Auckland without a rental car
Auckland is where most visitors land, and it is the worst possible place to meet left-hand driving for the first time. It is also the easiest New Zealand city to enjoy without a car of your own.
What you don't have to deal with
- Met at Auckland Airport arrivals and driven straight to your accommodation
- No motorway interchanges or harbour bridge traffic to learn on day one
- No hunting for central city or waterfront parking
- Waiheke, Matakana and the Waitakere Ranges as private days
- Cruise terminal, hotel and private address pickups
- Onward trips south to Hamilton, Rotorua and Taupo with your bags
The honest version
The rental yards sit a few minutes from the international terminal, which means your first drive on the left starts on an unfamiliar motorway, jet-lagged, in a car you have never sat in. That single leg is the one most visitors would happily hand over — and it is our most booked transfer.
In the city itself, a car earns its cost only if you are leaving town regularly. The central city, the waterfront, Ponsonby and the museums are walkable or a short ride apart, and central parking is paid, time-limited and often full. Most guests find they need a vehicle for three or four specific outings, not for ten days straight.
Those outings are where a private day works well: the west coast beaches and the Waitakere Ranges, the vineyards on Waiheke, the coast and markets north at Matakana, or the run down to Hobbiton and the Waikato. The vehicle stays with you, your driver handles the timing, and nobody has to skip the tasting.
When it is time to move on, the same vehicle takes you and your luggage south with sightseeing on the way, so a transfer day doubles as a sightseeing day.
A private driver, not a rental and not a shared ride
Highway 1 Tours & Transfers is a New Zealand owned private transfer company with NZTA-licensed, P-endorsed drivers. Every booking is a private hire: your own vehicle and driver, a fixed price agreed before you travel, door-to-door pickups from airports, hotels, cruise and ferry terminals, and the same team for airport transfers, point-to-point trips between towns and full days of sightseeing anywhere in the country.
Frequently asked questions
Read next
- Visiting from a country that drives on the right? You do not have to drive here
New Zealand drives on the left, and the roads are narrower and more winding than most first-time visitors expect. If you normally drive on the right, you can still see everything on your list — with someone else at the wheel.
- See the North Island without hiring a car
Auckland traffic, motorway interchanges and long rural highways are not most people's idea of a holiday. A private driver covers the North Island's main routes and headline days without a rental car in the picture.
- Rotorua without a rental car
Most people reach Rotorua as part of a North Island loop, and the attractions are spread out around the lakes. A private driver covers the arrival leg and the days out without a rental car in between.
More on travelling without a car: all rental car alternative guides · private day tours (13 guides in this series)
Other services we offer
A private transfer is only part of what we do. The same NZTA-licensed drivers and vehicles cover tours, hourly hire, airport and cruise work, corporate travel and group bookings throughout New Zealand.
Private, luxury & multi-day travel
Private touring, chauffeur hire, honeymoon travel and a driver for your whole New Zealand trip.
Explore private travelArriving in New Zealand
First-time visitor guides to landing at Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wellington and Dunedin.
Read the arrival guidesIsland & region guides
What each part of New Zealand is known for, how long the drives really take, and how to travel it without a rental car.
Explore destinationsVisiting New Zealand
Driving on the left, kilometres to miles, money and tipping, the seasons, and travelling without a rental car.
Read visitor infoAirport shuttle alternative
Private airport transfers instead of a shared shuttle — your group alone, direct to the terminal, price agreed first.
Compare the optionsCity taxi, upgraded
A fixed-price private car instead of the taxi rank — city-by-city guides across New Zealand.
See your citySuburb airport transfers
Local detail on the run to Auckland, Christchurch or Wellington Airport from your own suburb.
Find your suburbPrivate day tours & sightseeing
Keep the same driver for the day and shape the route around what you'd like to see nationwide.
See private toursBy-the-hour driver hire
A driver and vehicle held for a block of time — best when your travel starts and finishes in the same town.
Book hourly hireAirport transfers
Flight-tracked pickups and drop-offs at every main New Zealand airport, door to door.
Airport transfersCruise port transfers & shore days
Met at the terminal in Auckland, Tauranga, Akaroa or Picton — back on board well before all-aboard time.
Cruise transfersSki field transfers
Winter-ready vehicles and alpine drivers for Queenstown, Wānaka, Mt Hutt and Ruapehu — gear included.
Ski transfersCorporate & executive travel
Business accounts, client and staff runs, event movements and consolidated invoicing.
Talk to usGroups, fleets & rental car alternative
Multiple vehicles on one booking for larger parties, or a driven alternative to hiring a car.
Rental car alternativeWhat transfers and taxis cost
Plain answers on what moves the price of an airport run in New Zealand, and how a fixed total compares with a meter.
Fares & costsWeddings, balls & big occasions
Private transport for weddings, school balls, corporate events, funerals, large groups and accessible travel.
Occasion transportConcerts & event transport
Ride there and ride home for the big nights — concerts, festivals and events across New Zealand.
Event transport
Please note: by-the-hour driver hire is only suitable when your travel starts and finishes in the same town. If you're finishing somewhere else, book a private transfer or a day trip so your fare covers the driver's travel.