New Zealand Silver Fern Rally
27 November - 4 December 2026 · Rotorua, New Zealand
Eight days of classic gravel endurance across the North Island, starting and finishing in Rotorua. The season finale, and a return to New Zealand after the 2025 Targa title.
About the New Zealand Silver Fern Rally
The New Zealand Silver Fern Rally is a multi-day historic and classic marathon rally run on gravel, closed-road special stages across New Zealand's North Island, starting and finishing in Rotorua. It covers roughly 1,050 km of competitive stages within a total route of around 2,700 km over about seven days, and is organised by the Ultimate Rally Group under the sanction of MotorSport New Zealand. A standalone event rather than a championship round, its modern historic-focused revival has been held biennially since 2006, with the 2026 running scheduled for 27 November to 4 December.
- Organiser
- Ultimate Rally Group (URG)
- Base
- Rotorua
- Surface
- Gravel
- Format: Multi-day marathon rally run over seven days (some sources say up to eight). Around 1,050 km of competitive closed-road special stages (sources quote 1,000-1,054 km) within a total route of roughly 2,700 km including touring. Exact…
- Terrain: Gravel — closed-road special stages. North Island terrain: Rotorua's gravel hinterland, King Country (Waitomo), the East Coast leg to Gisborne, Hawke's Bay gravel, and the Central Plateau (Ohakune) forest and farmland roads
- History: The original Silver Fern Rally dates to 1969 (an early NZ 'round-the-Island'-style marathon; one NZ source cites a 1971 Canterbury Car Club running with 67 entries). The modern historic-focused revival has been held every two years…
- Notable: Regarded as one of the world's great gravel special-stage marathons — historic rally enthusiasts rank it alongside the East African Safari Rally as a 'must-do' event. Attracts classic/period machinery (Ford Escorts, AE86s, RX-series, BMW…
Entries & entry list
The New Zealand Silver Fern Rally 2026 entry list is published by the organisers in the lead-up to the event — check the official event page for entries, event documents and spectator info. We'll be on it — our result, stage times and full recap land on this page after the event.
New Zealand Silver Fern Rally 2026 — FAQ
- When is the New Zealand Silver Fern Rally 2026?
- The New Zealand Silver Fern Rally runs 27 November - 4 December 2026, based in Rotorua.
- Where is the New Zealand Silver Fern Rally held?
- It's based in Rotorua. Gravel — closed-road special stages.
- Is spectating free at the New Zealand Silver Fern Rally?
- Yes — spectating is free at the public spectator points. Check the official event page for spectator locations, timings and safety info.