Has anyone done IM New Zealand? and if so would you recommend it as an early season race/adventure Also how far in advance should you get flights and hotels and which hotel(s)?
thanks
It’s my dream to, but from Belgium 36 hours travell
.
It’s a great race - no doubt about it…Plenty to do before and after the race, as it is based in one of the more attractive parts of NZ (and NZ has PLENTY of attractive parts)…
I would encourage booking accommodation sooner rather than later. I was in Taupo on the weekend and the place where I stayed is already booked out for the 2 weeks around Ironman NZ…I suspect many others are the same, but at the same time, I would think there are still many opportunities…From memory, the race fills up sometime in late November or thereabouts, but I am not sure on this one…
i live in taupo…
there’s shitloads of hotels etc, and there’ll prob be about 4 new ones come march. but would be wise to book.
Great race. I would go back there in a heart beat.
We booked about two months in advance but that was a few years ago when the race was not as popular. Spend some time on the web you can find a house for almost the price of a hotel, same with car hire from Auckland, there are some local car hire companies that do a great deal, but the cars are a bit older.
Good luck, we had a blast
Fulla
Haven’t heard from you lately mate. Keeping your head down and you bum up, I suppose.
Training going well?
its going ok. had a weeek and a half off recently. first day back i got roped into the day nite thriller mountainbike relay. ive had a knee injruy which was really hampering my biking and running but so far its been ok since ive been back…
hows your training going? are you doing k2?
Fulla says that anybody that wants to, can stay over at his digs…right, Fulla?
haha. ive actually just moved into a new place and am looking for roommates.
so if anyone is heading to taupo to train during our summer for the ironman, there is a room available right now. it’ll prob be gone by the end of the week though.
there is a couch that folds out into a bed in living room though.
Both Tom D and Cathy (Ironclm) have done IMNZ, so I’m sure they’ll be able to add more detail. I’m going to be doing it in 2006.
There’s a yahoo group that’s pretty active which is at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/imnz/
there’s also a website put together by Ray Pitch (who’s very active in the above group, which is at
http://www.nznet.gen.nz/homepages/rpitch/
but I couldn’t get to it this morning, so perhaps it’s down.
If you’re doing the race in 2006, I’ll see you there.
Cheers,
J.
BEST RACE IN THE WORLD!!! I’ve been there 4 times in the past 5 years and am going back in 2005. Here’s some info I compiled last year from the many questions I’ve gotten in the past.
clm
Sunday, August 10, 2003
Ironman New Zealand Info…
Like my friend Roger said, “If I’m not in New Zealand the first Saturday of March, I’m dead.” What a wonderful place and race! I’ve been to New Zealand four times in the past three years and am planning another trip in 2004. I get a lot of questions, so I’ll be adding information as I have time, or if you have specific questions, let me know. First things first…
Ironman New Zealand
Saturday, March 6, 2004
http://www.ironman.co.nz/
Travel arrangements:
You can do the web search and do your own airline reservations, but I’ve found better prices and it’s a lot easier using Deepak and Premium Plus for airfare. He can also do an entire package for you. (Tell him you know me.) I have my own B&B that I always stay at, plus, I like to be mobile, so I rent a car in Auckland and drive to Taupo.
Deepak Patel
President
Premium Plus Sports – The Athlete Travel Company
800-282-3636 USA & Canada
312-738-2543
312-738-2546 Fax
www.PremiumPlus-Sports
If you want to do your own accomodations, I’d suggest the Taupo Visitor Center. There is a link at http://www.ironman.co.nz/travel.html or details are below. If you are in the center of town, you generally don’t need a car, but as I said, I like to be mobile and there are some good sightseeing opportunities in the general area.
Gail Henderson
Taupo Visitor Centre,
30 Tongariro Street,
Taupo, New Zealand
Tel: 0064 7 376 0027
Fax: 0064 7 378 9003
Email: taupovc@laketauponz.com.
Or…
http://www.beds-n-leisure.com/
Or…
Destination Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo Convention Bureau
66 Paora Hapi Street, Private Bag 2005
Taupo, New Zealand
Telephone: +64-7-376-0400
Facsimile: +64-7-376-0410
E-Mail: info@laketauponz.com
Internet: www.laketauponz.com
New Zealand news:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
http://www.stuff.co.nz/ (Taupo is in the BAY OF PLENTY region)
Are you subscribed to the IM NZ list?
mailto:imnz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Some answers to questions I’ve been asked a bunch of times:
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No, you can’t do both NZ and Australia in three weeks. You’d be hard pressed to see the all of NZ in three weeks. It’s a small country, but it’s two islands and the pace of life is way kicked back (they have no freeways). It’s so beautiful there and the North and South Island are like two different worlds. If you can, get to both of them.
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The people are the best and the course is great. The swim is in a pristine lake, so clean you can see the bottom the entire way (and drink from). The bike is flat to rolling, with one short, steep hill that you do twice. There is a big out and back (probably 40 miles RT), that is on a closed road. There is about a 5K of gradual uphill on this section coming back. You don’t notice it the first go-round, but it’s where I slowed down the second round. The last few miles of the bike are downhill (long, gradual) and then into town where the streets are lined with people. I rode way too hard through town at the end of the first lap. The run has a number of hills, some short and steep and one longer grade. It’s a two-loop run. But, the best thing is the NZ people. They are so fabulous! Your race number has your name on it in large, bumper sticker type letters, so people are shouting your name the entire race. If I had had a dollar for every time I heard “Good on ya”, I could have paid for this year and next year’s trip. My report from 2001 is at http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/beginner/unlikely.html.
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The food is quite good. Lots of beef and lamb and fish. The beer is AWESOME! Tui is my favorite, but Specht’s is good too, as is Steinlager.
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Yes, they drive on the “wrong” side of the road and the car. It’s not too hard to get used to generally. Actually, I have an easier time driving there. Maybe I’m driver dyslexic. And yes, you will race on the bike on the LEFT, staying LEFT. Learn to take a water bottle with your left hand.
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The best bike shop is Cycle World on Spa Road. James and Marie are the best! FAST.BISCUIT@xtra.co.nz Tell them you know me.
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Jet lag: From the U.S. west coast, the time difference is only 3 hours (plus a day), so it’s like going from NY to here or here to HI. No jet lag at all. You generally arrive early in the morning and it’s a 4 hour drive to Taupo. Get a good night sleep the first night in NZ and you’ll never know you are traveling. Coming home…different story.
Race days tips:
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T1: Definitely stick a small towel in your bag. You will be running/changing on grass and it was freshly clipped, so there was a lot of grass pieces all over and it was nice to have the towel to wipe your feet on.
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Bike: Definitely take arm warmers and pack them in the T1 bag. I wore mind for the first lap in 2001 and 2002, then shed them. A light rain jacket is also a great idea if you are cold blooded, as it rained all night before the race and from about 5-6:30AM on race morning in 2001. I’d also suggest covering your bike saddle and computer the night before.
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Course food/drink: Take more than you think you will need. The PB stuff they’ve served in the past is NASTY (though they may be changing that this year). Also, if you think you will have ANY urge for anything not-sweet—put it in your special needs bag. Nothing but sweet stuff the entire day. At one run aid station a nice lady gave me her own small bag of potato chips. No chicken soup at this IM (or at least the last couple of years).
Travel tips:
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Definitely bring some snacks and a big bottle of water for the plane. If you are on Air NZ, then most of the flight will be IM people, at least going over and it’s fun to meet everyone. Coming home, it was the senior citizen brigade. They show you about 3 movies and feed you every few hours. Going wasn’t so bad; coming home was a bear (but I was sick and the plane was packed).
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Money: What I usually do is to take $50 US and change that at the Auckland airport just to have some handy cash. Then, when I get to Taupo, I’ll use my ATM card to get cash from the machines. Or, but as much as you can on plastic for better exchange rates.
Race week:
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May I suggest for those who are in Taupo on the Tuesday to do the swim that evening. It’s your only chance to swim most of the course and there are lots of folks there. It’s a great way to gauge the water and get rid of some jet lag. They have a 1,000 and 3,000 M (or so) “race” and they give out spot prizes. Minimal entry fee (like $2NZ) and lots of fun.
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Lastly, if you are in the market for a new wetsuit–buy one early in the week. The exchange rate is great and a couple of places had IM wetsuits on sale last year.
My prior trips:
You know what, first of all, unless you are staying for a month or two, there is no way you can see both islands. Things are just too spread out to do in a short period of time. Second, there are NO freeways, so if you are driving, you don’t get anywhere very fast, especially on the South Island. Third, it doesn’t matter where you go, it’s all terrific. (Though I agree, pass through Hamilton on the drive down and instead stop in Cambridge–a great little town.) Which is why I’ll be coming back for the fourth time in three years.
First trip: 10 days, including race. Post race, we stayed in Taupo, using it as a base for day trips. I got sick right after the race, so the parental units saw more than I did.
Second trip: 3 weeks, including race. We drove down to Wellington after the race, took the ferry across to the So. Island, drove down the east coast to Christchurch, spending a couple of days there. Then, drove across to the west coast and down to the glaciers (excellent!), then back up the west coast to Greymouth (I’d go back and spend more time there), then back to the ferry and back up through the No. Island. Way too much driving.
Third trip: Hung in Auckland for a few days and did some sightseeing with the locals. Went to Taupo and hung out there, riding my bike and hiking around and doing a little race. I highly recommend the Leppin Half Ironman in December.
Fourth trip: About 9 days total. Went to the race, didn’t race. Watched everyone else race. Drove back to Auckland and spent a couple of nights there with friends before flying home.
Where I haven’t been, but want to: The coast up by Ohope, the northern islands, Fiordland–I’d like to do the Milford Trek, Mt. Cook (we saw it, but from Fox Glacier side). I’d spend more time in ChristChurch. I liked it a lot better than Auckland. I’d go back to Wellington and spend more time there. Auckland is a lot like San Francisco, so I’ll go there just to see friends. And I do love Taupo. Someday I’ll buy a house there, after I buy my house in France.
Why is this such a fabulous place and race???
I got this email from one of the volunteers (who lurks on the IM NZ email list) after I’d posted how great a time we’d had:
Hi
Cathy it is poeple like you that get people like me on the job
at no cost to any one just because we can say that’s another ironman
Here’s a message I sent out to the IM NZ folks I went with last year…
I was looking for a phone number in an old email and came across some IM NZ race reports from the last couple of years. Here are some bits of various people’s reports. For those of you who are first timers in Taupo, just a glimpse of what you are in for. Extra points if you recognize yourself, or a friend.
clm, waiting for a job offer from the NZ Tourism Board
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This is an incredible race, and the best part of it
is the people of Taupo. They are so welcoming and supportive. I
have never seen better support in any race I’ve done anywhere in the
world, and I’ve been doing tris for 20 years. -
In hundreds of small, thoughtful ways, Taupo’s volunteers eased the journey for us.
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The finish was magic. The course had us do one last loop around the back
of the park, running in near total darkness until we abruptly turned a
corner and ran into the blazing lights of a 100 meter finishing chute
lined with cheering spectators and finishers. Despite the pain and
fatigue, it’s a moment you wish would last forever. -
There’s simply no better place to do an Ironman than New Zealand, and no better venue than Taupo.
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To all the people who listened to me complain about training this winter and who heard me say time and time again “I will never, ever, ever train through the winter again”, thank you for tolerating me. I hope you can stand it again this winter because I have to go back to Ironman New Zealand next year. The thought of not going back is more painful than any cold weather ride or any long run in freezing drizzle.
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They took me into medical for the mandatory weighing, then made me lay down for about 15 minutes and took my vitals. They finally let me go, and as we
were walking to the car, a guy came up and said he had been cheering out on
the course and wanted to come down and see me finish and shake my hand.
That’s the kind of people there are in New Zealand and is a huge part of
what makes this race so fantastic.
Funny you should mention that…thats when I am planning on going over…2006…will give me plenty of time to get things together. Plan on it and put bucks toward the trip too…
Would be great to be able to collaborate with others who have gone or planning on going. Wondering if we put a group together we might get some good prices on travel
thanks
hah taupo is ok if you’re a visitor in regards to the people, living here it could be said to be a different story. do you know the people in cycleworld clm? do you know willie?
what do you like about cambridge? heh thats my hometown!!!
i did the ironman bike yesterday. it definitely is a great deal harder going back then it is getting out. and theres always a headwind to contend with coming back.
Well, I’ll be flying down from Borneo, and we’ll probably add a couple of weeks for a holiday, so I’m out on the group deal. The IMNZ yahoo group is definitely worth joining if you’re doing the race. Lots of info and a great group of people who will tell you all you want to know. I’m looking forward to actually meeting them when I finally make it to the race.
Good luck, keep in touch.
J.
You probably can’t put togehter any better prices than what Premium Plus can do. Unless you get a group and rent a house or something, but for flights, they get a pretty good price. If you are thinking about using mileage to get there, call the very earliest that you can as those seats are hard to come by (unless you go LAX-Sydney-Auckland which is crazy).
Yes, I know James, Marie and Vanessa at CW. Top notch people who have taken very good care of me on all my trips. Don’t know Willie.
As for Cambridge–it’s a charming little town with a couple of good cafes. We really had very pleasant stops there. I wouldn’t mind having a horse ranch in the area.
clm
How do you find the weather during the race? It always seems, I observe, to be windy & chilly + sometimes rainy.
I’m very cold intolerant!
around about that time of year it can get rainy and chilly here. there is nearly always a bit of a southerly/cross wind on the bike. the hardest part of the bike is the bit just after what is probably the biggest hill as it can be difficult to get up to speed again as it is quite undulating and prob bares the brunt of the wind most of the time. it is usually pretty good temperature wise though, it just seems that in past years it’s been run on bad weather days.
if you want to know some awesome hilly runs i can tell ya too…the im run course in taupo is booooring.
if only the huka falls run track were wider 
thanks for the information. Planning on IM New Zealand 2006!!! Trip been wanting to take for along time. That and qualify for Kona