Distance to a LARP venue

Community Larp discussion
#1

How long would you drive to a dedicated larp venue for a weekend event?

  • Approx 3 hours South of Auckland (Rotorua, Tokoroa)
  • 2-2.5 hours South of Auckland (Te Awamutu, Cambridge, Coromandel town, Tauranga)
  • 1.5-2 hours South of Auckland (Te Kauwhata, Huntly, Thames, Pirongia)
  • Approx 1 hour of CBD (greater surburban Auckland : Whangaparoa, Hunua, Huia)
  • 1.5-2 hours North of Auckland (Waipu, Maungatoroto)
  • 2-2.5 hours North of Auckland (Whangarei, Dargaville)
  • Approx 3 hours North of Auckland (North of Kerikeri, Paihia)

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If a dedicated larp venue (such as a castle), were available for weekend (or longer) events, how close does it need to be to Auckland?

Vote for as many options as you see fit.

#2

Little bit of an odd question for me (being in Hamilton, which is really central in comparison to Auckland or even Wellington) but my radius is about 2 - 3 hours drive. But if the larp was awesome enough, I might push it.

#3

Great question! A dedicated venue has a lot of perks and a few limitations, but I think its doable and could benefit the community immensely.

#4

Non-drivers are excluded, I suppose? Since passengers are just sitting there not doing anything while the driver is driving.

#5

Certainly non-drivers should have a say - after all, they’ll still be deciding whether or not to go.

#6

Awesome, thanks. I voted.

#7

Amusing the driver, keeping them entertained is not ‘not doing anything’ it is vital and nice. (Passenger dependant, contents may not amuse as advertised)

:slight_smile:

#8

Does someone have a plan for this? The poll assumes players will be driving from Auckland

#9

I have a very far off plan, and I’m sure others in the community have thought of similar things, particularly Hannah as she started this thread.

I don’t believe this poll necessarily assumes players will be driving from Auckland. I think it assumes the person setting up this hypothetical venture is based in Auckland and hence this will be convenient for them. Wellingtonians and Hamiltonians will as such probably prefer very far south of Auckland or south but near Auckland, I would guess, but Aucklandonians mightn’t mind the direction, just the proximity. If someone were setting this up and were based themselves in Wellington or Hamilton, the question would probably be a different one.

#10

I would be happy with any of those driving distances. But taking the assumption that everything else is equal, the closer it is to Auckland, the more it use it could have for single day events as well. While I would be happy to drive 3 hours for a weekend, for me to make the same trip for a one-day event, it would have to be a pretty compelling day.

#11

Auckland does have a wealth of public parks and cheap venues for one day options, though.

#12

The thing with a venue at a great distance is, dedicated Larpers may travel to it for a larp that they are keen on… but the casual players and crew are not as likely to do so. There are a number of keen players who travel from Wellington to Auckland or vice versa, but few crew do. I think it would be hard to get decent crew numbers for a distant venue. Even having a Teonn game at Piha rather than Green Bay, we saw a big drop in crew numbers. This may not be a problem for a Larp depending on the type of larp that is planned. But it is likely to limit the types of larps that can be run as such a venue.

#13

Thanks to all who made input in this topic.
Brent and I have bought some land at Karangahake Gorge, about 1&3/4 hours south of Auckland, (an easy drive along SH2 across the Hauraki Plains).
We have ideas of building a small castle to larp in and have as a venue for other similar themed events. This will be a couple of years away, but Salient Estate (as we call it) is available now for a wilderness style larp - tenting in rough fields, with some native bush and a bit of gorse. PM me for details.

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#14

Related to Hannah’s post above… very similar is the property of Shae and Codey just south of Thames… probably pretty close actually… is also being developed for larping… and not just for Remnants of Hope.