Wellington Airport car hire for a ten-day spring escape
Late September in the capital brings that blustery spring breeze off the Cook Strait, alongside blooming daffodils along the Mount Victoria lookout. Travellers fly in for the lively local cafe culture and to catch the first good weather windows for crossing to the South Island. Sorting out your Wellington Airport car rental right now is a smart move, because a ten-day National Day holiday window brings big crowds to the terminal lots.
The pricing data for this period shows a massive gap between the budget and premium operators. Sixt and Ezi anchor the bottom of the pricing field with averages around $715, while Hertz charges well over $2,800. A clever booker checks the deals from Europcar and Thrifty first, where the lowest prices on the board are hiding, instead of defaulting to the first familiar brand they see.
The lots are flooded with five-seat standard petrol vehicles, but picking one of the many hybrids will make a real difference to your fuel bill over ten days. An intermediate hybrid like the Toyota Corolla easily handles suitcases and groceries. Try to schedule your pickup for mid-morning on a weekday if you can, as airport gates get very congested when the afternoon southerly winds blow in and everyone rushes to leave at once.