kodi

I'm really not sure what the best plan would be. My plane arrived in Auckland very late at night, and I don't know if I should get my rental car then and head for a particular part of the city, that would be easy to find. I'll be on my own and very tired. Or to leave the car til the morning and take a shuttle or bus to my room. In anycase, I'm not at all sure of which area would be the best. I'll be staying at a hostel. Which area would be the easiest to get to from the airport. And where is Mt Eden and Ponsonby, for instance. IF I don't pick up my car, then I'd have to return to the airport in the morning. Hmmmm, thinking about it, it might be easier to pick it up while I'm there. But my question still stands. Which part of the city would be best?
Thanks for any help. I'll be alone, so won't have a navigator!, but am used to driving. I'm also looking ofr a small quiet hostel, not a party place.

ElendilPickle

Maybe try staying near the airport?

Frommer's lists the Kiwi International Airport Hotel, www.kiwiairport.co.nz, with rooms from around $50 USD and a 24-hour courtesy bus to the airport. You could get some sleep and then get your car and head into Auckland.

Lee Ann

Kiwi_acct

Hi Kodi,

Lee Ann has some good advice regarding the Kiwi International. They have a shuttle that can get you to and from the airport, the accomodation price is not too bad, it is in a fairly quiet area.

Mt Eden and Ponsonby are city suburbs (close to city centre) You can get a bus from Ponsonby to the city very easily, the 015, 005 and city link buses from memory. You can get a bus or train from Mt Eden to the city centre.

Is there a specific reason you need to get your rental car from the airport? All the car hire places have offices in the city. Apex for instance is next door to my office in Beach road.

If you are not going to stay by the airport over night, you can get a shuttle or cab from the airport to your accomodation (Be it Mt Eden or Ponsonby) Cab around NZD40 shuttle bus around NZD15-20. By the way, Ponsonby is the better area to stay for proximity to the city and for restaurants/nightlife.

Hope some of this helps,


Steve

kodi

Lee Ann and Steve, thank you both so much.
Perhaps I will stay at Kiwi international hotel for the first night. And then pick up my car in the morning after getting some rest. The 24 hour courtesy bus sounds like a real plus.
I have already booked my car rental and am supposed to pick it up at the airport. Steve, I never thought of asking them if I could pick it up elsewhere. There office is at 25 Totara St, Mount Maunganui. Could you tell me where that is, and if it would be better than the airport from the Kiwi International?
Thanks again guys.

Kiwi_acct

Hi There Kodi

Mt Maunganui is actually in the Bay of Plenty. Around 2.5 hours drive from Auckland. However I am sure that this is just the nominated head office for whichever rental firm you are using.

By the way if you get down there, the Bay of Plenty is a very nice place to visit.

If you have arranged already to pick up the car from the airport then stick to those plans. You can always get the Kiwi International's courtesy bus back to the airport. It is only about a 5 minute drive.

Auckland International is a pretty user friendly airport, it is not that big by international standards and there is no hassle with you hanging aroiund in front of the terminal if you have to wait for the rental company to turn up with the car. In fact there are a couple of good cafes in the International terminal building where you can wait until they deliver the car. Make sure you let the rental company know which terminal you will be at. The international and domestic terminals are about 1 kilometre apart, so you don't want the car at the wrong one.

Plan "B" of course can be that you get them to drop off your rental at the Kiwi International. That way it saves you a whole lot of hassle all round.

Hope this helps. If you let me know what rental company you are using I can see if they have any more convenient branches for you.

Cheers

Steve

kodi

Oh, Steve, I love Plan "B". It would be great if the car was at the Kiwi International waiting for me. I'm going to send an email and ask.
We've rented a car through Rite Price Car Rentals and have been dealing with Gary. He's been great!
My flight gets in very late at night, so staying in a motel close to the airport makes sense. My friend arrives 2 days later and then we are off and running and will be staying in hostels.
But I think I'll need the first day or two to relax after my long journey.
Is there a booking site where I could get a better price for the Kiwi INternational or am I better off just booking directly with the hotel?

I've actually just booked my Milford Sound cruise, so that's one more thing done, and one step closer to being there!

The one way fare I aked about in my other post is for my friend who will be flying from Christchurch to Auckland to hook up with me.

Steve, Lee Ann, and everyone else helping me, you guys are great, and I appreciate it.
I"ve got so much NZ stuff floating around in my head when I go to bed at night.... flights, cruises, whale watching, hikes....hostels..
Hey, I'll be an expert!!!

Christa

Kodi,
A few hotel booking sites to check out are www.wotif.com ( I use this all the time), www.needitnow.com and www.ratestogo.com

There are quite a few Airport Hotel/motel options besides the Kiwi International ... all offer the 24 hour shuttle so have a good look around for the best deal.

Good luck and have a great trip!
Christa

kodi

Christa, thank you so much for the sites. I will definately check them out.
And it's good to know there are different hotels to choose from.

Jed

I have never used the wotif and needitnow sites, but I am researching for an upcoming NZ trip and have made some observations.

The wotif site <i>usually</i> has a greater selection of cities, hotels, rooms available in the hotels, and lower prices. But not always. It pays (or saves) to check both of them.