand site before booking flights.
The routes described by Immigration New Zealand:
- Australian citizens do not need a visa or an NZeTA to visit New Zealand.
- UK passport holders are visa waiver travellers: they need an NZeTA and can stay up to 6 months per visit.
- Travellers from countries not on the visa waiver list, India among them, need a visitor visa.
The NZeTA has an application fee, lower in the official Immigration New Zealand app than on the website, and it is charged together with the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL). The current amounts are in the official fees guide. An NZeTA lasts 2 years, so allow up to 72 hours for it to be processed.
This guide does not decide eligibility for any nationality. Confirm your own route on the official site, and apply well before your match date.
Getting to the grounds on match days
Every ground on the tour is reachable by public transport or on foot, and none of the cricket venues offers easy match day parking. Plan to arrive by bus, train or on foot, and allow extra time around the first ball.
Wellington
- Hnry Stadium, 105 Waterloo Quay, Pipitea. From Wellington Railway Station the elevated Fran Wilde Walkway leads straight to the stadium entrance: about 650 metres, a 5 to 10 minute walk, reached from platforms 3 to 8.
- The Basin Reserve, Sussex Street, Mt Cook, is a short walk from the city centre, with buses on Kent Terrace and Adelaide Road. There is no on-site parking.
- The Airport Express bus runs from Wellington Airport to Wellington Station in 25 to 35 minutes depending on traffic.
Auckland
- Eden Park, 42 Reimers Avenue, Kingsland. Kingsland Station is about a 5 minute walk, with extra trains after the match. For the 4 November ODI, bus and train travel is included with the match ticket from 11.30am until the end of daily services; ferries are not included.
- From Auckland Airport, the AirportLink bus runs every 10 minutes to Puhinui Station, where trains continue to the city centre.
Hamilton
- Seddon Park is an easy 5 to 10 minute walk from the city centre. City buses leave from the Transport Centre at Anglesea and Bryce Streets, with stops near the gates on Tristram Street and Norton Road.
Christchurch
- Hagley Oval, 57 Riccarton Avenue. The Riccarton Avenue (Hospital) stops are served by bus routes 3, 5 and 80, and route 3 also runs to Christchurch Airport. There is no public parking on site on ticketed match days.
Tauranga
- Bay Oval hosts the two ODIs on 13 and 15 November. Local transport arrangements for those days will be confirmed by Tauranga City Council and the venue.
Travelling between Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga and Christchurch
The five host cities are linked by short flights and coach services, so a multi match trip is practical. Air New Zealand serves the smaller centres, and InterCity coaches cover the main road routes.
By air, Air New Zealand flies non-stop to Tauranga from Auckland (about 35 minutes), Wellington (about 1 hour 15 minutes) and Christchurch (about 1 hour 50 minutes), and serves Hamilton from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
By coach, InterCity links Auckland and Hamilton in about 2 hours, Auckland and Tauranga in about 4 hours, and Hamilton and Tauranga in about 1 hour 50 minutes.
A sensible route follows the fixtures: Wellington for the 27 October T20I, Auckland for 30 October, Hamilton for 1 November, Auckland again for the 4 November ODI, Wellington for 7 November, Hamilton for 10 November, Tauranga for 13 and 15 November, then Wellington for the Test from 19 November and Christchurch from 27 November. Book flights and coaches early around match weekends, and check the official operators for timetables.
Staying connected: roaming, a local SIM or an eSIM
A data only eSIM installed before you fly is the simplest way to stay online on this tour: it activates when it first connects in New Zealand, and your home SIM stays in the phone for calls and bank codes. Slashtel sells New Zealand plans in 1, 3, 5, 10 and 20 GB, valid for 7, 15 or 30 days.
Prices for New Zealand data:
- 1 GB: $3.49
- 3 GB: $6.49
- 5 GB: $7.89
- 10 GB: $13.29
- 20 GB: $30.69
How it works:
- Slashtel eSIMs are data only: no local phone number and no calls or SMS. WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data.
- Keep the home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes, and turn off data roaming on it to avoid roaming charges.
- Buy online with an email address and a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay; the QR code arrives by email within minutes.
- Validity starts when the eSIM first connects at the destination, so it can be bought and installed at home before the trip.
- The network is chosen automatically for the best signal and cannot be picked by hand.
- Hotspot and tethering are allowed.
- More data can be added to the same eSIM later, with no new QR code.
- The phone must be unlocked and eSIM compatible.
See the New Zealand eSIM plans and the New Zealand eSIM guide. Check your handset with the eSIM compatibility guide, follow the installation steps, and read how calls, texts, OTPs and data work with an eSIM. Estimate your data with the data calculator.
New Zealand has three mobile networks: One NZ, Spark and 2degrees. One NZ says its 5G is live in parts of Auckland, Hamilton, Bay of Plenty, Wellington and Christchurch. Spark says its 5G runs on more than 950 sites in 130 locations, reaching more than half of New Zealand's population. Big crowds can slow mobile data at the busiest moments, so download tickets and maps before you reach the ground.
Topping up a phone back home
If family in India need credit while you are away, or you want to keep a home line active for bank codes and calls, Slashtel also sells mobile top-ups to more than 100 countries, delivered to the number in minutes.
- Top ups are sent to the number, so the person at home does not need an app or a new SIM.
- Use them to keep a home line active while you travel, so bank codes and calls still reach a number you control.
- India is the home country covered for this tour; see India top ups and keeping your number active.
- Support is on WhatsApp and email if a top up does not arrive.
Time zone, safety and the emergency number
New Zealand Daylight Time runs from 27 September 2026 to 4 April 2027, so the whole tour is on NZDT, 13 hours ahead of UTC. The emergency number is 111, free from any mobile even with no credit.
- Check the time difference against home before booking calls, and remember the 8pm T20Is start in the morning in the UK and early afternoon in India.
- Save 111 in your phone, and know that it works without credit or a local plan.
- Keep your match ticket, passport and accommodation address offline on your phone as well as online.
- New Zealand's weather changes quickly, even in late November; the venue and New Zealand Cricket sites will confirm any change to start times.
See live New Zealand eSIM plans before you travel.
Sources
Event details come from the organisers and official sites below. Dates, venues and entry rules can change, so check them before you travel.
- https://www.nzc.nz/media/os0hximr/nzc-international-schedule-26-27.pdf (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://www.nzc.nz/international/matches-and-tickets/ (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://www.hnrystadium.co.nz/event/blackcaps-v-india---t20i (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://www.hnrystadium.co.nz/plan-your-visit/getting-here (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://basinreserve.nz/visiting/getting-here/ (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://wellingtonairport.co.nz/transport/airport-express-bus (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/event-transport/blackcaps-vs-india-odi-2026 (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/bus-services/airport-services (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://seddonpark.com/home/getting-here (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://hagleyoval.co.nz/transport/ (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://newsbeat.tauranga.govt.nz/news-article/artmid/24836/articleid/15298 (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://www.immigration.govt.nz/visas/new-zealand-electronic-travel-authority-nzeta/ (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://www.immigration.govt.nz/visit/what-you-need-to-visit-new-zealand/visa-waiver-countries-and-territories/ (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://www.immigration.govt.nz/assets/inz/documents/forms-and-guides/Fees-Guide-INZ-1028.pdf (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/flights/en-nz/flights-to-tauranga (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://www.intercity.co.nz/north-island-buses (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://one.nz/5g/ (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://www.spark.co.nz/content/dam/spark/documents/pdfs/governance/FY25_Annual_Report.pdf (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://www.police.govt.nz/call-111 (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- https://www.govt.nz/browse/recreation-and-the-environment/daylight-saving/ (checked 26 Oct 2026)
Questions, answered
When is the India tour of New Zealand 2026?
The remaining matches run from Tuesday 27 October to Tuesday 1 December 2026, all on New Zealand Daylight Time. The T20Is are on 27 and 30 October and 1 November, the ODIs from 4 to 15 November, and the Tests from 19 November to 1 December.
Where are the India vs New Zealand ODIs played?
The 1st ODI is at Eden Park, Auckland on 4 November, the 2nd at Hnry Stadium, Wellington on 7 November, the 3rd at Seddon Park, Hamilton on 10 November, and the 4th and 5th at Bay Oval, Tauranga on 13 and 15 November. All start at 3pm New Zealand time.
Where can I buy tickets?
Official tickets for New Zealand home internationals are sold through New Zealand Cricket's ticketing site, tickets.nzc.nz. Check gate opening times there; for the 27 October T20I at Hnry Stadium gates open at 6.30pm for an 8pm start.
Do I need a visa or an NZeTA?
It depends on your passport. Australian citizens need neither a visa nor an NZeTA, UK passport holders need an NZeTA and can stay up to 6 months per visit, and travellers from countries not on the visa waiver list, India among them, need a visitor visa. Confirm your own route on the official Immigration New Zealand site.
How long does an NZeTA take?
An NZeTA lasts 2 years, and you should allow up to 72 hours for it to be processed. The fee is lower in the official Immigration New Zealand app than on the website, and it is charged together with the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.
How do I get to Eden Park and the Basin Reserve?
Eden Park is at 42 Reimers Avenue, Kingsland, about a 5 minute walk from Kingsland Station, with extra trains after the match. The Basin Reserve on Sussex Street, Mt Cook, is a short walk from Wellington's city centre with buses on Kent Terrace and Adelaide Road, and there is no on-site parking.
How do I get from Wellington Airport to the cricket?
The Airport Express bus runs from Wellington Airport to Wellington Station in 25 to 35 minutes depending on traffic. From the station, the elevated Fran Wilde Walkway leads to Hnry Stadium in about 650 metres, a 5 to 10 minute walk from platforms 3 to 8.
Will an eSIM work for maps and tickets in New Zealand?
Yes. A Slashtel New Zealand eSIM is data only, with no local number and no calls or SMS, but WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data. Keep your home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes, and turn off data roaming on it.
How much data do I need for a two week cricket trip?
Light use for maps, tickets and messages fits in 3 to 5 GB, while heavy use including hotspot and video needs 10 to 20 GB. Slashtel New Zealand plans come in 1, 3, 5, 10 and 20 GB, valid for 7, 15 or 30 days, with 1 GB from $3.49.
What is the emergency number in New Zealand?
The emergency number is 111, free from any mobile even with no credit. The whole tour is on New Zealand Daylight Time, 13 hours ahead of UTC, so check the time at home before calling.