Ten Wellington days of summer light, harbour wind and open road
Mid February at Wellington International Airport means long golden evenings, a brisk Cook Strait breeze at the terminal doors, and travellers still riding the buzz of Chinese New Year. The harbour glitters, the hills around Rongotai glow green and brown, and the ferries to the South Island are busy. If you are lining up Wellington International Airport car rental for these ten nights (8 to 18 February), the roads are open and the days are long. Plenty of people use this window to head over to the Wairarapa vineyards or catch a ferry to Picton.
Alamo is the only supplier in our 14 listings, so the savings come from picking the right car, not the right company. The Toyota RAV4 at $1,032.10 works out to about $103 a day, and it beats the cheapest Economy car by more than $500. A smart booker compares the whole price list and ignores the category labels.
All 14 cars seat five, so check boot space against your bags before you pay for extra size. Wellington gets gusty, and a RAV4 or similar feels steadier on the Remutaka Hill road than a small hatchback. Nine of the listings are standard petrol, with three hybrids for the long highway stretches. Collect your car in the morning if you can, because the afternoon wind picks up and the road out of the airport gets busier then.