Ring in the new year on the road from Auckland Domestic Airport
Late December in Auckland means long golden evenings, a warm northerly and the whole city heading for the beach. The terminal buzzes with families off the morning flights from Wellington and Christchurch, and the road out crawls until you clear the motorway. For this 29 December to 8 January window, Auckland Domestic Airport car rental is worth sorting early, because summer holiday trips fill up fast. Ten nights is enough to chase Coromandel beaches, Bay of Islands coves or the Waikato hills at your own pace.
Ezi is the only supplier with prices for these dates. Of 19 listings, 12 came back without a price, so the seven that did are the cars you can book right now. The cheapest is the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid at $1,991.75, about $199 a day, and the median sits at $2,911.75. Lock in an affordable car early, because the dearer picks leave little room to save.
Hybrids are the most common fuel type here, and they go easy on petrol over the long haul up to Northland or down to Taupō. Most cars seat five, so a family of five with big suitcases should look at the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid at $2,651.75, or step up to the Toyota Highlander Hybrid at $3,061.75 for seven seats. Coastal and forest roads turn wet and winding in a hurry, so leave extra time, and collect your car early on 29 December to beat the holiday queue at the airport gate.