Teretonga Park
Teretonga Park at a glance
- Location
- Invercargill, Southland
- Type
- road course
- Length
- 2.57 km (1.597 mi)
- Turns
- 7
- Direction
- counter-clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 1957
- Owner
- Southland Sports Car Club
- Address
- 86 Sandy Point Road, Otatara
- Phone
- +64 3 213 0522
- Website
- teretonga.org.nz
Track map and layout
Teretonga is a flat, 2.570-kilometre, seven-turn road course cut into farmland at Otatara, on the western edge of Invercargill, and it runs counter-clockwise. Built in 1957 and extended to its current shape in 1966, the lap is short and fast for its length, built around an 800-metre main straight leading into a mix of quick sweepers with little run-off. Its coastal position exposes the circuit to a strong sea breeze that shifts through a race weekend, forcing drivers and teams into constant gearbox and setup changes - a characteristic locals rate as one of Teretonga's biggest challenges. There is no long-form alternative layout in current use; club and national events alike run the full circuit. Teretonga is also known for a geographic claim to fame: it is widely described as the world's southernmost purpose-built, FIA-graded permanent motor racing circuit.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix Circuit | 2.57 km | The circuit's only layout in current use, 7 turns |
Events and race weekends
Teretonga's season runs roughly September to March. Late January usually brings the Southland round of the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy, featuring overseas single-seater drivers, followed by the Ascot Park Hotel Classic SpeedFest in February - a large historic motorsport festival with vintage racers and Formula Junior cars - and the Southern Thunder weekend in March, headlined by NZ Super Trucks and NZ Mainland Muscle Cars. The Southland Sports Car Club runs a full club racing calendar of clubman saloons, small formula cars and motorcycles most weekends in season, and the circuit hosted the D1NZ National Drifting Championship's Invercargill rounds in November 2025, its first visit to the Deep South.
| Event | Series | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy - Southland round | Formula Regional Oceania | January | Not held at Teretonga in every season; check the current calendar |
| Ascot Park Hotel Classic SpeedFest | Historic and classic racing | February | Vintage race cars and Formula Junior |
| Southern Thunder | NZ Super Trucks / NZ Mainland Muscle Cars | March | Multi-category club and national meeting |
| D1NZ National Drifting Championship - Invercargill rounds | D1NZ | November | First held at Teretonga in 2025 |
Getting there and parking
Teretonga sits about 8 km west of central Invercargill via Otatara, on the southern tip of the South Island. Invercargill Airport is the closest gateway, only a few minutes from the city and roughly a 15-20 minute drive from the circuit gates, making Teretonga one of the more accessible far-flung circuits in New Zealand despite its remote location.
- Invercargill Airport (IVC) · about 20 min drive
Pack for wind regardless of season - the circuit's coastal exposure means conditions can change quickly through a race day.
Hotels and camping near Teretonga Park
There is no on-site accommodation or camping at Teretonga itself, so visitors base themselves in Invercargill, about 15-20 minutes away, which has the region's widest range of motels, hotels and holiday parks and is the practical choice for almost every visitor. Being New Zealand's southernmost city of any size, Invercargill's accommodation is not as extensive as in Christchurch or Queenstown, so booking ahead matters more for the circuit's bigger dates such as the Formula Regional Oceania round and the D1NZ drift weekend.
Where to look
Invercargill city (widest range of motels and hotels, 15-20 minutes from the circuit) - book early for the circuit's biggest race weekends given the city's more limited room stock.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
Teretonga is used for organised driver training and track day-style events rather than a casual open-pitlane format for the general public. The National Advanced Drivers School (NADS) runs advanced driving courses at the circuit, and non-competitive Track Cruise sessions - lunchtime and evening laps in any roadworthy car - have been run alongside major events such as the D1NZ drift rounds. The Southland Sports Car Club also uses the venue for club-level circuit racing and driver training through the season.
Who runs days here
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula Holden | 0:51.206 | Greg Murphy | Reynard 92D | 1998 |
| Toyota Racing Series | 0:53.109 | Lance Stroll | Tatuus FT-50 | 2015 |
| Formula Regional Oceania | 0:53.660 | Ugo Ugochukwu | Tatuus FT-60 | 2026 |
Spectator guide
Teretonga's short lap and flat site mean spectators standing along the main straight or the outer bends can see a large share of the circuit at once. There are no large permanent grandstands in the style of the North Island's major venues; viewing is mostly from grass banks and trackside areas managed by the Southland Sports Car Club for each event. Southland's climate is famously changeable and windy even in summer, so layers and wet-weather gear are worth packing regardless of the forecast.
Best places to watch
The outside of the fast sweepers and the run down the main straight give the clearest combination of speed and passing action.
Weather
- Jan-Mar: Southland summer/early autumn: mild but changeable, with a persistent coastal breeze that can turn to strong wind
History of Teretonga Park
New Zealand's southernmost track
Teretonga Park opened in November 1957 on farmland at Otatara, just outside Invercargill, becoming only the second purpose-built motor racing circuit in New Zealand. Its original eight-turn, 2.414 km layout was extended and reconfigured in 1966 into the seven-turn, 2.570 km circuit still used today, built around the long main straight that gives the lap its distinctive high-speed character despite its short length.
Tasman Series glory days
From 1964 to 1975 Teretonga was a fixture of the Tasman Series, the trans-Tasman single-seater championship that drew some of the biggest names in world motor racing to New Zealand and Australia each summer, including Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Bruce McLaren. That era cemented the circuit's reputation well beyond Southland and gave it a genuine claim to international motorsport history despite its remote location at the bottom of the South Island.
Grand Prix host and modern era
Teretonga hosted the New Zealand Grand Prix itself across several editions in the 2000s, and has been a regular stop for national single-seater racing since, including rounds of the Toyota Racing Series and its successor, the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy. The circuit is widely described as the world's southernmost FIA-graded permanent motor racing circuit, a title it held outright until a new circuit opened further south in Patagonia, Argentina, after 2023 - Teretonga remains New Zealand's southernmost circuit and one of the very few anywhere near this latitude.
Present day
Run today by the Southland Sports Car Club, Teretonga carries a full club and national calendar from spring through to autumn, headlined by the Ascot Park Hotel Classic SpeedFest, the Southern Thunder truck and muscle car weekend, and - since November 2025 - rounds of the D1NZ National Drifting Championship, which brought its biggest-ever field to the Deep South for the circuit's first taste of national drift competition.
Frequently asked questions
Is Teretonga Park really the southernmost race track in the world?+
It was the world's southernmost FIA-graded permanent motor racing circuit for decades and is still described that way in most motorsport references. A newer circuit built in Patagonia, Argentina, sits further south, so Teretonga is now New Zealand's southernmost circuit rather than the world's outright southernmost.
How long is Teretonga Park?+
The Grand Prix Circuit is 2.570 km (1.597 mi) long with 7 turns and runs counter-clockwise. There is no separate short configuration in current use.
Can the public drive Teretonga Park?+
There is no casual open-pitlane track day for members of the public; access is mainly through organised driver training with the National Advanced Drivers School or non-competitive Track Cruise sessions run alongside major events.
Where do visitors stay near Teretonga Park?+
Invercargill, about 15-20 minutes away, has the region's widest range of motels and hotels and is the practical base - there is no on-site accommodation or camping at the circuit.
Has Teretonga Park hosted the New Zealand Grand Prix?+
Yes, the circuit hosted the New Zealand Grand Prix across several editions in the 2000s, part of a long history of national single-seater racing at the venue dating back to the Tasman Series of the 1960s and 1970s.
What is the lap record at Teretonga Park?+
The outright race lap record is 0:51.206, set by Greg Murphy in a Reynard 92D Formula Holden car in 1998.
Other tracks nearby
- Highlands Motorsport Park · 169 km · road course
- Timaru International Motor Raceway · 331 km · road course
- Euromarque Motorsport Park, Ruapuna · 463 km · road course
- Levin Motor Racing Circuit · 858 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Manfeild: Circuit Chris Amon · 907 km · road course
- Cemetery Circuit, Whanganui · 908 km · street circuit
Facts checked against 7 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.