Seven late-summer nights from Dunedin Airport to the albatross coast
Mid-February in Otago brings long gold evenings, a sea breeze off the Pacific, and a Chinese New Year week when the city fills with visiting families. You step out of the terminal at Momona under big paddock skies, and the road north to Dunedin takes about half an hour. Most visitors already have a plan: Otago Peninsula for the albatross and penguins, Tunnel Beach at low tide, or the long drive south into the Catlins. A Dunedin Airport car rental is what makes any of it possible, because the best stops here sit well beyond the bus routes.
We found 30 listings for 10 to 17 February, with a median of $1,424 and a cheapest of $1,091. GO Rentals is the cheapest supplier on average at $1,240, and Hertz holds both the lowest and the highest price, from $1,091 to $2,412. Europcar averages $1,532 and Ezi $1,621, but Ezi has the $1,151 RAV4 Hybrid, so it pays to compare category by category instead of stopping at the supplier average. If you want cheap rental cars Dunedin Airport travellers can actually collect, lock one in early, since the top end is 2.2 times the bottom.
Most of the fleet seats five and runs on petrol, with 7 hybrids that suit the steady climbs out of Dunedin. The Peninsula road is narrow and winds beside the harbour, so a compact car is easier to park at the lookouts. For the Catlins gravel and wet bush tracks, a Hilux or Pajero Sport gives you the clearance. Pack soft bags rather than hard cases, and collect your car in daylight so you can check the paintwork before the late summer dusk.