Two weeks of Canterbury summer light for your Spring Festival road trip
Step out of Christchurch International Airport in mid February and the air smells of warm tarmac and cut grass, with the Southern Alps standing sharp on the western horizon. The light here lingers well into the evening, the plains turn dry and golden, and the Spring Festival crowd heads for Tekapo's turquoise water, Akaroa's harbour and the long drive south. Fourteen nights leaves room for all of it without a glance at the clock. Christchurch International Airport car rental is the easiest way to begin: grab your keys and be on the road before the baggage carousel has even emptied.
All the data here comes from one supplier, Alamo, so your saving lies in the car class you choose. A Toyota Yaris at $2134 for the fortnight is the cheapest ticket, and a Toyota Corolla at $2200 costs just $66 more for a little extra space. Prices spread by a factor of 1.77 from bottom to top, so it pays to decide early whether the trip needs a big vehicle or simply a comfortable one.
All 12 cars seat five, so count your suitcases before you assume the whole family fits. Seven are standard petrol, three are hybrids that suit long highway stretches, and two are diesels, while the Ford Ranger Wildtrak and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport are built for gravel roads and mountain passes. Summer roads here are dry and fast, but the long straights, narrow one lane bridges and sudden Alpine winds near Tekapo and Arthur's Pass call for a steady hand. Pick a pickup time that gets you out of town before the afternoon airport traffic builds.