Two weeks of Otago summer light, from Dunedin Airport to the Catlins
Mid February in Otago means long golden evenings, a cool sea breeze off the Pacific and paddocks drying to straw along the road from the terminal. It's the fortnight after Lunar New Year, when families fly in for the Otago Peninsula, the Moeraki boulders and the Catlins before the school term settles. The airport sits out on the plain, so you step off the plane, collect your keys and are on the open road within minutes, with no city traffic crawl. For Dunedin Airport car rental, 14 nights across 30 listings gives you plenty to compare, with prices from $2061.79 to $4829.13.
GO Rentals is the quiet winner here, averaging $2380 with eight listings and its cheapest car at $2135 for a Toyota Yaris Hybrid. Europcar has the single lowest fare overall, a Suzuki Swift Hybrid at $2061.79, though its range climbs all the way to $4253.16. Smart bookers price two or three categories side by side, because the gap between the cheapest and dearest listing is a factor of 2.34, and Hertz's average of $3551 shows what happens when you grab the first car you see.
Twenty-five of the 30 listings are five-seaters, so a family of four with big suitcases should check boot space, and a hybrid like the Toyota RAV4 at $2179.75 from Ezi keeps fuel costs down on the long drives south. February roads are mostly dry, but the Catlins gravel and the winding Peninsula road suit an all-wheel-drive car or a sturdier vehicle like the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport at $2667. Book early if you need more than five seats, since only five listings are bigger than that, and pick up in the morning so you reach your first stop with the afternoon light still ahead of you.