Go Rentals

Go Rentals is so obviously a discount rental service. It seems a little sketchy when checking in and picking up a vehicle but the overall rental experience is easy and safe if you are a decent driver.
Be sure to write down the number to their offices before you get to the airport as they need to be called for their van to pick you up at the terminal. Once the van dropped me off, I had to wait a while because they only had one person checking people in. Each person took about 20 minutes because it was mostly done with paper and old school credit card puncher things. This was also done in a trailer type office that seemed a little creepy. The staff were very nice, even as they were reading very fast terms and conditions that could be a little misleading.
The car was great. It was a little older but it was clean and in great condition. I had no fears or concerns about the vehicle itself.
This place is definitely not one of its better known rental car relatives (Avis, Hertz, etc.). Their rules are different and their coverages are a little more confusing. They scan your credit card for the full amount of «damages» even before you get in the car. This charge goes away but it was a little scary to see it on the card for so long. Be aware of these differences that allow the car rental to be as cheap as it is before showing up and this will be a great rental experience.

Go Rentals did not have a kiosk at the airport, unlike other rental companies like Avis, but we were able to call them up for free at an airport payphone for pick-​up. Their magenta-​pink van was very easy to spot, and the driver was friendly.
At the rental agency, our agent was very friendly and informative. We strongly recommend getting a Navman GPS navigator, since our Google Maps on the iPhone was sometimes faulty. We own a Garmin and a TomTom, but we were very impressed by how quickly Navman picked up our trail. It was very helpful to search by keyword when certain addresses didn’t work.
Plus, watching the short video on how to drive in NZ was a big advantage, even with our previous online research. There are many roundabouts and one-​way bridges that would have thrown us curveballs, if it weren’t for the video.
Make sure to document all dings and scratches, especially on the left side of the vehicle! It is pretty easy to do, since all cars are washed before being rented out to customers. My suspicion is that there are cars reserved for foreigners who are not used to gauging how close they are to the left side of the road, which explains the many dings and scratches on the left passenger doors. Kind of funny, really!