Seven summer nights on the road from Auckland Downtown
Late December in Auckland Downtown brings long gold evenings, ferries slipping out across the Waitematā, and a city that's half emptied as everyone heads for the beaches. Cruise ships fill the waterfront, and by mid-morning the motorway north has started to hum. If you want to leave the apartment towers behind for the Coromandel, Bay of Islands or the Waikato, Auckland Downtown car rental is the easiest way to go at your own pace. This week runs 28 December to 4 January, so you're booking right in the thick of the holidays.
Thrifty is the star here, with ten listings from $1,350 up to $2,068 and an average of $1,631. Budget sits higher, between $1,696 and $2,568, so it mostly makes sense if you have your heart set on its Mazda CX-30 or Kia Sorento. Book the Thrifty Economy or Compact early. The spread across the whole board is about 1.9 times, and the cheapest cars tend to go first.
Most of the fleet seats five, which suits a family with a couple of suitcases. If you're travelling with a crowd, lock in one of the two seven-seaters now. Only two cars are hybrids, and they earn their keep on a long loop through the Coromandel or down to Rotorua. Expect slow traffic on the Southern Motorway and State Highway 1 north on 28 December and again on 4 January. Pick up early in the morning and you'll be clear of the queues before the sun gets hot.