Golden Week in Wellington: spring winds, harbour light and open road
Early October at Wellington Airport means Cook Strait wind rattling the terminal glass, sharp spring light over Lyall Bay, and a rental queue full of people in town for National Day Golden Week. The hills are green again, the harbour changes colour every ten minutes, and nobody trusts the forecast past lunchtime. Visitors land with big plans for Te Papa, the waterfront and the road to Wairarapa wine country, and most want wheels within the hour. Booking Wellington Airport car rental early for 1 to 8 October is the easiest way to keep those plans intact.
Across 68 listings the median sits at $658.50, but prices run from $340 to $1,615, a spread of 4.74 times. Europcar has the most choice with 17 listings and averages $596, while Sixt averages $578 across four. If you are hunting cheap rental cars Wellington Airport, start with those two, then look at Thrifty's Suzuki Swift at $375 and GO Rentals from $399. Hertz and Budget average well above $900, so pick them only if one particular car matters to you.
Most of the fleet seats five, which suits couples and small families with a couple of suitcases, and the 10 seven-seaters and 5 eight-seaters go fast in a holiday week. Petrol dominates, but the 14 hybrids will stretch your fuel on Wellington's steep hills and the run up to Wairarapa. Wind funnels through the Remutaka Hill Road and along the coast, so pick something with a bit of weight and leave yourself daylight for the drive. Wellington Airport car hire desks fill up when flights land in waves, so book a pickup time away from the rush and you will be out of the car park and onto Cobham Drive before the queue builds.