Long Stay Car Park

Daily rates under $32 beat Novotel’s own overnight charge

Long Stay Car Park at Christchurch Airport is the on-airport, economy option people use when they want official parking for several days and don’t care about a short walk. It sits a roughly 5-minute walk from T, so you roll your bags straight to check-in instead of waiting for a shuttle. Pricing runs under $32 per day on drive-up rates, and reviews from Novotel guests call it cheaper than the hotel’s parking for the same stay.

This is self-park, open 24/7, and run directly by Christchurch International Airport, just like Short Stay. A TripAdvisor review of Novotel points out that both Long Stay and Short Stay are managed by the airport and specifically calls them “self parking options at a lower cost” than the hotel. You keep your keys, choose your own bay, then walk 5 minutes to the terminal or across the forecourt to the Novotel entrance.

Regulars don’t just rock up: they check prices on the airport website first because online specials change what you actually pay. One Novotel guest says they found recurring discounted rates when pre-booking Long Stay, compared with the normal drive-up daily fee of under $32. For a 4–5 day trip, that discount can easily cover a terminal coffee or two in T.

What locals often do is park in Long Stay for several nights, then walk over to Novotel for an early flight or late arrival, treating the car park as their base. The 5-minute walk to both the hotel and T makes that workable even with checked bags. If you’re price-sensitive, compare Long Stay’s pre-book rate with hotel parking for your exact dates before you commit.

Practical tip: book Long Stay online as soon as you know your dates, then screenshot the confirmation with your entry and exit times so you’re not digging through email at the barrier after a long flight into T.