Rent a Car in New Zealand

The Wellington–Picton ferry carries cars, but rental companies may restrict taking their vehicles on board. Check the rental agreement before booking a ferry crossing with your rental car. If the car cannot travel on the ferry terminal, you may need to return it in Wellington and pick up another rental in Picton. Vehicle spaces can fill up quickly during summer, so check the rental conditions and ferry availability early.

Within one island, a rental car is straightforward, whether or not it ends where it began. Across the strait, a trip takes one of three shapes. The car can come along on the ferry, where the supplier permits it. It can be handed back on one side and a second car collected on the other, Wellington and Picton being the usual pair. Or the trip simply runs as two separate car rentals, one per island. Which of the three is open to you turns on the supplier and on what is listed for your dates.

Two periods squeeze New Zealand's rental supply: the December-to-February summer, when the whole country is on the road, and the Queenstown ski winter. Search early for these periods to compare more of the available cars and special rental car deals. If your plans are not final, look for an offer with free cancellation and check the cancellation deadline and payment terms before booking.

Traffic keeps left; the wheel sits on the right. The New Zealand rental fleet is overwhelmingly automatic, so for most visitors the gearbox is not the adjustment — the intersections are. Turning across traffic, roundabouts and the first hour out of an airport are where habit pulls the wrong way. A quieter road is a gentler place to start than a motorway. A solid yellow line on your side of the centre means no overtaking.

Most of a New Zealand itinerary runs on sealed highway, and small cars and mid-size models cover it comfortably. Ground clearance only decides anything on the unsealed sections, and four-wheel drive matters on fewer routes than its reputation suggests. Unlimited mileage cars come on many rental offers, so distance itself often adds nothing to the bill. The mileage line on the offer confirms it.

One-lane bridges are stress free on back roads, especially in the South Island: a large black arrow means you have priority, a red one means you give way, just like in major cities. Sheep and cattle stray onto unfenced roads, most often around dawn and dusk. Fuel stops grow scarce inland and along the west coast. Fill up when the chance appears on your next trip rather than when the gauge insists.