Can I do a one way car rental?

Technically yes, one way car hire is possible but be VERY clear of this at your initial rental point to avoid huge surcharges or misunderstandings which might involve a mad dash of hundreds of miles to make a drop-off you were not prepared for.

There are a fair helping of hire companies who expect a vehicle to be picked up and dropped off in the same location or will charge extra for any deviation from this. There are other companies who offer complete flexibility and allow a variety of drop-off locations completely free of charge. These are typically the bigger companies with more nationwide branches.

Sometimes the possibility of one way car rental – or at least one-way rental without extra charges - will depend on where you originally picked up the vehicle and where you wish to drop it off. Because Auckland is the main arrival and departure hub it might be possible for example to rent a one way car from Christchurch to Auckland while the reverse would incur extra charges.