A windswept Wellington summer week, with Lunar New Year lanterns lit
Mid February in Wellington means long gold evenings, a harbour glittering below the hills, and a southerly that can still slap your jacket sideways on the Cook Strait side. Lunar New Year week fills the city with family reunions, dumpling tables and visitors keen to roll out along the coast. The airport gate is busy, the baggage hall hums, and the people who booked Wellington International Airport car rental ahead are already pulling out while others queue. For 14-14 February to 21 February, the data shows 14 cars on offer, so a 7 night hire needs a plan.
Alamo is the only supplier here, so the car class is what sets your price. The median quote is $1470.94 and the cheapest is $1226.72, about $175 a day, while the top end of $3850 is more than three times that. Savvy bookers land in the Special, Economy or Compact band, where quotes sit between $1226.72 and $1478.32, and save the premium cars for another trip.
All 14 cars seat five, which suits a couple with big suitcases or a small family with a boot full of kai. The roads around Wellington are sealed but windy, so a Corolla or Yaris copes fine, though the Pajero Sport at $2330.41 gives you more grip if you head over the Remutaka Hill to the Wairarapa. Pick up early in the day, check the wind on the hills before you load the roof, and ask about fuel type, since a hybrid makes the Kapiti coast run cheaper to drive.