New Zealand--Rental Cars

You can book travel to both islands with one company. Some allow a ferry to be used with their cars. Others will allow drop off at ferry and pick up a new car after ferry. All at the one price. However, it could be worth looking at separate rentals.

We did separate rentals with Auto Europe last November. We flew to Christchurch stayed for a few days and ultimately picked up a car,drow our itinerary and dropped our car in Blenheim . ( We wanted to drop on Picton where the ferry port is but it was significantly cheaper to drop in Blenheim even with the private transfer fee to Picton).We then had a transfer to Picton where we stayed before taking the ferry to Wellington.

We then had a separate rental pick up in Wellington and drove our itinerary to Auckland and dropped the second car there. It was cheaper then but overall that was a better deal than a combined rate.

Bear in mind that sometimes renting a day earlier or later can change the rate significantly. I remember vthat by changing our pick up by one day the offerings on AutoEuope changed because some agencies are not open so e days such as Sundays. We found that we saved a lot. That may not work with your scenario but it is worth a try.
Prices are much higher now due to post covid demand but still you might be able to save some money.
Good luck.

Why do you want to talk to a car rental company? Apex is fine I've used them often - all price check Rad is often worth checking too. Are you putting In Auckland airport orAuckland city? Do NOT hire straight after a long haul flight - stay at least a day in Auckland first then hire - it maybe cheaper to hire from the city.

Assuming you are hiring for 30 days then $66/day ($2000 ) is a very good price - grab it immediately. You are coming peak season. You're going to be in for sticker shock when you go to fill up the tank too. - Currently $3/litre

@Lissie, I’ve never been to New Zealand and it was a trip that just came up and not something we’ve been planning for/thinking about. On occasion, I’ve found it very helpful to speak with the rental car company, or the consolidator since I usually work with Autoeurope. They’ve been helpful when logistics are complicated or to suggest an itinerary that would save money.

For New Zealand, not only do I know very little about the company, but the ferry between the islands makes it more complicated. We’ve read a lot of guidebooks. I know some rental car companies allow their cars on the ferry. Some pay for the ferry. Some make an arrangement where the car is turned in and another is picked up in Picton. That is why I might like more communication than an online booking.

Hi Jules, we are in London now and we were chatting with an American couple the other day. They are renting a flat here in London for several months. I asked them about car hire and they said they use Turo and have been happy with that. So you might check it out. It’s like Airbnb for cars. Much cheaper they said.
Also, my cousin Kirk Demeter owns a large travel agency that specializes in trips down under. Not trying to promote, but at this point, I might enlist the help of an agency. He has been to NZ many times and planned a flawless trip for us many years ago. His company website is Down Under Answers.

Thanks Tammy. I've used Turo a couple times in Hawaii. It worked fairly well for us. I don't see that Turo operates in New Zealand, Plus, I need a one way rental. I've never used a travel agent, but perhaps, I'll give your cousin a try.