Had a really great experience renting from Avis at Christchurch Airport. The staff were professional, friendly, and super efficient with the paperwork, and there was no hard selling of extras. The car was clean, tidy, and in excellent condition. Both the pick-up and drop-off locations at the airport were easy to find, and the whole process was clear and smooth from start to finish. For anyone planning a road trip around the South Island, this is a very hassle-free option. I’ll definitely choose Avis again next time.
The line was pretty long so the wait felt a bit lengthy, but once you’ve got all your info ready in advance, the whole process goes really fast. Picking up the car itself was quick.
Around 1pm I realized I’d left the key in the car and it had locked itself. I messaged QEEQ to help coordinate, and also called Avis to arrange a tow truck. The tow truck came around 4:30, and by 5:30 we were at the Avis service center. It was a Friday and they were technically already off work by the time we arrived, but they still helped us unlock the car and sort everything out. We didn’t get out of there until after 6, so it definitely took longer than I expected for something you’d hope to fix within the same day. Lesson learned: when renting a car abroad, always keep the key on you—never leave it in the car!
Got off the plane at Kona, waited just a bit at the rental car shuttle stop and the shared Avis/Budget bus showed up. Avis is the first stop at a nearby lot, so it was pretty easy to find. Just note: if you’re not an Avis VIP customer, you have to go in through a different entrance to get to the counter. There were almost no other customers, so I was first in line and didn’t have to wait at all, which really surprised me.
I specifically wanted a Ford Explorer (mainly because it’s 4WD across the lineup), but the Avis rep clearly didn’t want us taking that kind of car up to the observatory. He kept insisting there were no Explorers available and tried to put us in a “similar” KIA. Since it wasn’t 4WD, we refused and said we’d rather come back early the next morning to see if an Explorer showed up. After going back and forth for a while, he suddenly said he’d “go check the garage” – and magically found an Explorer. Honestly, it felt like he’d been bluffing us from the start. Anyway, we ended up getting what we wanted, so at least it all worked out in the end.
That said, the car itself was clearly on the older side and not in great condition. The third row was supposed to fold flat, but the headrest release was broken, so it would never go fully down. We had to wrestle a few 28-inch suitcases into the trunk and ended up sweating through the whole process. Over the next few days, once we drove over to Hilo, the screen suddenly started showing a “Tire Pressure Sensor Fault” warning, which gave us quite a scare on the road. Thankfully it was just the sensor – the tires themselves were fine.
I accidentally left my sunglasses in the car and the rental company helped find them and mailed them back to me, which was great. The only downside was they couldn’t give me the Ford Explorer I booked and switched me to a Kia Sorento instead.
Really nice experience overall – pickup and drop-off were both quick and easy, the car was in great condition, and self-driving is definitely the way to go in Western Australia. Tip: once you leave Perth and head north, most paid attractions charge by the car, not by the number of people.
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View more >I specifically wanted a Ford Explorer (mainly because it’s 4WD across the lineup), but the Avis rep clearly didn’t want us taking that kind of car up to the observatory. He kept insisting there were no Explorers available and tried to put us in a “similar” KIA. Since it wasn’t 4WD, we refused and said we’d rather come back early the next morning to see if an Explorer showed up. After going back and forth for a while, he suddenly said he’d “go check the garage” – and magically found an Explorer. Honestly, it felt like he’d been bluffing us from the start. Anyway, we ended up getting what we wanted, so at least it all worked out in the end.
That said, the car itself was clearly on the older side and not in great condition. The third row was supposed to fold flat, but the headrest release was broken, so it would never go fully down. We had to wrestle a few 28-inch suitcases into the trunk and ended up sweating through the whole process. Over the next few days, once we drove over to Hilo, the screen suddenly started showing a “Tire Pressure Sensor Fault” warning, which gave us quite a scare on the road. Thankfully it was just the sensor – the tires themselves were fine.
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