Inter-Island-Hire

Inter-island rental

IMPORTANT INFORMATION IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO UNDERTAKE AN INTER-ISLAND TRAVEL BOOKING WITH EUROPCAR

You cannot take your vehicle on the ferry services between the two islands. Please contact Europcar as soon as your booking is confirmed to make the crossover arrangements.

Europcar vehicles are not permitted to travel on the ferry. For this reason we operate the inter-island travel service, whereby, the car is left at one ferry terminal and another car is waiting for you at the ferry terminal on the other island.

It is our intention to make this process as simple and as seamless as possible for you. Please refer to the below section How does inter-island car rental work?

What is inter-island travel?

New Zealand consists of two main islands - the North island and the South island. The islands are approximately 100 kms apart and separated by The Cook Strait. Ferries offer a transport service between the islands, departing from Wellington on the North Island and Picton on the South Island.

You will simply return your vehicle at the departing ferry terminal and collect another waiting vehicle on the other island.

How does inter-island car rental work?

You will make the booking as a single booking, selecting your vehicle collection point and your final vehicle return destination.

Once a booking has been created for car hire in New Zealand, which includes travel in both the north and south island, your booking will be split into two separate bookings – an individual booking and car for each island.

You will then need to contact Europcar central reservations on 0800 800 115 (within New Zealand) or 1300 13 13 90 (within Australia) to advise us of your intended cross over dates between islands to make the transition as seamless as possible. By advising us of your cross over dates prior to your arrival in New Zealand it will allow us to provide a faster vehicle collection process allowing you to start your journey faster.

When you reach the cross-over point, park in a Europcar bay at the ferry terminal, and place your car key in the designated Europcar key return box or see one of our staff members who will be happy to assist. Proceed to your chosen ferry provider. Upon reaching the second island, follow the signs to the Europcar location to collect your vehicle.

What do I need to know about the ferry service?

Regular ferry services run between the islands, departing from Wellington (on the North Island) and Picton (on the South Island). The crossing time is approximately 3 – 3.5 hours. There are two ferry providers - Interislander and Bluebridge. Fare information and departure/arrivals times are available via the links below.

Please note: In Wellington, both ferry providers dock at different locations. Europcar is located within walking distance of the Interislander ferry terminal. The Bluebridge ferry terminal is further away, however Bluebridge offers a connecting shuttle bus service. In Picton, both ferry providers dock at the same ferry terminal and Europcar is just metres away.

Interislander
Timetable - Click Here
Fares - Click Here

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