Dear experts, we will arrive on the 2nd of September and depart on the 22nd. We plan to rent a car in Auckland and drive around both the North and South Islands. Would it be better to pick up and return the car at the same location, or is it better to return it at a different location? ?

New Zealand FAQ

2 Answers

User avatar
QEEQ User

It's suggested to fly directly to the South Island, rent a car and only play around the South Island. 13 days may not be enough to fully enjoy the core scenic spots.

User avatar
QEEQ User

The 13-day Road trip from the North Island to the South Island seems a bit tight. Compare the cost of returning the car to a different location and the cost of flying between the North and South Islands.

Related Questions

From Auckland to Queenstown, I want to rent a car all the way from the North Island to the South Island. Is it more cost-effective and convenient to rent separate cars for each leg of the journey, or is it easier to take the car on the ferry and return it at a different location ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers return the carreturn the car in a different locationferryaucklandqueenstown

Two of us are flying from Beijing to Auckland on November 8th and arriving on the 9th. We will return on the 21st and arrive on the 22nd. We will be traveling around both the North and South Islands by Road trip car. Can we find friends to share the journey together ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer aucklandbeijingnorth and south islandbeidaoroad trip

Our family of three is planning to depart from Shanghai on August 10th for a 15-day trip to the North and South Islands. We will first arrive in Auckland and then rent a car to travel around the South Island. We would like to seek advice from anyone in the group for travel tips. Hehe ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers aucklandsouth islandbeidaorent a carstrategy

Is it better to rent a car in the North Island and return it in the South Island, take the ferry, or rent a car again after flying over ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers return the carreturn the car in a different locationnew rental carsouth islandbeidao

We are a group of three, New Zealand for 18 days, from Auckland to and from Auckland. Can we drive from North Island to South Island? Can we rent a car at the airport and return it at the airport? Thank you ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer return the caraucklandnorth and south islandbeidaonew zealand

We will arrive in Christchurch at 17:40 on Monday by plane. After we collect our luggage and go through customs, how long will it take to pick up the car? Are these Asian supermarkets closed... I booked a guesthouse where I can cook for myself. Will it be too late to buy vegetables that night ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers pick up the carluggagehomestayairplanechristchurch

Food is not packed, no booking of homestay, lazy to cook, all booked hotels, but I did bring some cold medicine for the child, hesitated whether to declare, the plane will arrive in Christchurch at 4:10 p.m., declaring will waste a lot of time to pick up the car, and it will be dark, just started, I want to avoid driving at night ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers pick uphotelhomestayairplanechristchurch

I'm still working hard to get back the cost of a tank of gas. On the way back from the South Island to Auckland, I took half a day to go to Muriwai Beach and spent half a day looking for a rental car company near the airport. I found a Corolla for 480 yuan with full insurance. When I picked up the car, the salesperson tried to sell me an additional 27 New Zealand dollars of insurance, but I ignored her. When I looked inside the car, the fuel tank only had enough fuel to run 121 kilometers. I told her about it, and she said it was no problem as long as I returned the car with an empty fuel tank. Since the pickup and return process had gone smoothly before, I didn't think much of it. When I returned the car the next morning, there was still enough fuel in the tank to run for more than 130 kilometers. But as soon as I arrived at the airport, I received information that I had been charged 134.11 New Zealand dollars, and when I asked, it turned out to be for fuel. Can you imagine where the credibility comes from ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer pick upreturn the carfull insuranceinsurancekilometer

Regarding the recent flooding in the South Island, tourists with travel plans in the near future do not need to panic. The latest information we have is as follows: 1. The water levels in the high-water areas of Lake Wakatipu and Lake Wanaka in Queenstown have reached their peak, and the weather has cleared up. This week is expected to be mostly sunny, with no more rain predicted, so the flood risk has been alleviated. Businesses along the shores of Lake Wanaka have resumed operations. The famous Wanaka Tree will remain partially submerged for a while longer due to the still-high water levels. Queenstown is experiencing clear weather, and recent photos show that while the water levels are high, the risk of flooding has diminished. 2. The South Island highways, which were previously closed, have started to reopen. State Highway 72 has resumed traffic, although there is heavy congestion, so travelers should allow extra time if using this route. 3. There is still flooding at the Rangitata Bridge section of State Highway 1, but once the water recedes, traffic will be able to resume. There is also flooding at the intersection of State Highway 1 and State Highway 79. The Timaru District Council has stated on social media that there is no risk of the recently reopened bridges on State Highway 72 being closed again. 4. The goal is to reopen State Highway 6 on the West Coast before Christmas, but this is entirely dependent on the weather conditions. If the weather remains favorable, the road repair progress will be normal, but if there is another heavy rain, it will affect the repair schedule. Therefore, travelers planning to visit the West Coast of the South Island around Christmas and New Year's need to closely monitor the road repair progress. The New Zealand Transport Agency's update on December 10th at 4pm: SH6 - The past two days have been sunny, and road repair progress has been smooth. The agency has been working to clear the landslide section between Fox and Franz Josef towns, aiming to reopen the Hokitika - Makarora section before Christmas. The Whataroa - Harihari section, which has suffered the most damage, is still closed due to multiple landslides, and the agency is striving to reopen it before Christmas ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer weathertraffichighway 1operating systemfox

1. Left-hand driving: You can get used to it quickly, and even if you violate it, because everyone can see each other, it generally does not cause consequences. Of course, affecting others will be despised and scolded. 2. GIVE WAY and STOP: Most important! Must be strictly enforced! At intersections with GIVE WAY and STOP signs, you must stop and look carefully before entering the main road. Vehicles on the main road (including roundabouts) will absolutely not slow down to let vehicles from the side road enter. 3. Speed limit: If you cannot see the speed limit outside the city or when there is no speed limit, follow the maximum of 100, otherwise follow the speed limit. 4. Curves have suggested speeds, as stated in the driving promotional video for newcomers to New Zealand: 'If you feel uneasy when you see the speed limit, you can slow down.' 5. Speeding: In the North Island, you can drive at the speed limit +10 (on holidays +5), and there are few slow vehicles on the road. The maximum speed for vehicles with trailers may be 80, but everyone can silently follow along... 6. Overtaking: Very few people overtake on most ordinary roads. Highways have sections with overtaking lanes, which are uphill, and vehicles with good power will overtake at this time. (The gentle GL made me give up the idea of using the overtaking lane). There will be signs on the highway indicating the distance to the next overtaking lane, so there is no need to rush to overtake. 7. Windshield wipers and turn signals: Opposite to the right-hand driving position, this is what I am least accustomed to. Every time the windshield wipers resolutely swing in front of my eyes when turning, I can feel the concerned and disdainful looks from the surroundings... And, even if you turn on the turn signal, you may not be able to stop the windshield wipers immediately... 8. Crossing lines: From observation, all the lines here can be crossed, but no one drives on the lines for a long time. 9. Parking: Most parking in the North Island is free. I only parked in a paid parking lot twice, and it was quite expensive. 10. Haven't paid any tolls ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer stopspeedingtollparking lotspeed limit

Recently Answered Questions

So suggest people rent cars with credit cards and make sure your credit cards have rental car insurance. My card has it, so I don't have to buy any collision insurance. After getting home, I just fill out an online claim form, upload all the photos, documents, and credit card records when I rented the car, etc. Two weeks later, I received an email saying the claim was approved, and all the windshield fees that the rental car company deducted from me were returned to me. They asked me how I wanted them to send the money to me ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer claim settlementgo onlinecredit cardswipe cardinsurance

Have you ever used self-service fueling? Is the credit card authorized first, and then the actual fueling amount is deducted after the gun is lifted ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer credit carddeduct feeoilgo for it!self-service refueling

I parked at the dock and paid for parking with a card, with a pre-authorization of 50. Shortly after, the pre-authorization was cancelled. Will I receive a fine? Can I still continue to pay for parking ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer traffic ticketspre-authorizationswipe cardparkingpayment

Hello everyone, I would like to ask if I need to buy full insurance when renting a car. I noticed that full insurance is very expensive in Queenstown. I am planning to go to New Zealand at the end of August, is it considered the peak tourist season? Do I need to book hotels and tickets in advance ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer hotelfull insuranceticketqueenstownnew zealand

The service staff took a lot of pictures when I picked up the car. I thought they were professional, so I didn't take any pictures (besides, I thought that since I had full insurance, there wouldn't be any problems if an accident happened). Today, when I returned the car, a different lady looked at it very carefully and found a little damage to the paint. She didn't compare it to the pictures when I picked up the car. She just emphasized that I didn't need to make any payments, but asked me to sign. I wondered if the insurance company was playing some kind of trick ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers pick upaccidentreturn the carfull insurancecompensation

Can the whole electronic visa passport be scanned (all blank pages are scanned)? Or just the used pages (such as the pages with exit stamps)? In addition, do you need to scan the new passport if the previous passport has many transit stamps and visas? If scanned, do you also need to scan the whole passport, including blank pages? I am a dependent visa holder ? New Zealand Q&A

3 Answers transitelectronicpassportvisaelectronic signature

Apply for an electronic visa to New Zealand online, fill in the name according to the requirements, and find that the displayed name is opposite to the passport. If this is issued, the name should also be reversed. How do you fill in when you apply? For example, the visa is XU ZHANG, and the passport is ZHANG XU. Or do you need to reverse the order of the name when applying for the visa to keep it consistent with the order of the passport ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers electronicpassportvisanew zealandelectronic signature

Do I need to print out an electronic visa and keep it in my passport ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer electronicpassportvisaelectronic signature

Is a passport only required for the first page? Do you also need a visa to go to other countries ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer passportvisa

Is the New Zealand visa the paper that was sent to me by email? We applied together as a couple. There are two names on it, but only the passport number of the principal applicant ? New Zealand Q&A

4 Answers passportvisanew zealand