Soup packets full of drugs were found in a courier package destined for Wellington.

A teenage tourist faces drugs charges after $1 million of methamphetamine was found hidden in soup packets at Auckland Airport's cargo centre.

Police began investigating after a courier package containing a kilogram of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $1m, was found at the cargo centre on July 24.

Customs found the drugs hidden in four soup packets, spread across two sachets to each packet, and concealed in a courier parcel from Macau destined for an address in Johnsonville, Wellington.

Wellington organised crime team head Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Leitch said the soup was delivered to the intended recipient in the northern suburb, with Customs and police following closely behind.

Police arrested an 18-year-old Chinese national, who was in New Zealand on a visitors' visa, on July 31, Leitch said.

He is due to appear in court in Wellington on Friday, charged with importation and conspiracy to supply the class A drug.

Leitch said the drugs were detected at the border due to Customs' "excellent border security".

A controlled delivery provided an opportunity for authorities to try and determine not only the recipient, but also those further up the supply chain, he said.

"The harm methamphetamine causes to our community is huge and our staff are committed to targeting those who involve themselves in this kind of offending and hold them to account.

"We will be working closely with our international partners and sharing intelligence in an attempt to identify all those involved in this offending, both here and in Hong Kong."