The two of us will be traveling on North Island in March for 13 days. First time in NZ, visiting the sites that most people recommend. Would appreciate some thoughts on what kind of car to rent. I usually tend to go for an economy model but I recall reading that some places are a bit off the road and I'm wondering whether something tougher would be required. And also whether rental firms cover unpaved roads (usually not, in my experience elsewhere).

Currently looking at this company with these models www.a2brentals.co.nz/rental-vehicles.html.

We always rent a "touring car" such as a Camry, etc. We like the big trunk for luggage and it's a comfortable vehicle. We tried a 4WD once, but it was noisy and uncomfortable.

Although there are many opportunities to go off the beaten path in NZ, unless you plan on serious off roading, you'll be fine with a regular car.

I can't say about New Zealand, but certainly in nearby Australia the rental companies have an exclusion clause regarding unpaved roads. I'd expect NZ to be the same... but it isn't all that relevant anyway for the "ordinary" tourist, as most of the roads are sealed anyway. I once spent two weeks driving around both islands in a rented car (not from one of the multis... I waited until I arrived, looked up the local paper, and rang one in the classifieds... he was cheaper, gave us a more personalised service, and drove us back to the airport quite free on our last day) and I can't recall a single unpaved road (if there was one, we just ploughed on and hoped for the best, as, I'm sure, you will too). We drove an economy car, and it was fine.

We ended up with a Honda CRV (small SUV) in the South Island. It was underpowered and cramped and the 4WD capability wasn't needed. The only dirt road we drove on was an access to a whitewater rafting location and it didn't occur to me to worry about the rental conditions. (Likewise when we took a rented Ford Explorer through Monument Valley). In the North Island we had a 4-cyl Honda Accord, which was fine.

I'm told that you can rent Australian "big six" vehicles in NZ if you want more power and space. The options would be a (GM) Holden Commodore or a Ford Falcon, the latter bearing no resemblance to the US car of many moons ago. A Camry would be fine IMO, but then as a Camry driver I'm biased.

Thanks for the quick replies guys, very helpfull. Sounds like a regular model will be fine.