New Year's week on the road: Dunedin Airport and the Otago coast in summer
Early January in Dunedin brings long golden evenings, a sea breeze off the Pacific, and Otago Peninsula roads busy with people hoping to spot albatross and penguins. The airport is small and quick, and most travellers are on the road within minutes of landing. Between New Year's Day and the 8th, demand runs high, and the 28 listings we found for Dunedin Airport car rental span $1,019 to $2,324 for the week. That's a wide gap, and it works in your favour if you plan ahead.
GO Rentals has the lowest average at $1,369, while Hertz has both the cheapest single quote ($1,019) and the priciest ($2,324), so the brand on its own tells you very little. Compare the specific car rather than the supplier, because the median sits at $1,505 and a smart pick can save you several hundred dollars. Ezi's RAV4 Hybrid at $1,151 is a good example of a bargain tucked inside a pricier supplier.
Most of the fleet is petrol with five seats, so pack soft bags if four or five of you are travelling with luggage. Summer roads around Dunedin and out to the Catlins are mostly sealed, but the Peninsula is narrow and winding, so a compact or hybrid SUV is easier to handle than a big pickup. Pick up your car early in the day, because the New Year week queue at the counter tends to build by the afternoon.