Races

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONNZ / RACE GUIDE

Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Rotorua
NZ

Andrew McMillan · Public domainPanamitsu · CC BY-SA 4.0Kiwiz1338 · CC BY-SA 4.0AnnWoolliams · CC BY-SA 4.0Panamitsu · CC BY-SA 4.0

Race date in 91 days: Feb 13, 2027 Sat
City · Distance: Rotorua · 163km · 102km · 52km +2 more events
Entry fee: NZ$195Varies by event and entry period
Status: SoonSee how to enter ↗

2027Date Feb 13, 2027 · Entry Apr 16, 2026 ~

2026

2026Date Feb 14, 2026

Official website ↗Marathon · Red Stag Rotorua Marathon

Instagram YouTube

D-day as of Nov 14, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

This is an ultra trail festival through the lakes, forests and geothermal areas of Rotorua, New Zealand.

There are five events: 163 km, 102 km, 52 km, 23 km and 14 km, and the next edition is confirmed on the official website for February 13–14, 2027.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 4

Clifford JonesRan in 2024

“I challenge anyone to conjure up a more dramatic start to an epic running adventure.”

The start, wreathed in geothermal steam, was described as the most dramatic part of the race. In the lake section, the runner caught up with the 50 km field and waited about 15 minutes for water at the aid station. On the Okataina climb, knee pain reduced the pace to a near walk, but the finish was still reached.

Read the original on AUTRA (Australian Ultra Runners Association)

Jen BlossRan in 2024 · Finish time 7:18

“Honestly, it was the forest full of ferns and lots of shade that sucked me in.”

In the 50km, the runner picked Wave C and struggled through the first 7 miles, stuck passing on narrow singletrack. The Blue Lake aid station was relaxed, and the fire road in the final section was reportedly exposed to strong sun.

Read the original on Abroad With God

Mark ColthartRan in 2016

“I DNF'd (as in Did Not Finish) at Tarawera this year. My first DNF ever.”

This is a report of a DNF at the Okataina aid station in the 60km race. The runner put it down to fatigue from training just before the race and a failure in fueling, and said the race would be treated as a chance to learn.

Read the original on James Kuegler Coaching

Sarah Lavender SmithRan in 2015

“I felt strong and zipped through the next aid stations, which were close together.”

A report from the 100K era says the traditional Māori performance before the start and the moss-covered forest left a strong impression. The technical middle section was the toughest part, while the last 25 miles ran on good fire road. Course has changed since then.

Read the original on The Runner's Trip

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

First come, first served

Entry cost TBD

General entry is open on the official registration page.

There is no lottery;

when a price tier sells out, the entry fee goes up.

Age 18 or over on race day

Organizer's page

Qualifying time

Entry cost NZ$1,090

TMiler entrants must submit proof of finishing an organizer-approved, certified trail race of 50 km or more by January 3, 2027.

If you cannot, your entry is automatically switched to T102.

A trail race finish of 50 km or more between January 3, 2025 and January 3, 2027

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 163km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

Runners start · local timeFrom 04:00

Time limit30 hours

T102 30 hours (after crossing the start mat)

Event	Start	Time limit	Entry fee
T2123km	10:00	7 h	NZ$195
T1414km	07:30	4 h	NZ$160
T102102km	07:00	—	NZ$625
T5052km	07:00	—	NZ$445
TMiler163km	04:00	36 h	NZ$1,090

START

Firmin Field, Kawerau

T102

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

Village Green, Rotorua

Finish · Google Maps

Cutoff
10.5km 10:25 · 21.5km 13:25 · 29.9km 10:45 · 35.4km 17:00 · 41.7km 19:35 · 45.3km 19:45 · 56km 16:30 · 57.5km 00:20 · 84.8km 08:15 · 88.8km 23:45 · 94.7km 11:10 · 118.6km 06:20 · 155.7km 14:30

Runners start · local time — TMiler 04:00, T102 07:00 to 07:20, T50 07:00 to 07:36, T21 10:00 to 10:30 (Blue Lake), T14 07:30 to 07:50 (February 14, Te Puia)

Tarawera began in 2009 when Paul Charteris, a Rotorua native, started the course, an 85 km route linking Rotorua to his hometown of Kawerau.

It began with a few hundred runners and has become New Zealand's largest trail running event, now part of the UTMB World Series.

The flagship T102 starts at Firmin Field in Kawerau and finishes at the Village Green in central Rotorua, a one-way course.

Total elevation gain is around 2,300 m, and the scenery keeps changing as you pass five lakes,

with native-forest singletrack, giant redwood forest and Sulphur Point, where sulphur steam rises.

The 163 km TMiler starts at Te Puia and loops around eight lakes, and finishers receive a pounamu (greenstone) pendant.

Because the course passes through the land of the Māori tribe Te Arawa, the race also asks runners to follow the principle of kaitiakitanga,

caring for the environment, which is part of what makes this race distinctive.

The Village Green, home of the finish, is in the middle of town, so crowds keep cheering even the late finishers, through Sunday afternoon.

Typical race-season temperature: around 19°C (66°F): Short sleeves — hydrate for the warmth

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Pacers

Water stations

Aid stations

Finisher medal

Event T-shirt

Bag drop

Start shuttle

Race expo

Hotels255m from the start · ★9.3

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2026 edition

Bib pickup

The finisher medal engraving service is also available on the 13th.
February 11 14:00–20:00 / February 12 9:00–19:00 / February 13 10:00–17:00 / February 14 9:00–15:00

Village Green, Rotorua

Google Maps Directions

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startVillage Green, Tutanekai St (athlete shuttle pickup)
Getting to the finishVillage Green, Rotorua

Source · checked Nov 10, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

Village Green, Tutanekai St (athlete shuttle pickup)

Optional paid athlete shuttle from Village Green to the start: T102 05:00-05:30, TMiler 03:00-03:30, T50 05:45-06:30, T21 08:30-09:15 (NZ$10 each). Limited free parking at each start.

Rotorua Airport is 9.5 km from town; domestic flights from Auckland take about 40 minutes, or drive about 3 hours south from Auckland. The official site lists no public transport routes.

Map

Getting to the finish

Village Green, Rotorua

All main distances finish at Village Green in central Rotorua. The official site publishes no post-race transport information.

Map

Source · checked Nov 10, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

For the T102, an optional shuttle to the Kawerau start leaves the Village Green between 5:00 and 5:30.

The official information says parking at the start is limited, so the shuttle is the easier choice.

Packet Pickup begins at the Village Green on February 11 from 2 p.m., and drop bags must be handed in before 8 p.m. on Friday.

The T102 drop bag points are Otamuri at 41.7 km, Okataina at 57.3 km, Tikitapu at 84.5 km, and the finish.

The time limit is 30 hours from the start, and the pace is 17:43/km,

but you must leave Okataina (57.5 km) by 0:20 the next day, so the night section where your time buffer shrinks is the riskiest.

This is a cupless race, so bring your own cup or hydration pack;

aid stations offer cola, ginger beer, sandwiches, fruit, waffles and gels.

In the 2026 edition, 88 mm of rain fell from Friday until midnight on Saturday,

and reports said the course turned muddy, so pack a waterproof jacket and spare socks.

The start, finish and expo are all near the Village Green,

so staying in town makes getting around easy, and Rotorua Airport (ROT) is 9.5 km from the town center.

From Auckland it is about 40 minutes by domestic flight, and about 3 hours by rental car heading south.

Note that the 2027 schedule has been announced as a draft and may change, and the rain information above is from the 2026 edition.

TMiler and T102 runners, with their early start times, are better off going to bed early the night before.

The mandatory gear check also applies to the T102, so bring all your gear to check-in in one go.

Times are local to Rotorua. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Tarawera River Lodge Motel

GuestHouse · 255m · 4-minute walk

9.3/10(168)

View on Booking.com

Hell's Gate Geothermal Park Ticket with Spa in Rotorua

NZ$117

Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB

About Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run