Car: Auckland to Rotorua - the quick way!

• From the city or the airport, head south (State Highway 1). The main direction initially is Hamilton. S.H. is a four-lane motorway and pretty much the only route out of town in a southern direction, so it's pretty hard to miss. It's also pretty easy to get onto from both the car rental places in Auckland City and from Auckland International Airport. If in doubt, ask the locals for directions.
• Apart from smaller "bumps", S.H. 1 is pretty flat for most of the way out of Auckland. You will pass Manukau City, Takanini, Papakura, Drury and Ramarama exits.
• Eventually, the highway climbs over 1-2 km to an exit for a small town called Bombay. You are now on top of the Bombay Hills - this is what a lot of Aucklanders regard as the last outpost of civilization. It's certainly a good place to stockup on a piece of fruit, refuel, or grab a meal right next to the motorway. The next place with a decent choice is about an hour's drive away.
• At the top of the Bombay Hills, the highway dips briefly for a few hundred metres and then rises again. After that, there is a pretty steep downhill section. Caution: This section is notorious for people banging into the backs of slow trucks - we don't want you to become another casualty. If the weather is any good, you will now see the Waikato Region in front of you, with the Waikato River as its main waterway.
• Just before the bottom of the downhill bit, turn left onto State Highway 2 heading towards Tauranga / Coromandel Peninsula.
• The highway now undulates through the southern leftovers of the Hunua Ranges. After a while, you'll pass a small takeaway restaurant on the left that looks like a castle. This is a good landmark to meet at if you're trying to synchronize with someone else.
• After a while, the highway to Thames and the Coromandel branches off to the left - don't follow it, stay on S.H. 2 and head for Matamata.
• After a short distance, S.H. 2 turns off left and the road towards Matamata becomes S.H. 27. Stay on S.H. 27. After a few km, the landscape will flatten out completely - you're on the Hauraki Plains. The highway is now mostly straight.
• On one or two occasions, you will come to a T-intersection. In both cases, look for a road that continues straight with a little offset, and you will be fine.
• Eventually, you will first come to a small town where you will cross the railway line, and after a few more minutes you will hit Matamata. This is close to where the Hobbiton in "Lord of the Rings" was, and the town has realized that this puts it off the cow pat and onto the map. On the way into town, you will hit a roundabout. Turn left here and cross the railway line, heading toward's Matamata's main street. Just a few metres after the railway crossing, the Hobbiton tourist info & toilets are on your right. The Hobbits have now been replaced by a plethora of tour bus groups. Apart from that, there are a number of eating places along the main street - a good place to grab a quick lunch.
• Continuing on from Matamata, you have two choices. Choice 1, the fastest option, takes you out of Matamata to the east (just follow the main street). The road will then slowly turn into a southerly direction. You'll come through a small hamlet called Te Poi, that has a musical named after it. Ignore any turnoffs towards Tauranga and just head south until you hit the main highway again. Turn left there heading for Rotorua.
• Choice 2 from Matamata is a (minor) detour for some more Kiwiana. Head back to the roundabout on the other side of the railway and turn left (or head straight at the roundabout without crossing the rails when you first come to town). After about 10-15 minutes, you will come to a small town called Tirau. Turn left there, Rotorua is now signposted. Tirau itself is now well known for its corrugated iron sheep- and dog-shaped buildings. Tirau used to be all dead just a few years ago and now is an important stopover point on the way to Rotorua with cafes and the like. It just goes to show how one can revive a place with a little ingenuity! If you are continuing from Tirau, make sure you stay on S.H. 5.
• No matter which route you chose from Matamata, you should now be on State Highway 5 to Rotorua. The highway climbs the Mamaku Ranges, goes through Fitzgerald Glade and eventually drops back down towards Lake Rotorua. You will pass the Agrodome turnoff to your left, a little later you'll turn right at the Ngongotaha turnoff, always heading towards the city of Rotorua.
• About 2 km into town, the road forks between City (to the left) and Taupo (straight). Head left.
• After a minute or so, you will see Kuirau Park on your right (there's likely to be some geothermal steam close to the road here) and the hospital straight ahead on the hill. The conference venue is on the other side of the hill with the hospital, and it's up to you which way you want to go around the hill. Either way should work.

Travelling from/to Rotorua the slow way

The chair's recommendations for travel to/from Rotorua are here.

Bus: Auckland to Rotorua

Air: Auckland to Rotorua