Two weeks of Chinese New Year summer driving from Auckland Airport
Early February at Auckland Airport is warm and bright, with long evening light and hot tarmac drifting through the terminal doors. Families land for Chinese New Year on 6 February, trolleys piled with bags and red envelopes, and the rental desks fill fast. It's peak season, so book your Auckland International Airport car rental early if you want a decent pick. Across 119 listings for these 14 nights, the median quote is $3507.72 and the cheapest is $1771.83.
Prices swing wildly here. The cheapest and dearest listings sit nearly five times apart, and 14 listings came back at zero, so don't assume every car will still be there when you click. Ezi has the lowest average at $2968.42, GO Rentals follows at $3105.67, and GO Rentals holds the lowest price in five categories, Economy at $2198 among them. The smart move is to compare the same car class across suppliers, because Alamo and Budget both average above $4400.
Most cars seat five, which suits a family with two big suitcases. If grandparents are coming too, the Kia Carnival people mover from Ezi at $3495.75 is worth a look. Hybrids are easy to find (27 listings), and they cope well with the Auckland motorway crawl and the winding roads to the Coromandel. Pick up in the morning if you can, before the Friday and weekend traffic builds on the Southern Motorway, and keep water in the car, because February heat in a parked boot adds up.