Spring road trips start with Wellington Airport car hire
Spring has arrived in the capital and the bitter southerly winds have started to ease. The harbour is looking glassy and bright, and the tulips in the Bolton Street Memorial Park are in full bloom. Touching down during the Mid-Autumn Festival means sharing the arrival hall with families hauling mooncake tins. It is the perfect time to pick up your Wellington Airport car rental and drive straight up the Kapiti Coast before the summer crowds arrive.
Finding cheap rental cars Wellington Airport is a matter of looking past the big international counters. Our data shows Ezi and Europcar fighting hard for the budget end of the market, with a handful of vehicles sitting comfortably under $600 for the full ten days. A smart booker grabs one of these early, because the median price across the board sits at a much steeper $1,315, and Hertz premium options climb over $3,600.
There are 73 cars listed for these dates, and well over half are standard five-seaters. If you are hauling ski gear or a pile of luggage for the family, book a seven-seater now. Most spring snow and ice stays high in the Tararua Ranges, so you can safely skip the expensive diesel four-wheel drives. Save your money by choosing a standard petrol or hybrid engine, which will handle a blustery Cook Strait crossing and the twisty Remutaka Hill road perfectly.