Labour Day week out of Christchurch, with spring light on the Canterbury Plains
Late October at Christchurch International Airport has a feel all its own: long spring light, a wind that can't decide which way to blow, and snow still glinting on the Southern Alps beyond the plains. Labour Day weekend kicks off the road trip season, and the arrivals hall fills with people already pointing towards Hanmer Springs, Akaroa or the road over to Tekapo. Locking in your Christchurch International Airport car rental before the long weekend rush means you won't be stuck at the counter watching the queue grow. We checked 14 listings for 26 October to 2 November, seven nights, and the numbers are friendlier than you might expect.
Alamo is the only supplier in this snapshot, so the savings come from the car class, not from shopping between brands. The median quote is $565.29 and the cheapest is $519.54 for a Mystery Car, with a Toyota Yaris at $524.91 right behind it. If you want cheap rental cars at Christchurch International Airport, stay in the Economy and Compact range and you will pay between $524.91 and $573.11 for the week.
Everything on the list seats five, which suits a couple with two big bags or a small family with soft luggage in the boot. Seven cars are standard petrol, four are hybrid, two are diesel and one is electric, and the hybrids make sense if you plan to cover plenty of kilometres on the Canterbury highways. Spring weather around the Alps changes fast, so if you are heading for the high country, check the road reports in the morning and consider the $1,407 Pajero Sport for extra confidence. Collect early in the day: airport traffic eases once the first morning flights have cleared, and you can roll out onto State Highway 1 without a crawl.