Escape the crowds: Queenstown Airport car hire for a late summer road trip
Late February in Queenstown brings that golden, honey-coloured light bouncing off Lake Wakatipu and afternoons spent stretched out by the water. The Lunar New Year rush brings a fresh wave of travellers eager to catch the tail end of the southern summer before the leaves turn. Stepping off the plane into that dry, warm alpine air means you are probably itching to hit the road quickly. Locking in your Queenstown Airport car rental right now is the best way to skip the shutdown and drive straight toward the Crown Range.
Sorting through 98 available vehicles for these 14 days reveals a massive spread from $1648 right up to $5424. GO Rentals sits at the top of the price ladder, but Budget is quietly holding the absolute cheapest ride in the lot with a compact SUV for just $1648. A smart booker checks the smaller fleet operators first to find those hidden gems before everything gets snapped up for the holiday.
With 72 five-seaters available, finding a standard petrol car for a couple or small family is incredibly easy, but you will want to book early if your group needs a seven or eight-seater people mover. The dry February roads from Queenstown to Glenorchy or Wanaka are in beautiful condition, making a standard two-wheel drive perfectly fine for your trip. Just remember that airport pickup queues swell significantly after midday flight arrivals, so try to schedule your collection for the morning to beat the lines.