Hertz or Europcar in Christchurch ?
 

I would appreciate any experience you can share for a first trip to NZ. Our concern is to get a reliable and comfortable car for about 16 days on the south island. The price quote is close and they both seem to have about the same number of locations(in case we should have difficulty.) Thanks for your help.

I used Hertz once and didn't have any problems.

I've just come back from NZ and used Hertz both in the North and South Islands. Had a couple of concerns about the car we had originally been allocated in the south but they were happy to change it straight away without any arguments. Always compare what is covered in the insurance policies of the different rental companies though. Hertz will try and charge and extra $30 NZ per day.

I would recommend APEX car rentals. The prices were reasonable and all inclusive (no extra driver costs, no drop-off costs). They also have full insurance for an extra $8 NZD/day which is far less than the large companies like Avis, Hertz, etc. Also the extra insurance gives you a $0 deductible whereas other companies still have a $250 deductible even with the extra insurance. We were very pleased with the company and the car. You can check out the website at http://www.apexrentals.co.nz/

I also used Apex out of Queenstown for a one-day rental and was happy with them.

First, thanks to those who have shared their experiences. I really appreciate it.
Second, I have noted the good comments about Apex and I did check their website but after picking up the car in Christchurch, we are flying out of Dunedin so we want to drop it off at the airport there. If I understood the website correctly, Apex is not in Dunedin.

Have you looked at Budget car rentals? I think they have a depot at Dunedin Airport.