I have a lot of information about IM NZ on my blog: http://www.ironclm.blogspot.com/

Go to August, 10, 2003, in the archives.

Deepak does a great job organizing the trip. I'm not a group kind of gal, like to be mobile to visit Kiwi friends, and have my own B&B that I always stay at (treated like family there and have run of the place), so I usually just get my airplane ticket from PP. Deepak usually gets a pretty good price.

Awesome place, race and people. I'll be going back for the 5th time in 4 years.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Wow, thanks Ironclm! I enjoyed your blog too! Very fun. Lots of good IM NZ resources. It sounds like it will be a great event. There is an emerging contingent from Michigan going. It will make for a good winter of long Computrainer rides and long, cold runs outside.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

You're welcome. I can't say enough good things about the race/trip!

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Tom, I'm so not a group kind of guy. Love to dig through the internet and find out the cool deals, but Deepak/PremiumPlus Sports is the way to go. We went in 2000 and he set us up right, and way cheaper than I could piece together the components. One recommendation we really enjoyed was to get into Aukland a day or two early and kick around town. Then when the travel group gets in the following day do the transfer down to Taupo. It breaks up an otherwise 24 hour travel day and is a fun town to check out. My training buddy went through some guys pkg out of Colorado and was second rate the entire way, and not anything cheaper. But Deepak was so cool and included him in our group activities because he was with me. Next time by friend is booking PremiumPlus.

I would go back to IMNZ for the lattes alone. They were out of this world! As for organization, I would put it on par with IMCanada, only Canada is closer so I have an affinity for that race.

Good Luck!

As a vetern of more long haul flights then I care to count, my recommedations for the flight are comfy warm socks, Ambien, eyeshades and earplugs. Nothing like sleeping a solid 8-9 hours on a plane!
As for the race, I can't help you.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

New Zealand is a land of outside activities so leave yourself sometime to look around afterwards.

A few recommendations:

• Make sure you visit the hot springs after the race. Taupo is a volcanic region and sitting in a hot pool after racing is fantastic. The best is Taupo Hot Springs.
• Going and visiting one of the geothermal parks is interesting too if you haven't been to a volcanic region before. Several near Taupo and Rotorua
• Caving/Black water rafting at Waitomo on the way back to Auckland.

Have a look at http://www.laketauponz.com/ for information about the Taupo region.

dt.

Tom.

We did it on our own and its really an easy trip to make. We flew via LA to Auckland, straight 13hr flight, got into hire car and was in Taupo in under 4hrs, no hassle whatsoever. We found cheap local car hire and rented a house minutes from the start entirely from the web, all very reasonably priced. There is so much to do and its easy to get around. We did not have concrete post race plans but managed to spent 3 very enjoyable weeks just traveling around the north island with a couple of guide books. Like clm I cant say enough about the race, the organisation, the support and the location, one of the best races I have been to and would not hesitate to return. You would really enjoy it.

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Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??

Wow, guys: Thanks for a lot of awesome resources!

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I also did it myself, renting a car in Auckland and driving, I stayed a week after the race to just relax and have fun, I will second the Black Water rafting, what a fun and lasting memory. I know what the Premium sports people paid and I was much cheaper doing it on my own and was able to get out and see much more than they were able to as well. I also know Deepak and he does an excellent job especially for people not adventurous enough to go on their own.

Ditto!

So much to see and do in that great country. It's a shame to have to go just for the race. I spent 2 months travelling around NZ( North & South Islands) in 1995 and I felt like I had only scratched the surface.

Bottom line: the entire country is an outdoor adventure training zone. No matter where you go there are cool, trails, waters, beaches, mountains, etc . . to explore.

Awesome place!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

There seems to be a few people here in Michigan interested in N.Z. I was in the shower yesterday (where I do my best thinking) and was thinking about classic surf movies such as "In God's Hands" and "The Endless Summer". I had been at the beach that weekend and was inspired. The cinematic masterpiece, tour de force of the surfing genre' "The Endless Summer" chronicles an elite group of surfers who follow the migration of the seasons from the Northern to Southern hemisphere in search of the perfect wave. Bingo. My own version of "The Endless Summer", Ironman style: New Zealand. It will require getting warm and fuzzy with 5 hour Computrainer rides and some long, cold runs, but hey, you only go around once. It might also be another excuse to return to Doug Stern's triathlon camp on Curacao (as if you need another excuse to ride out to K'nip Beach on the west end of the island).

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Gordo Byrn is doing the triathlon version of Endless Summer. Lucky guy!

Speaking of that great movie, Endless Summer.....if you loved ES1 and ES2, run out to see "Step Into Liquid". AWESOME movie about surfing!!

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Tom, take it to the next level. Leave the shop in some trusted hands and hook up with Gordo for Epic camp NZ. The guys who did that in preparation for IMNZ rocked! Talk about endless summer. Escape the cold, escape the computraininer, hello Gordo!

Noooo...In God's Hands is one of the worst movies ever made (surfing or non-surfing). There's some great footage of Dorain & co charging but it's not worth suffering the storyline for. If you're looking for a bit of story check out Big Wednesday.

As for NZ head up to the north island so you can get it offshore whichever way the wind's blowing. On your bike, make sure you're prepared with plenty of spare tubes because the roads can be pretty harsh. Also plenty of food/drink as the next town is always pretty far away.

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"Language most shows a man: Speak, that I may see thee. It springs out of the most retired and inmost parts of us, and is the image of the parents of it, the mind. No glass so mirrors a man's form or likeness so true as his speech." - Ben Jonson, Timber, or Discoveries made upon Men and Matter.