There's a website www.camplify.co.nz which is like Air BnB for campers. Rent directly from the owner. You could pick-up / drop-off in Auckland.
I haven't used it. Just found it the other day.

the website open hotel alert will text you when sold out rooms have availability. I was able to get a room at the Taupo Hilton.

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Let me be that I am and seek not to alter me

Are you in the heritage wing or the new part? Whilst I generally much prefer the character of the heritage wing the rooms are incredibly noisy. They are above the bar/restaurant and there's no noise suppression between downstairs and the upstairs roomed amplified by the wooden floors. So this means that on a night, it's noisy to midnight with the customers, and then the clearing /cleaning of bar, and then really early in the morning (ie 4:430am) with them setting up for breakfast. Just mentioning it as you may want to take some earplugs, etc if a light sleeper. Plus side is massive rooms so plenty of space for a bike (in a case/bag). Don't pay for the parking, just use the gravel park outside.

Oh and make sure you book a private spa at debretts next door for the Sunday. Just make sure you give yourself a lot of time to walk down there (and even longer on the way back up)!

ISleepum wrote:

I secured a place to stay very close to the event using Nirvana. I think they bought up most of the hotel rooms before the public could reserve them. Does anybody know of a transfer bus that will take passengers and a bike box from the Auckland airport to Taupo? I'd rather not rent a car.

https://www.luxuryairportshuttles.co.nz/ would be my suggestion. I use them to get to and from the airport when I need to make trips.


https://www.intercity.co.nz/ are the bus service, but the shuttles will be nicer.

Same problems here. All sites that I tried were all out of rooms even late last year. Thanks for the Holiday Houses link, the options are ok but still better than no option at all.

Question: Which part of the Lake will be the Swim leg? Based on what I've read it will be Acacia Bay? But not 100% sure.

The swim is not that far around and starts in Taupo proper. It's basically dead centre along the waterfront (look for Rifle Range road and it's right there (transition etc as well)

My sister has lived in New Zealand for over 40 years. She called the Holiday Park, and as I suspected, the Ironman organization has booked all the rooms in that park. Their website says to book on your own, but like you, IKnowEverything, everything except hours away or camping is booked. Come on Ironman, if you want us to attend these events, make it somewhat reasonable. We are 9 months out and everything is booked? There has to be a better solution. What are you doing with all the rooms you booked? Is that support staff? Taupo is a beautiful place, but if it can't acommodate the 2000+ athletes, what's the point?

David Trewavas, mayor of Taupo, what is your solution ?

In a 2019 report Taupo had an accommodation capacity of ~4000 beds per night. With trends in this country over the last 5 years that is unlikely to have risen.
Total attendance for the event could be 4000 athletes, which means another couple of thousand supporters, plus event and industry staff.
Thus the excess has to be handled by Rotorua

Not sure what the mayor could do?

Yes I don't know what the mayor could do either if there aren't enough physical places, but I hope they have a plan for traffic flow, and they need to limit the athletes participating if possible. It won't be a nice experience if everyone has to drive an hour and then hunt for parking. I was able to book an AirBnB in Acacia Bay for a reasonable price compared to some. Fingers crossed.

We need more housing. It's a global problem.

When we do build more modern homes and townhomes it seems we do it in Glen Ines or Mt Wellington or right along train tracks. Yeah nah.