Lunar New Year in Christchurch: Two Weeks of Summer Road-Tripping From the Garden City
Mid-February in Christchurch is pure gold: long evenings where the sun lingers past 9pm over the Port Hills, warm nor'wester days perfect for Hagley Park picnics, and the buzz of Lunar New Year celebrations lighting up the streets around Merivale and Riccarton. Travellers fly in for the festivals, then stay for the easy drives to Akaroa's French-flavoured harbour and the turquoise braided rivers of Canterbury. If you're booking Christchurch City car rental for this stretch, here's exactly what the numbers look like for a 14-night stay.
Fair warning: supply is razor thin. Just five listings showed up for the full fortnight, four of them already sold out, and Ezi is the lone supplier standing at $2968 total. That price is identical across everything on offer, so a smart booker locks it in early rather than waiting for a cheaper option that the data suggests simply won't appear.
The fleet here is built for summer touring: four of the five cars are hybrids, which means big fuel savings on the long haul to Tekapo or Mt Cook, and most seat five with one seven-seater for bigger groups. A RAV4 Hybrid 2WD handles Canterbury's sealed roads beautifully in February, though throw in the chain requirements logic if you plan to head up any high-country passes. Book an early morning pickup at the airport depot, beat the midday arrival rush, and ask for extra boot space if you're packing for the whole lunar celebration.