Inter-island rental

What is inter-island travel?

How does inter-island car rental work?

Once you create a New Zealand booking which includes travel in both the north and south island, a staff member will split your rental into two separate bookings, one for each island.  This will not affect the price you have been quoted. You need to advise Europcar when you intend to cross to the other island. When you come to the island crossing, you will drop off the vehicle at the Europcar ferry terminal station. You and your belongings can travel across The Cook Strait on board a ferry service (see below). When you arrive at either Wellington or Picton, visit the Europcar station and another vehicle (same size and features as the original vehicle) will be ready.

What steps can I take for hassle-free inter-island travel?

 There are a number of steps you can take to ensure your interisland travel is hassle-free:

1. 1. It is recommended that you contact Europcar just prior to commencing your travel in New Zealand (see contact details below), to advice when you plan to cross the islands. This helps us to prepare the vehicles and documentation for pick-up. If this is not possible, please advice staff at the station at the beginning of your rental. 
2. 2. Research which ferry service you will use to get yourself across the islands and find about the times and fares that suit you best. 
3. 3. It is recommended that you return the vehicle during operating hours.

What do I need to know about the ferry service?

Regular ferry services run between the islands from Wellington (North Island) and Picton (South Island). Ferry crossings take approximately three hours. There are two ferry providers - Interislander and Bluebridge. Note that In Wellington, Interislander is closer to Europcar than Bluebridge, however Bluebridge has a shuttle bus which leaves the Europcar station 1 hour prior to the ferry departure time. Please be note the ferry departure and arrival times as well as the fare information by visiting the websites below. 

Interislander
Timetable - Click Here 
Fares - Click Here


Bluebridge
Timetables - Click Here 
Fares - Click Here  
Getting to/from Europcar - Click Here 

Europcar Contact Details

GENERAL ENQUIRIES 0800 800 115