Travel to Rama
To learn more about the festival
and why you should definitely come over - see Aussies to Rama
We’ve made travelling to and staying at the festival an easy process for you adventurous peeps - see below for a simple guide to getting to site, camping gear and accommodation options + travel tips as a foreigner!
Where is Matakanarama?
Matakanarama takes place in Leigh, just over an hour north of Auckland City. Easily accessible from the urban spaces, yet nestled in a unique slice of Kiwi paradise near some of Aotearoa’s most beautiful beaches.
We met some epic Aussies at Lost Village Festival in the UK, who ended up coming over to party and perform.
2025 brought public access, 1500 people, a stage built amongst the trees, and a deep selection of live and electronic excellence from NZ and abroad.
Meeting some more absolute legends at Pitch & Strawberry Fields festivals that year, we had friends (and relative strangers) from the UK, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide fly over to party their butts off and make heaps of new Kiwi friends. Elliot, who we met at random outside the Pizza truck at Pitch, played a huge role as The Gamesmaster – injecting the festival with its most unique, playful quality.
Now in 2026, we’re putting on a party worthy of an international invitation, and making the pathway to your NZ New Year’s easy as!
Airport & Auckland CBD travel
If you’re planning on flying into Auckland and heading straight to the festival,
there’s two easy routes from the Airport to the CBD.
Bus + Train Route | Airport ➜ CBD
Once you leave the airport, follow the signs to the AirportLink bus stop
→ Catch the AirportLink bus (Route 38) to Puhinui Station.
Get off at Puhinui Station and transfer to either the Southern Line or Eastern Line train heading towards the city
→ Stay on the train until you reach Britomart.
After a 45-60 minute travel time, you can then walk 20 minutes to 90 Wellesley Street West,
where our shuttles to Matakanarama will depart from on the 29th, 30th & 31st December.
The total public transport fare is around $6.50 NZD
SKYDRIVE Route | Airport ➜ CBD
A no-stops shuttle service from the Airport to the CBD, between 35 - 55 minutes of travel time.
The service runs every half hour, 7 days a week.
SKYDRIVE drops you off just a 5-minute walk from our CBD to Matakanarama bus departure location -
90 Wellesley Street West.
Click here for Skydrive Airport Express tickets
Travel Options | Shuttles & Car Hire
If you’re planning on flying into Auckland and heading straight to the festival,
there’s two easy routes from the Airport to the CBD.
Auckland CBD to Matakanarama Shuttle
Your next step from the airport, and an accessible central location for those of you staying somewhere in the city prior to the festival, your direct route to site is covered with our bus runs:
Return Buses | Auckland CBD ➜ Festival Site
Pick Up & Drop: 90 Wellesley Street West, Auckland CBD
Auckland CBD to Matakanarama Festival Site
Departure Time | 29th December 2026
8:30am
10:00am
5:00pm
Matakanarama Festival Site To Auckland CBD
Departure Time | 1st January 2027
9:00am
12:30pm
12:30pm
Hiring a Vehicle
If you’re planning to travel around the country after the festival with all your new Kiwi friends, you might want to hire a vehicle so you can continue your travels north or south immediately following a glorious New Year’s celebration with us.
Outside our main cities the public transport is pretty limited. Intercity buses are an option but often are hard to book at this time of year & can cost a pretty penny. Renting a car or camper is probably your best bet if you're planning on extending your stay.
Accommodation Options
Accommodation Options
We recognise that bringing over your own tent, mattress and sleeping bag on the plane over is an unrealistic proposition for many. So, we’ve pre-prepared options for you to simply buy a pre-pitched tent hire packages, or go boujee with a glamping package.
Check out our accommodation options
Travel Tips
Travel tips from the locals
First and foremost – our experiences at festivals in NZ and abroad have taught us that new friends you meet along the way are one of the best parts of the whole experience.
As a foreign traveller, we understand the unknowns that exist when you may not know any locals and what the norms are. Sorting festival necessities & gear can also be a struggle without some shared knowledge and camaraderie from fellow adventurers.
That’s why we’ve put together some travel tips to help you out!
Join the Matakanarama travellers whatsApp group!
Meet likeminded people and sort rides, tripes to the festival and beyond in our WhatsApp chat. To get access to the group please DM us on Instagram or email us at support@matakanarama.co.nz to be sent the link to join.
Volunteer at Matakanarama!
Earn yourself a free ticket and mingle with groups of our legendary crew! Sign up to volunteer here. Note that volunteers arrive on 28th December (a day before the festival) – we are offering a bus route to the festival for volunteers and travellers that arrives the night prior – send us an email at support@matakanarama.co.nz or DM us on Instagram for access.
Sort your camping and outdoor gear
Need camping, hiking or outdoor gear for your festival stay and holidaying? Land & Sea have kindly offered Matakanarama travellers 15% off almost everything on their website.
Use code RAMA15 when you shop online.
It gets cold at night & all weather is possible!
Though it’s a stunning place, our weather often has a mind of its own. This means pack for all weather conditions, and bring your cosy night-time dancefloor attire.
Passport as ID
Depending on the establishment, sometimes overseas driver’s licences may not be accepted. Carry your passport with you.
Our public transport has gaps
Outside our main cities the public transport is pretty limited. Intercity busses are an option but often are hard to book at this time of year & can cost a pretty penny. Renting a car or camper is probably your best bet if you’re planning on extending your stay.