* Aussie gold index jumps 2.7% to over 2-week closing high
* NZ shares advance for the sixth session in a row
* Australia, NZ markets closed on Wednesday and Thursday (Updates to close)
Dec 24 (Reuters) - Gold and healthcare stocks helped Australian shares eke out small gains on Tuesday in thin pre-Christmas trade, while New Zealand equities closed at an all-time high.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO ended up 0.1% at 6,794.20, after a 0.5% fall in the previous session. Volumes were about a third of the 30-day average, with 201.7 million shares changing hands.
Australia and New Zealand markets closed early on Tuesday and will remain shut for the next two days for Christmas and Boxing Day.
Gold miners were the top performers on the ASX benchmark, with the sub-index .AXGD jumping 2.7% to its highest close in more than two weeks on firm bullion prices. GOL/
Gold Road Resources Ltd GOR.AX advanced 7.7% and Resolute Mining Ltd RSG.AX added 5.9%.
The healthcare index .AXHJ climbed 1%, with drugmaker CSL Ltd CSL.AX , Australia's fourth-largest firm by market value, gaining 1.3%.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose for the sixth consecutive session, adding 0.8%, or 95.55 points, to settle at 11,642.78.
Both Argosy Property Ltd ARG.NZ and Ryman Healthcare Ltd RYM.NZ gained 4.4% and were the top performers on the bourse.