New Zealand Classic 2020

15 February - 8 March 2020

A small country with enormous heart, New Zealand is a land like no other.  ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’ is famed for its breathtaking and often unique landscape, rich cultural heritage, top notch wines, fabulous cities, hospitable locals and world famous sporting history.

Alongside rugby, cricket, watersports and winter sports, motorsport pulses strongly through New Zealand’s veins and we’re hugely excited to be adding the ERA New Zealand Classic to the ERA events calendar from 15 February to 8 March 2020.

The Route

Our route maestros have called upon their wealth of personal experience as well as drafting in essential local knowledge to ensure that this adventure delivers on many levels.  The epic 23-day route will travel through both the North and South Islands and incorporate roads that are well off the beaten track alongside some well-known World Rally Championship highways and byways, spectacular scenery and luxurious hotels.

The first week and a half of the event takes place on North Island and we start off with a familiarisation day in Auckland during which cars will be Scrutineered and Documents checked. Our hotel is situated just a short walk from the city’s centre and many of Auckland’s must-visit attractions, one of the most breathtaking is the 328-metre high Sky Tower which offers eye-popping views of up to 80kms in every direction.

The first two days of the event proper take cars and competitors 300kms north into largely uncharted rally territory from Auckland to Northlands’ only city, Whangarei.   The route passes through remote areas with gentle rolling hills, serves up a decent portion of smooth gravel and pleasingly, there’s not a tourist in sight!

Because the sub-tropical Northland region is such a wonderful place, our route will take in a day loop north of Whangarei to let us explore the truly remote and dramatic roads of the area. Our hotel is situated opposite the Whangarei Town Basin and is just a short stroll from the city centre where you can take in the museums, art galleries, gardens, bars and restaurants.  And if beaches are your thing then you should definitely head to renowned Ninety Mile Beach (actually, it’s only 88 kilometres long but who’s counting?) to experience its spectacular scenery and general all-round magnificence.

Day four takes us south from Auckland along smooth, twisty, gravel roads and then south east to geothermal  Rotorua, home of explosive geysers, bubbling mud pools and more than a whiff of sulphur in the air! We then head further south-east from Rotorua to the coast at Gisborne and hope to take in all 47km of the Motu Road Gorge which rallying aficionados believe to be the sport’s toughest and most challenging road.

Having mastered the Motu, we head back west to Taupo and stopping off at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park race track before heading to our overnight halt and subsequent rest day at beautiful Lake Taupo, which is renowned for its fishing.

Fully rested, we head off on our final few days on the North Island, travelling west to the torturous Forgotten World Highway then along the open and flowing coastal Surf Highway to the Chris Amon Circuit at Manfeild Park then on to Palmerston North. It is then south again to Wellington which is New Zealand’s capital city, gateway to the South Island and was recently voted ‘the coolest little capital in the world’ by Lonely Planet.

We’ll take the next morning to rest and explore Wellington before we hop on the lunch time ferry across the Cook Strait, into Picton and set our wheels on the South Island with a short jaunt to Blenheim in the centre of the Cloudy Bay wine region.

Where North Island is all about golden beaches, geothermal activity and lots of fascinating Maori culture, the South Island is quite different.  The scenery changes dramatically in super-spectacular fashion with fjords, mountains and glaciers aplenty.

Be sure to have your tanks full as you leave Blenheim as our first full day on the South Island heads through the remote and vast Molesworth sheep station before an early finish in the resort town of Hanmer Springs where there’s plenty to refresh the mind and spirit.  One of the must-do activities is a visit to the Thermal Pools and Spa which are sure to leave you feeling relaxed and ready to push onwards for the next few days of our adventure.

From Hanmer Springs we pass through the Lake Sumner Forest Park as we use the Lewis Pass to cross the Southern Alps for the first time.  We then loop back to the north for our next overnight stop in Nelson, a hub for artists and crafty folk, not to mention wine, classic cars and "wearable art".

We retrace our steps as we leave of Nelson on the way to the wild west coast and a short stop in Punakaiki which is famous for its 30 million year old, ancient limestone stacks, enticingly named the Pancake Rocks.  Definitely a feast for the eye and not the tummy!  We then push on south to our overnight in the gold-rush town of Hokitika where we will watch the sun setting over the Tasman Sea.

With the ocean on our right, day 15 gives us a short drive south along the coast road to Fox Glacier… clearly, this part of New Zealand didn’t get the memo about the Ice Age being over!  This glacier is one of the most easily accessible in the world and descends 2600 metres from the Southern Alps.  Grab your gin and tonics folks, there’s plenty of ice.

From the glacier, we head south again and drive through Mount Aspiring National Park which is home to mountains, glaciers and alpine lakes as we cross back over the Southern Alps. Our ultimate destination for the day is Queenstown where we’ll also stop for a day’s rest.

Queenstown offers all sorts of activities from canyon swinging to horse trekking but you might just prefer to grab a book and head for the peace of Lake Wakatipu.

Day 18 take us on an almost circular route from Queenstown, south-west to Te Anau and then north to Milford Sound, carved from ice age glaciers and pronounced the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ by Rudyard Kipling.  In short, it’ll take your breath away.  Instead of a hotel tonight we are planning an overnight cruise to sleep in the heart of this most tranquil of places.

Back on dry land, we skirt the edge of the Fjordland National Park as we journey to our most southerly overnight stop in the sleepy city of Invercargill.  As we negotiate the suburbs we will pass the shed where Burt Munro tinkered with motorcycles until he'd perfected a machine that would earn him the Land Speed Record with the "World's Fastest Indian".

We leave Invercargill at a slightly slower pace than Burt negotiating the scenic Caitlin Hills and passing (the other) Niagara Falls on our way to the ‘Edinburgh of New Zealand’, Dunedin.  We spend two nights here to allow you to explore this pleasant city and its surroundings which ooze with Victorian/Edwardian history.  Interestingly, one the world’s rarest penguin colonies is just around the coast, so mind what you p-p-p-pick up!

From Dunedin we turn inland again, back towards the Southern Alps and a glimpse of New Zealand's highest mountain before arriving at the last overnight halt on the shores of the stunning Lake Tekapo.  Suitably rested, our final day takes us back to the coast in the middle of the South Island and Christchurch, where our antipodean adventure comes to an end.  A traditional ERA prizegiving ceremony and Gala Dinner finish things off in fine style and give us all the opportunity to reminisce on the highlights of this fabulous event.

Tell Me More

To find out more please call Annette, Eleonora or any of the Rally Office team or email us for your copy of the event brochure and entry form. We'll be happy to answer your questions and offer any guidance you may need.

Phone:   +44 (0)1235 831221

Email:   [email protected]