Visitors to New Zealand are often drawn to the diversity of the South Island, with its mountain ranges, beaches, walking tracks, animal life, marine life, relaxed life style and creative spirit.
The South Island boasts several large cities and towns as well as many smaller towns in between.
The largest of the South Island cities is Christchurch, which is situated on the eastern coast of New Zealand between the Southern Alps and the Pacific Ocean.
If you take advantage of a car hire in Christchurch, you can find plenty to do in the city before leaving Christchurch and exploring the rest of the island.
Your car hire in Christchurch can take you at your own pace to any of the attractions the city has to offer.
When you have finished seeing the sights, you can get back into your car and travel to your next port of call.
One of the first places you should visit after collecting your car hire in Christchurch is just opposite the Christchurch Airport.
The International Antarctic Centre is a must see award winning attraction that basically gives you an Antarctic experience for a day.
Among other things, you can see the gorgeous penguins, enjoy an exhilarating ride in one of the all terrain vehicles used in Antarctica and even experience the extreme cold that you would find if you really were at the bottom of the world.
After all that excitement, you will probably head to your accommodation for the night.
Next morning, you can use your car hire to visit the Orana Wildlife Park near Christchurch Airport, situated in a park-like setting and is New Zealand's only open range zoo.
It's a sanctuary for endangered animals with enclosures that are as close as possible to the ones they would find in their natural habitats.
Instead of the normal fences, the barriers between animals and visitors are created by streams, moats and banks.
You can have encounters with more than 400 animals from 70 different species.
The park has conservation as one of its core missions and is recognised for its work in protecting endangered native and exotic animals.
For a change of scenery only minutes from the city, use your car hire in Christchurch to drive along the Banks Peninsula to the small French town of Akaroa.
The town is surrounded by beautiful bays and boasts a mixture of French and English history.
This history means the town is rich in creativity and you will find some unique little boutiques in the heart of the town.
If the harbour beckons, you can try some sailing or see Hector's dolphins and other marine life on a harbour cruise before using your car hire to return to the city for the evening.