Wellington Airport in Lunar New Year summer: ten nights on the road
Mid-February at Wellington Airport brings long summer light, a wind that can snatch your hat before you reach the kerb, and a terminal full of families arriving for Lunar New Year. The harbour glitters below the hills, and from here the road runs north to the Kapiti Coast or across to the Wairarapa wine country. Ten nights is enough for either, or both. Booking Wellington Airport car rental early pays off, because this holiday window pushes the median quote to $2,190.13 across 76 listings.
The spread is huge, 4.63 times from the $811.56 cheapest to the $3,757.13 top end. Sixt owns the bottom of the board with an average of $903.01, Ezi follows at $1,428.89, and Hertz ($2,965.60) and Budget ($3,070.61) cost more than three times as much. A savvy booker looks at the cheap suppliers first, then turns to Europcar and GO Rentals ($2,012.50 and $2,076.82 on average) only if the best options are gone. Four listings showed a zero price, so skip any quote that looks too good to be true.
Most of the fleet seats five, but there are 10 seven-seaters and 5 eight-seaters if you are travelling with extended family and bags. Hybrids are easy to find (18 listings) and suit the long drive up State Highway 1, where fuel stops come quickly. State Highway 2 over the Remutaka Hill is winding and gusty, so a steady front-wheel-drive hybrid does the job nicely. Pick up in the morning, when the terminal is quieter and the desk queue is short, and your first night's accommodation will feel closer than the map suggests.