Two Wellington summer weeks, Spring Festival style, with the keys in hand
Early February in Wellington means long gold evenings, a harbour that flips between glassy and whitecapped by lunchtime, and a southerly that can turn up without warning. The Spring Festival fortnight brings families and visitors who want more than a weekend on the waterfront: the Wairarapa wine roads, the Kapiti Coast, the ferry across to the South Island. That is why Wellington International Airport car rental matters so much for these 14 nights, with the runway right beside the water and the car park filling fast on arrival day.
Alamo is the only supplier in this snapshot, so the savings come from picking the right class, not the right company. The Toyota RAV4 in the Intermediate class is the bargain at $1,381.96 for the fortnight, roughly $99 a day, well under the Yaris at $2,156 and the Corolla at $2,200. If you are hunting cheap rental cars at Wellington International Airport, check the bigger-looking car first and book early, because the same fortnight stretches to $7,700 for the Tesla.
All 14 listings seat five, so luggage is your real limit. Two big suitcases and a couple of day packs fit comfortably in an SUV like the RAV4, and the Pajero Sport suits gravel detours. Wellington's hills and Remutaka Hill Road reward a car with some pulling power, and a hybrid keeps fuel stops short on the drive to the Wairarapa. If you can, collect your car outside the morning and evening commuter rush, because the airport road into the city clogs up fast.