Two spring weeks out of Wellington Airport, with the harbour at your back
Late September in Wellington brings bright mornings that can flip to southerly squalls by lunchtime, and the airport car park fills with families heading off for the school holidays. You step out of the terminal, feel the wind surge up off Lyall Bay, and the road trip has properly begun. For the fortnight from 26 September to 10 October, Wellington Airport car rental is busy, with 67 listings on the board and 8 showing zero. Book early and you can still land a car that costs less than your flights.
The cheapest quote is a $528 Budget Mystery Car, but the real bargains have names: Europcar's MG ZS at $568, Sixt's Corolla Hybrid at $574 and Thrifty's Swift at $588. The median sits at $1,092, so anything well under that is a good find. Hertz averages $1,441 and GO Rentals $1,495, so a quick price check across suppliers could save you several hundred dollars on a fortnight.
Most of the fleet seats five, so a family of four with big bags will do better in one of the 10 seven-seaters than with a boot crammed to the roof. Spring on State Highway 1 and over the Remutaka Hill can bring wet roads and sudden crosswinds, so a hybrid or a Compact SUV like the CX-30 feels settled and sips fuel. Pick up before the mid-morning rush if you can, because desk queues swell fast when the school holiday flights land together.