Two weeks of Lunar New Year road trip from Auckland Domestic Airport
Mid February at Auckland Domestic Airport means long summer light, warm tarmac and a terminal full of families still in holiday mode after the Lunar New Year. From here, trips head north to the Bay of Islands, south to Rotorua and the Coromandel, or out to the west coast beaches. Lantern Festival season adds its own buzz to the city, so the car park gets busy and the roads fill up around the long weekends. Book your Auckland Domestic Airport car rental early to get one of the cars that actually has stock, because 14 of the 23 listings for these dates came back with no price.
Ezi is the only supplier with a price on the board, and its 9 quotes range from $2,599.75 to $3,509.75. That works out to about $186 a day for the cheapest car over the 14 nights. The Compact SUV and the SUV class hold the best deals, so snap one up before prices drift toward the $2,893.75 median.
Most of the fleet seats five, so a couple or small family with two suitcases and a day pack will be happy in a Puma or RAV4. Groups of seven or more have just 5 listings to pick from, so sort those first. A hybrid suits the stop-start of Auckland traffic and the long hills south of Hamilton, and Ezi's Toyota Hilux with canopy is the one to grab if you are hauling bikes or fishing gear. Collect your car before the afternoon rush on the motorway, and give yourself a little extra time at the counter, because school holidays and festival weekends mean queues.