Queenstown Airport car hire for a sun-drenched 10-day summer escape
The summer sun beats down on the runway at Queenstown Airport, baking the asphalt as families and backpackers pour out of the terminal and into the bright January light. Cicadas sing in the tussocks and the air smells of hot tarmac and sunscreen, a sensory welcome to the deep south. Securing your Queenstown Airport car rental right now feels like grabbing the last cold pint at the pub, because the rush is on for a ten-day holiday that stretches past the New Year fireworks and into the quiet, golden days of early January.
I always keep an eye on Alamo for this exact route, as they consistently ring in at the lowest average supplier price of $2,457 for the ten days. GO Rentals swings wild on the pricing chart, ranging from the absolute cheapest ride of the bunch at $1,580 up to a hefty $4,030 for their premium lineup, so clicking through their vehicle list is a mixed bag. A smart booker checks the final quote screen here instead of relying on brand loyalty, because the gap between the median price of $2,567 and that lowest GO Rentals special is real money you could spend on Bluff oysters instead.
You will find 97 vehicles on the table for these dates, ranging from zippy Toyota Yaris hatchbacks to hard-cover utes ready for the gravel roads of Glenorchy. Book a five-seater early if you have a normal load of luggage, since those make up the vast majority of the fleet and vanish first. I highly recommend grabbing a standard petrol Suzuki Swift or a hybrid from the compact category for this January weather, because the roads are dry and clear, and you will save plenty of cash on fuel for the long climbs up the Crown Range.