Booking a one-way car hire from Invercargill to Queenstown is easier than spotting a Kiwi bird in the wild. With a local, friendly team, a super easy pick-up with online check-in and unlimited kilometres on the road, you can gear up for a stress-free one-way trip. Enjoy the freedom of the road without the need to circle back to your pick-up location.
More Reasons to GO
Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of New Zealand, but we firmly believe that the adventure starts with the drive and freedom of the open road. With breathtaking landscapes rolling past your windscreen and charming Kiwi towns to stop in, the drive from Invercargill to Queenstown is rejuvenating.
In a modern, clean and reliable vehicle, you can truly relax on your self-drive South Island trip. With 24/7 roadside assistance, unlimited kilometres and free basic insurance, your peace of mind is a priority.
Once you arrive and are ready to return, simply head to our Queenstown Airport branch. With 8am - 5pm office opening hours, 7 days a week and 24/7 after-hours returns, your one-way car hire works for your itinerary.
FREE basic car rental insurance
Our basic insurance cover is included in the cost of every car hire with two upgraded insurance options available!
One-way car rentals
We can organise one-way rentals with pick-up in one location and drop-off in another. Stick to your dream itinerary without worrying about circling back.
Offset carbon emissions
In partnership with CarbonClick, you can choose to offset the carbon emission of your GO Rentals road trip.
24hr AA roadside assistance
All GO Rentals hire cars have access to the AA 24-hour mechanical breakdown assistance and our Tesla EVs have access to Tesla Roadside Assistance.
GO App
With our GO Rentals App, you can book a car, check in faster and even control your Tesla car functions, right from the palm of your hand.
Our car rental service is designed to be as hassle-free as possible.
Just add your car hire itinerary details to our booking widget, select Invercargill Airport pickup and Queenstown Airport dropoff, and click "Find my car".
We do offer one-way car rentals at all of our 10 locations on both the South and North Islands, but please note:
-A one-way rental fee may apply between $100 - $1,000, depending on the availability of our branches. The exact amount will show on your booking summary before checkout.
-Our minimum one-way car hire period may vary between 1 and 7 days, depending on the driving distance between your pick-up and drop-off locations.
Whilst our one-way rentals are dependent on seasonal peak times and vehicle availability in branches, we can create more one-way availability if we need to move vehicles to another location. If you are not satisfied with our website availability, please call us, and we will do our best to accommodate your epic one-way road trip.
Our Invercargill Airport car pick-up times are 5am - 8pm, 7 days a week, so you can easily plan your arrival time. Planning a one-way trip to Queenstown is even easier with 24/7 drop-offs. Our friendly team will email you with drop box instructions, so you only need to worry about maximising your time for adventures.
You can take any GO Rentals vehicle on the Cook Strait Ferry between the North and South Island, which is perfect for a stress-free one-way road trip. We have 10 car rental branches spread evenly throughout New Zealand, in the major destinations. You’re never far from a GO Rentals car.
Get your journey started as quickly as possible thanks to our speedy check-in. Manage your booking online or download our app to get through the check-in process and on the road faster.
Our car hire at Invercargill Airport is conveniently located inside the main terminal building, so you can go from runway to open road effortlessly. With a range of vehicles from an intermediate SUV to fuel-efficient hybrids, your drive through New Zealand's South Island will be smooth.
Our team love the southern South Island and has put together a list of top stops. But before you head out on your drive, make sure you explore the charming beauty of downtown Invercargill. Take a visit to one of our favourite museums, Bill Richardson Transport World, to marvel at vintage cars, or visit the Classic Motorcycle Mecca to see over 300 awesome motorcycles.
Before heading off on your drive, stretch your legs in the stunning 80-hectare Queens Park. The beautiful gardens offer more than tropical and native plants; you can play golf on an 18-hole course, or try your hand at tennis, croquet, bowling and cricket. With a playground and waterpark too, the whole family can enjoy this tranquil spot in the city centre.
Head to the coast for an impressive 24-kilometre stretch of golden sand beach and a rejuvenating swim. This amazing beach allows 4-wheel driving, horse riding and sand karting to keep even the big kids happy. The beach is a little remote, so make sure you pack food and drinks if spending more than a few hours here.
We reckon one of the best parts of a New Zealand road trip is stumbling upon those charming small towns you’d miss if you were up in the air. Lumsden is one of these towns! With quirky cafes, local honey and a preserved steamtrain heritage, it's a charming place to stop on your trip. Pick up a mountain bike rental to try out the local trails or try your hand at fishing in the nearby Mataura and Oreti Rivers.
Another cute town to tick off your list! Garston is popular for pure New Zealand honey, which you can find at the local hotspot, The Garston Hunny Shop. Enjoy free tastings of their unique flavours of honey; you won't regret it. Other cool activities include mountain biking, ice skating, and trout fishing. Not your average road trip servo stop!
Situated on the tip of Lake Wakatipu is the tranquil town of Kingston. Famous for the historic Kingston Flyer, a beloved steam train still operating between September and December, you can hop aboard for a nostalgic ride through stunning Southland scenery. Beyond finding a new love of trains, you can hike the Devil's Staircase lookout for panoramic views of Lake Wakatipu or swim at the lakeside Kingston Beach. If you visit in winter, don't miss the chance to ride a snow bike; the only place in New Zealand where you can do this!
Now, we're not saying you'll regret not taking this detour, but we're also not not saying it. The Fiordland National Park covers 1.2 million hectares of enchanting landscapes that will leave you in awe. The UNESCO World Heritage site is most famous for two monumental glacier-carved fiords, Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. Be captivated by the shimmering and untamed beauty of the fiords with cruises, scenic flights and hiking trails. You're welcome for the impressive road trip tip!
We love that our stress-free rental cars do more than get you from A to B. They become part of your travel memories, and we want to see them!
Submit a happy photo to our Snap Happy Photo Competition and be in with a chance to receive up to $500 back off your booking!
New Zealand is best explored in a modern, reliable car. But don't take our word for it. Cruise through the happy customers revv'd up about their experience:
Driving through Kingston on our road trip in our trusty GO Rentals hire car, we came across a scene straight from a postcard of sheep grazing next to the beautiful Lake Wakatipu.
My family and I stopped to take in the epic landscape as the mist rolled in on the Milford Sound Road, a beautiful wild place that everyone must visit at least once. We felt safe and capable in our GO Rentals Toyota Hybrid RAV4 vehicle and can't wait to visit again soon!
It was right at the beginning of our journey from Queenstown to Milford Sounds - our celebratory trip for our 4 year anniversary. We were so happy to have a 4x4 and cruising around the South Island. Every stop warranted a photograph and the mountains were just incredible. Thanks so much for such an amazing trip travelling in pure style and luxury with fuel cost-effective cars. We will use GO at any opportunity around NZ.
We booked a trip to Queenstown and used GO Rentals to travel to Invercargill. Obviously, we had to make pit stops before heading down to Invercargill. GO Rentals definitely helped us with commuting from one place to another. My kids especially enjoyed the car as it had a sunroof and was able to distract them from a long trip.
With a great selection of affordable vehicles, GO Rentals is ready to get you on the road for a one-way trip. Choose from 4-wheel drives and SUVs for ski or family trips to luxury electric vehicles for a stylish self-drive trip. Put your itinerary details in to see our vehicle availability and start planning your GO trip.
Parking in Invercargill is widely available, and it's easy to find free or low-cost spots in the city centre. As one of the easiest cities to drive around in New Zealand, you will likely have no issue parking.
Queenstown, on the other hand, is a lot busier, especially in peak times like summer and winter. Plan extra time for congestion in the city centre and take it easy on rural roads in extreme winter conditions. Luckily, you can find free parking options in the Queenstown council-managed car parks between 6pm and 8am, but most other car parks are metered.
There are no toll roads between Invercargill and Queenstown, which is ideal! Cruise any road you like without needing to stress about toll payments or detours.
You should expect well-maintained and clearly signposted roads between Invercargill and Queenstown. If you take the detour to the Fiordland National Park, the rural location and varied terrain can be a challenge in extreme weather conditions, so plan ahead.
We are regularly updating our relocation deals so you can get GOing on a one-way road trip for cheaper. Check out our latest relocation deals to see if your itinerary matches our deal. Save money and still access our award-winning customer service.
The price of our rental vehicles does not increase for one-way hires. However, depending on the location availability, a relocation fee of between $100 - $1,000 may apply and will be shown within your booking summary before checkout.
Explore the South and North Island to your heart's content with GO Rentals. All of our cars can be taken on the Cook Strait ferry from Picton to Wellington. So why not extend your Invercargill to Queenstown car hire, jump on the ferry to the North Island and drop your hire car off at our Auckland branch?
You can add an additional driver to your booking at any time and they can return your one-way rental. The additional driver will need to meet the minimum licence requirements and be able to present this licence at any of our branches before being added to the rental agreement.
You are not restricted to a kilometre limit on any of our GO Rentals car classes. This means you can pick up your one-way car rental, drive the whole of New Zealand, and not be charged an additional fee when you drop off. Get GOing on your epic Kiwi trip today!
Driving straight from Invercargill to Queenstown will take around 3 hours to complete the 187km journey, which can be completed in any reliable 2WD, minivan or EV.
If you take the detour to the Fiordland National Park, including Milford Sound, it will take 8 hours to drive the 583km route, plus any extra time to explore the region. But trust us, it's truly worth it.
Luckily, with unlimited km included in our car rentals, you can take all the scenic detours you want without stressing about hidden fees.
Yes, Queenstown is the adventure capital of New Zealand, with many thrill-seeking activities located in the surrounding areas. With 5 snow fields, the world's first commercial bungee jump and stunning lakes to explore, it is worth having a car in Queenstown.
