Wellington without a rental car
Wellington is steep, tightly packed and famously short on parking. It is one of the easiest cities in the country to visit without a car — and one of the least pleasant to learn left-hand driving in.
What you don't have to deal with
- Wellington Airport and Interislander ferry pickups
- No steep hill streets, one-way systems or resident-only parking to navigate
- Te Papa, Cuba Street and the waterfront are all walkable
- Wairarapa wine days and Kapiti Coast trips as private days
- Onward legs north to Palmerston North, Taupo and beyond
- Cruise terminal transfers with time-certain returns
The honest version
The centre of Wellington is small, dense and built into hills. Almost everything a visitor wants — the waterfront, Te Papa, the cable car, Cuba Street, the harbour walk — is within walking distance of the main hotels, and the streets that are not walkable are narrow, one-way or steeply terraced with permit-only parking.
The wind and the weather add to it. A car does not make a Wellington southerly any better; being dropped at the door does.
Where a vehicle helps is leaving town: over the hill to the Wairarapa vineyards and Martinborough, up the Kapiti Coast, or out along the south coast. Those are pleasant, easy days with a driver and a bit of a chore with a rental you then have to park back in the city.
If you are catching the ferry to the South Island, a transfer to the terminal with your luggage removes the last piece of stress — and we can collect you on the other side too.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Cruise days ashore without hiring a car
One day in port, a fixed departure time and no room for a wrong turn. Hiring a car for a few hours is the riskiest way to spend that day — a private driver is the calmest.
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.