Two weeks of Wellington winter roads from the airport gate
Mid June at Wellington Airport brings low winter light, a southerly that rattles the terminal windows, and Cook Strait glinting grey-blue past the runway. This is when Dragon Boat Festival travellers fly in for a long break, and plenty of them want to roam up the Kapiti Coast or catch the ferry south. Wellington Airport car rental is easy to find, with desks a short walk from arrivals, but prices swing wildly depending on who you pick. We looked at 57 listings for 17 June to 1 July, and the spread is wide.
Sixt wins on price, with 4 listings averaging $322.66 and a low of $198.65, while Budget averages $1286.38 and tops out at $2268.56. Thrifty ($829.85), Europcar ($882.19) and Hertz ($1000.40) sit in the middle, with GO Rentals at $1044.40 and Ezi at $1129.75 above them. Check Sixt first, then line up a mid-priced backup, because 5 of the 57 listings came back at zero and can't be counted on.
Most of the fleet is five seaters (43 listings), so if you're travelling with a big group or lots of luggage, grab one of the 8 seven-seaters or 4 eight-seaters early. Winter roads over the Remutaka Hill or down to the ferry terminal can be wet and windy, so an AWD hybrid like the Toyota RAV 4 at $296.41 beats a tiny compact for comfort. Pick up in daylight if you can, since Wellington's evening traffic builds fast, and a quick lap of the car park to check the wipers and tyres is worth the two minutes.