ROUND THE BAYS 101
While we enjoy getting amongst the fun, we also pride ourselves on our operations and your health and safety, so please familiarise yourself with the important info below so you can get the best out of your day.
Event schedule
SAVE THE DATE! SUNDAY 3 MARCH 2024
6.45am: First free event shuttles leave from The Parade, Vellenoweth Green in St Heliers (finish area) and head to the start line - running continuously until 8.30am
7.00am: First free event shuttles leave from Melanesia Road, Madills Farm (hospitality site area) and head to the start line - running continuously until 8.30am
7:30am: Bag drop opens at start line
8.00am: Entertainment and formalities start at the start area on Quay Street
8.30am: Last shuttle from Vellenoweth Green to the start line - don’t miss this one or you may miss the run!
8.30am - 9.00am: Charity cheque presentation and the group warm up at the start area.
9.15am: Starting time for the first wave (Elite Wheelchair, Elite Runners & Runners)
9.30am: Starting time for the second wave (Joggers)
9.45am: Starting time for the third and final wave (Walkers, Strollers and Mobility Aid Users)
10.00am - 12.30pm: After-party on Vellenoweth Green kicks off! We’ve got live music, food vendors and a whole bunch of freebies to giveaway. Stick around, soak up the good vibes and celebrate completing #RTB24
10.30am: First free event shuttle from Long Drive (2 min walk from the finish area) leaves to head back to Britomart - running continuously until 2.15pm.
11.00am - 1.00pm: If you're part of a team that purchased a Hospitality Package, this one's for you! After checking out the public after-party on Vellenoweth Green, follow the Fan Trail to Madills Farm and your hospo site, a short 10 minutes from the finish area.
11.30am: First free event shuttle from Melanesia Road (Madills Farm) leaves to head back to Britomart - running continuously until 2.15pm
12.15pm: All participants must have crossed the finish line! Head down to the finish line to cheer on the last of your peers
2.15pm: Last shuttle from Long Drive and Melanesia Road (Madills Farm) back to Britomart
2.30pm: Round the Bays is over for another year! We will see you in 2025!
Start details
When you arrive at the starting zone on Quay St, you’ll find dedicated start areas and start wave times for each group, so please look for the appropriate colour signs corresponding to your bib.
Groups will be released in waves as follows:
To avoid crowd congestion, we’ll be releasing each start group at a different wave time, so please be patient when the first starting gun goes off, as starting guns will be staggered for the different starting groups.
And remember, after your wave starts, there is no need to rush! Your individual start time doesn’t begin until you cross the mats at the start line.
Entries
Join us along Tāmaki Drive in Auckland on Sunday 3 March 2024, or virtually from wherever you are in Aotearoa or the world.
Take part as an individual, with your friends, whānau, colleagues or as part of a team.
Free public transport!
Thanks to our mates at Auckland Transport, you can take advantage of free travel on scheduled bus and train services to and from the event. Simply show your race bib when you board!
Conditions apply. Offer excludes ferry services and applies for travel on Sunday 3 March 2024 from start of timetabled services until 5pm.
Course
Get your daily dose of vitamin sea by experiencing 8.4km of breathtaking NZ coastline with the Hauraki Gulf showcasing the best Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland has to offer. The course is flat as a pancake - and just as pretty, meaning the course is achievable for all abilities.
The start line is located in downtown Auckland on Quay St beside Spark Arena. We then sweep through the bays along Tamaki Drive, finishing in St Heliers Bay. Once you cross the finish line you’ll be gifted with a shiny finisher’s medal - a real collectable!
Getting your bib
*No bibs will be mailed. ALL bibs (excluding Virtual entries) must be picked up from Bib Collection.
Bib Collection location
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, 181 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven Marina, Auckland 1011.
Bib Collection Opening Hours
Thursday 29 February - 12.00pm to 7.00pm (corporate teams only)
Friday 1 March - 8.00am - 7.00pm (all participants)
Saturday 2 March - 8.00am - 4.00pm (all participants)
Parking
There is limited parking available close to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
Team bibs
You can collect your team members’ bibs and timing tags. Simply download your Team List from your team's my.roundthebays.co.nz Event Dashboard and bring that with you. Remember to let your team members know that you are collecting their bibs for them!
Round the Bays Virtual
You don’t need a bib if you’re taking part in Round the Bays Virtual as the handy app will track your time and publish your official result.
Temporary Road Closures and Parking Restrictions
There will be several temporary road closures and parking restrictions during the event. To avoid any delays, we highly recommend that you plan your travel accordingly and allow for extra time.
Free event shuttles
As well as free transport on AT buses & trains, we’ll be running free event shuttles between the start and finish areas - simply show your bib to the event staff at the pick up zone for your free ride.
Pre-event shuttles
From The Parade (Vellenoweth Green) to Commerce Street (start line): 6.45am - 8.30am
From Melanesia Road (Madills Farm) to Commerce Street (start line): 7am - 8.30am
During and post-event shuttles
From Long Drive to Britomart: 10.30am - 2.15pm
From Melanesia Road (Madills Farm) to Britomart: 11.30am - 2.15pm
Please note there will be wait times at peak periods, so don’t rush. Sit back, enjoy a drink, some food and soak up the entertainment, you will have earned it!
Get your finish line photo
Want to see your smile and high-fives with your friends and fam as you cross the finish line?
This year we've teamed up with MarathonPhotos.Live to capture participants smiling and high-fiving as they cross the finish line, and photos will be available online within seconds of being taken!
Yeahs & Nahs
Yeahs
We’re not the fun police, but…
Adults, please be responsible and supervise children at all times. If they manage to slip through the cracks, please head to the Lost Kids tent at Vellenoweth Green or speak to the nearest course marshal.
We are prepared for accidents. St John is located at the start area, along the course near the water stations and at the finish area.
There are plenty of water stations at the start area, along the course and a Pump station at the finish line. Please use the recycling bins provided.
For all those emergency stops, portable toilets are located close to the start and finish areas and at locations along the course.
Look after yourself and others. Keep an eye out for uneven surfaces including cracks, potholes and bumps, and if you come across an injured person, stop and give assistance, then inform a course marshal at the next checkpoint.
Participants must obey the instructions of police and course marshals. Although all roads on the course are closed to traffic, please watch for the presence of vehicles along the route, crossing your path, from behind and in front, at all times
Nahs
There aren’t too many ‘No’s’ so we appreciate your co-operation in following the few below
No pets, bicycles, scooters, skates, skateboards or roller blades are permitted
No poles or sharp objects
No drones
If you’re not feeling well on the day or have tested positive for COVID-19, please do the right thing and stay at home.
Timing
We are a fun run and don’t take ourselves too seriously, but if you’re a Harry Hard-out or trying to smash a fitness goal, we do provide a state-of-the-art timing service.
Please ensure you wear your race number on the front of your shirt with nothing covering it, this allows our marshals not to have any awkward conversations!
There is no need to rush and create a stampede after the starting gun as your time only begins recording when you cross the start mats at the start line. Please do not jostle and push – take your time and soak up the good vibes.
There will be multiple start group waves, each with their own start time, so don’t jump the gun and try to go with an earlier wave.
Please help us out by not taking a selfie under the finishing arch, keep moving, your well-deserved medal and refreshing water awaits!
Enjoy the after-party atmosphere and don’t sweat. Timing results will be posted on our website within a few hours of the event.
Teams
Could your team be a workplace looking to bond? A fitness club looking to dive into an event together? Or are you a group of people wanting to make a difference by fundraising for a cause close to you all? Whether you run with your mates, colleagues or family, it’s time to start rallying the troops and join the 1,300 other teams taking part in NZ’s largest fun run!
Even if you don't have your group together yet, you can still begin to create your team and enter yourself, then encourage others to join. If you’re an organiser looking to put together a team but not participate yourself, that’s no worries, you can do that too!
Hospo Packages
Get in the Zone with one of our four after-party Hospitality Packages. The sites will be set up within 4 fun Zones which have the same names as our Hospo Packages - Rā, Maunga, Moana and Whenua.
All hospitality sites are set up on Madills Farm, short 10-minute walk from the finish area at Vellenoweth Green, see our zone map here.
Packages range from the ‘DIY’ package at $500 to the ‘We have you covered’ package at $2500. We even have your catering sorted with food packages you can pre-order and have delivered to your site! Be the team hero and secure your after-party package today.
Doing our bit
Sustainability is a big ‘yeah’ for us at Southern Cross Round the Bays. We're committed to reducing our environmental footprint and only work with sponsors and partners who see sustainability as a key priority.
Check our sustainability page and see why we have an award-winning waste management process.