IM New Zealand 70.3 (Taupo)

Triathlon Forum
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I’m looking for advice from those that have done either the 140.6 or 70.3 in Taupo. I am looking at adding the 70.3 to my 2019 race schedule. I will be traveling with my husband and we plan to spend a week in New Zealand after the race. Some of the questions that have come up so far:

Is this race serviced by any bike transport company (i.e. TriBikeTransport, I Love my Bike, etc.)?If not, is there a place locally to rent a tri bike? (I’ve flown with my bike numerous times, but I really don’t want to be traveling with it for this race and vacation.)If I fly with my bike, I’m told that you have to drive from Auckland to Taupo as local flights into Taupo don’t carry bike boxes. Is that correct?If I fly with my bike, is there some place that I can store it in Taupo while we spend the week traveling around New Zealand?Where is a nice hotel (no motels or B&Bs) in Taupo that is also conveniently close to the race site? (This trip would be to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, so I don’t have a problem with splurging for a nice place.)What day would you recommend arriving? With the time difference and flight time from the US, leaving on Tuesday would have us arriving on Thursday. Bike check in is Friday.

Any other insights or recommendations are appreciated!!

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Taupo is an amazing place to race in my opinion so I’m a bit jealous.

Is this race serviced by any bike transport company (i.e. TriBikeTransport, I Love my Bike, etc.) **Not Sure.**If not, is there a place locally to rent a tri bike? (I’ve flown with my bike numerous times, but I really don’t want to be traveling with it for this race and vacation.) **I’m sure there is somewhere in Auckland, but I found traveling with my bike from LA to Auckland and then driving around for a week after with 2 bikes in their cases in the back of an SUV, wasn’t too difficult. **
If I fly with my bike, I’m told that you have to drive from Auckland to Taupo as local flights into Taupo don’t carry bike boxes. Is that correct? **Not sure on this either. We rented a small suv and fit two bike cases, luggage and two full sized adults in a Kia something. **
If I fly with my bike, is there some place that I can store it in Taupo while we spend the week traveling around New Zealand? We just put them in the back of the car and drove around the island. Took them inside at night.
Where is a nice hotel (no motels or B&Bs) in Taupo that is also conveniently close to the race site? (This trip would be to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, so I don’t have a problem with splurging for a nice place.) **I’d say look at VRBO or AirBnB. Renting a house is a good option. **
What day would you recommend arriving? With the time difference and flight time from the US, leaving on Tuesday would have us arriving on Thursday. Bike check in is Friday. **From the west coast Auckland is 19 (?) hours ahead. ** The travel there for us was a direct flight and very simple, the hardest part was driving up to LAX from San Diego. Being that close to a full day ahead made it easy to adapt. I got there 4 days before IMNZ. Keep in mind you will lose at least a day flying there.

I’m sure there are some other folks that will chime in with more info.

Good luck!

Jake

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Not much by way on diverging from previous comments. I’ve travelled there twice from Auckland by car, once with three adults, the other time with four adults and a small child. One bike packed in a cardboard bike box and our luggage. First time we hired a minivan the second time a full sized 4x4 (Toyota Kluger from memory).

A lot of the adventure was seeing the places on the drive down to Taupo (it’s been 9 years now), like Hamilton, Rotorua etc. It was a bit crammed the second trip but we managed to fit everything inside the car. First time was much easier. If just two people then a minivan etc would easily fit everything in and they were plenty comfortable. Keep in mind that if you leave your bike at Taupo you have to go back and get it, then drive back to Auckland anyway, so that option seems a bit pointless IMO.

On the second trip we glammed it up at a large apartment on the lakeshore. I think it was what is now called (and maybe back then too) Reef Resort. That was very nice but we had at least three bedrooms in our upstairs shore front apartment which may be too big for you. Should be plenty of options but get in early.

Taupo was great. I’d love to go back one day.

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Thanks for the advice!

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Thanks! Will look into the Reef Resort!

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I did this race last year (140.6) just joining a friend I trained for a couple years to tackle the race and it is a fantastic place (although we found the toughest conditions ever on that race last year but still a personal PR). So let me try to cover your questions:

Is this race serviced by any bike transport company (i.e. TriBikeTransport, I Love my Bike, etc.)? **Not sure any US based service will work overseas but I am NOT sure on that. However, Air New Zealand had a fantastic special where they charged $1 for an extra piece of luggage so I paid $2 dollars each way for my bike and my bag; on Air New Zealand, the bike on a bike case counts as a piece of luggage (not as a special item, as oversize or overweight bag) so it will cost you the same as a regular bag, which, in the worse case scenario, won’t be more than $50 I believe; If you are traveling with your significant other, you can take your bike on a case, pack the stuff from both on the other case and take 2x carry-ons and maybe a backpack and you will get NO bag fees since you are allowed 1x checked piece of luggage and the bike counts as 1x.**If not, is there a place locally to rent a tri bike? (I’ve flown with my bike numerous times, but I really don’t want to be traveling with it for this race and vacation.) **There are several bike shops in Auckland and some in Taupo but I do not think I saw any Road bike rentals anywhere (not saying there are none, just saying I did not see one), only beach cruisers and on top of that, if you go via Air New Zealand, taking your bag will be way cheaper than paying for a rental on a bike that is not yours, may not fit right and you may not get comfortable with.**If I fly with my bike, I’m told that you have to drive from Auckland to Taupo as local flights into Taupo don’t carry bike boxes. Is that correct? **You can fly the bike but it will be very expensive because in local flights it will be an oversize bag and the regional planes are fairly small; also, the drie is only 3.5 hours max and it is very very enjoyable and way cheaper as well since flying internally in NZ is quite expensive unless you book with plenty of time in advance.**If I fly with my bike, is there some place that I can store it in Taupo while we spend the week traveling around New Zealand? **Not really unless you know someone local but if you plan to drive around the island but I have local friends who may help you with that so pvt msg me for that **Where is a nice hotel (no motels or B&Bs) in Taupo that is also conveniently close to the race site? (This trip would be to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, so I don’t have a problem with splurging for a nice place.) The town is fairly small so anywhere inside town will be close to the race start (no more than 6-9 blocks); if you plan to do that, make sure you book way in advance since the town get completely packed for race day with almost no accommodations left months ahead. I got a friend who has a very cozy cottage for rent, happy to share the info if you need/want itWhat day would you recommend arriving? With the time difference and flight time from the US, leaving on Tuesday would have us arriving on Thursday. Bike check in is Friday. I arrived there on Monday before the race; enough time to catch up with the jet lag, get some easy rides/runs by the coastal line (there is an incredible bike path to ride from downtown to the skirts of the city where all the cyclist ride daily. Air New Zealand has been called the best airline in the world 3 years in a row and there is a reason why; it has been the most comfortable, clean, customer focused airline I have ever flown in. I honestly felt sleep 2 hours after takeoff and woke up almost when we land so I had almost no jet lag when landedAny other insights or recommendations are appreciated!! Happy to share any other information you need, just pvt msg me

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Five trips there to race the full and the old half, though I haven’t been in a number of years.

If it were me, I’d leave the west coast on Monday to get there Tuesday. Spend a night in Auckland and drive down to Taupo on Wednesday.

I still have great Kiwi friends that I met on my first trip (2001) at the B&B we stayed at. B&B or VRBO is the way to go.

If you are only staying 1 week post-race, you’ll be hard pressed to see much beyond the North Island. We did 3 weeks total once, including the race, and only got about halfway down the South Island. But there is a lot to see on the North Island.

You could most likely leave your bike and bike case in Taupo and get it on the way back to Auckland.

Fabulous place. I love it there.

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I flew from Auckland with my bike to Taupo for the IM. Just get on Trivago or the like. Taupo isn’t that large and you shouldn’t have an issue finding somewhere close to the start. I looked on a map when working out my hotel.

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Are you doing the December race of March race?

If December I’m also doing it and will be more than happy to look after your bike while you travel. I live in Tauranga which is a 2 hour drive from Taupo.

As for hire shops, I don’t know of any locally, in Auckland or Taupo that hire tri bikes.

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Kiwi here, can lend you some advice.
Re getting from Auckland to Taupo: would highly recommend driving over flying. Taupo is served only by small regional planes and it is a bit of a pain with bikes etc. Best bet is to hire a vehicle in Auckland and deliver it back to Auckland at the end of the trip. The flight from the USA is a long one, would not advise getting to Auckland and then driving straight on to Taupo. NZ roads, esp as you are driving on the opposite side, are a bit notorious for accidents, best to take on that drive when rested and not after a long flight. There are some nice hotels at and near Auckland airport.
Not sure the easiest way to manage travelling with the bikes if you intend to go on and do a lot more touring. Petty crime (ie theft from vehicles) is an issue for tourists, especially if you have some expensive looking bikes in there. One option might be to base yourself in Taupo and then explore as day trips from there. There is a lot within easy day tripping distance just from Taupo.
I am not 100% sure re bike rental options or bike storage options. I think you would find many of the bike shops locally pretty friendly and would keep a bike in storage for you until you can pick it up again. Hotels can also be good like that. Depends on where you want to head to after the race really. NZ is a decent sized country so in a week you will probably have to pick North versus South Island and then target key things you want to do in either island (given you have said a week after the race, logistically North Island might be easiest unless you want to fly down South).
There is a great courier network and also I am pretty sure there are some storage options near to the airport that you could arrange to have your bike delivered to after the race so you can get on and relax and travel. Let me know and I can do a google search for you.
Can’t comment re places to stay in Taupo, we have normally stayed at friends houses/rented houses etc.
Have fun, it is a great country and a week will seem short to explore it all!

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Now I’m confused…when I was looking on the Ironman website, it lists the 70.3 for March 2, 2019, but when I google December triathlon, it lists IM Taupo 70.3 for December 8, 2018 and March 2, 2019!!!

Which date is correct? Even if they are changing the dates from 2018 to 2019, I find it hard to believe that they would host races 3 months apart.

If the 2019 date is correct, the March 2nd 70.3 is the race that I was referring to.

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Thank you for the advice. We had considered driving directly down to Taupo when we arrived in Auckland. But with your recommendation, perhaps it is best to spend a day in Auckland to visit and rest up before driving down to Taupo!

I know it’s a short time…I wish we had more. I would love to see the Great Barrier Reef too while we are so close (relatively speaking), but I’m going to have to prioritize the list of things that we want to do/see since we definitely won’t have time for everything.

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Another kiwi here. Yes sleep night in Auckland and hire drive down the next day.

Both dates are correct. There is the 70.3 in December and in March they now hold on the same day concurrent 70.3/140.6 races.

Town will be busier in March.

Since money is no object there Hilton on the road to Napier is very nice and very close to the course.

Agree with above comment. Store bike don’t travel with it - petty crime.

In terms of hiring. Might be difficult to hire a tri bike - but a road bike and clip on some aero bars is quite a likely scenario…

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I think for marketing purposes Dec is called 70.3 Taupo and March 70.3 NZ. Very similar courses.

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Hello,

We did IM NZ in 2017 during horrific winds. I can’t wait to go back. One of my all time favorite places to race. Great race support, course, gorgeous location and the Kiwi’s are just the best. We met some Kiwi’s during a race here in the US and now we are friends. We just did IM Canada together. Top notch folks those Kiwis.

Is this race serviced by any bike transport company (i.e. TriBikeTransport, I Love my Bike, etc.)?
No, not that I could find, and shipping the bike was super expensive. Our only choice was to fly with both our bikes. This was easy and we had no issues with this.

If not, is there a place locally to rent a tri bike?
We looked at this, but the options are minimal, so we opted to bring our bikes. When we go back to do this race again, I will get a larger car instead of our little compact SUV. It worked but we packed it full.

If I fly with my bike, I’m told that you have to drive from Auckland to Taupo as local flights into Taupo don’t carry bike boxes. Is that correct?
Yes, drive, we rented a little SUV, shoved two soft case bike boxes and all our luggage in it and went exploring to the east coast and loved it. We drove to all sorts of little towns and went and checked out as many hot pools, hot beaches and bubbling mud pools as we could. So much fun. We stopped at countless cafes for flat whites, and Avocado Smash. The motels along the way were not expensive and the eastern part of that island was so beautiful. The driving is pretty hairy though, we loved it, but it takes a bit longer to get to places due to the terrain. I booked the motels through travelocity.com and it was perfect. I highly recommend exploring. We spent 2 days doing this. I will do it again. I found the best rates for renting a car through Rentalcars.com

If I fly with my bike, is there some place that I can store it in Taupo while we spend the week traveling around New Zealand?
We contacted the local bike shop and they would store our bikes for a small daily fee. However we ended up taking our bikes with us as we wanted to take a different route back to Auckland. I still had the info from the local bike shop in NZ, here it is: Our local bike store in Taupo is Huka Cycles - http://www.hukacycles.co.nz/. You can contact them via: sales@hukacycles.co.nz

Where is a nice hotel (no motels or B&Bs) in Taupo that is also conveniently close to the race site?
We rented an airbnb with our Kiwi friends right along the run course. Sorry I have no experience with hotels there.

What day would you recommend arriving? With the time difference and flight time from the US, leaving on Tuesday would have us arriving on Thursday. Bike check in is Friday.
We got there a few days early to explore and adapt to the time change.

Hope this helps. Enjoy NZ, it is pretty awesome.

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Thank you all! All of the information has been incredibly useful!!

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Although I would probably recommend driving down from Auckland as well, you would be perfectly fine flying with a bike bag/box and flights are not overly expensive. Having a look at flights in late Feb you are looking at NZD ~$100 including an extra bag so somewhere in the region of US$70 pp. Air NZ used to fly small Beech 1900D planes but they are gone now and Auckland - Taupo is flown by Bombardier Q300’s.

As others have said, Taupo books up quickly for IMNZ week so I would get something locked down pretty soon. If you end up staying at a nice hotel, there is fairly good chance they would hold onto your bike for a bit.

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i have flown with bike bags on Air NZ Bombardier Q300’s no problem. Air NZ are really good about carrying sports equipment - no excess bag fees, it counts as a normal checked in bag, just keep the weight down to 23Kg. as long as you’re reasonable about it they will be too. note though that the other domestic airline, jetstar, is cheaper but much more stringent on charging for every extra.

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Happy to store your bike for you for the week. I live in Taupo.

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Thanks! I may take you up on that. Will let you know once we finalize our plans