The All Whites have arrived in Peru three-hours behind schedule after an unplanned stop to refuel their plane.

Photo: Photosport

Set to face the world's 10th-ranked team in the second leg of their World Cup playoff in Lima on Thursday (NZ time), the New Zealand side finally touched down in the Peruvian capital late on Monday afternoon.

It completed a journey of nearly 24 hours, with the unscheduled delay meaning many of those at the airport to greet the squad had left, leaving a group of around 30 to 40 media and fans.

The delay on the private charter flight from Argentinean capital Buenos Aires also meant the All Whites had arrived around 30 hours later than their Peru counterparts.

The Peruvian squad caught a charter flight direct from Auckland to Lima late on Saturday night, just a few hours after the two teams had battled to a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Wellington.

After speeding their way through customs, the New Zealanders jumped straight onto a waiting bus and headed for their hotel.

The squad were set to get a nights sleep in before training on Tuesday, with just one other session on Wednesday before the all-important match at the national stadium the following day.

The winner after Thursday's match (3.15pm kickoff NZ) books a berth at next year's World Cup in Russia.