Ten spring nights out of Auckland Domestic Airport, from $731.75
Spring in Auckland swings between bright mornings over the Manukau Harbour and sudden showers rattling across the car park. The National Day break packs the terminal with people wheeling bags toward the rental desks, and Auckland Domestic Airport car rental gets tight fast. For 28 September to 8 October, 13 of the 18 listings we checked showed no price at all, leaving five cars to choose from. Book early. The pickup queue at the gate moves quickly, and the good ones don't wait.
Ezi has the cheapest car at $731.75 (the Ford Puma) and the priciest at $1621.75 (the Prado), a 2.22 times gap from bottom to top. Sixt shows one Intermediate at $948.73, about $27 above Ezi's Corolla Cross Hybrid at $921.75. For cheap rental cars at Auckland Domestic Airport, the Puma and the Corolla Cross both land under the $948.73 median, so grab one before someone else does.
Nine of the 18 listings are hybrids, which suits the stop-start crawl out of the airport and the long hills south toward Hamilton and Rotorua. Most cars seat five, so a family with big suitcases should look at the Corolla Cross or step up to a seven seater. Spring squalls can roll in without warning, so check the tyres and wipers at the gate. If gravel roads are on your list, the four-wheel drive Hilux or Prado earns its price.