Ride New Zealand?

I want to plan a motorcycle vacation and am thinking of taking it in New Zealand. I'd like to hear some feedback from others who have done this. Especially recomendations of tour companies and the best time of year to go. Thanks.

We did a tour there over Christmas and New years 2001/2002. It was great! We used http://www.gotournz.com/ for everything except the flight. Arranged the entire trip online. It was a 10-day self-guided tour. They set up the route, provided maps, arranged lodging (abd even some dinner reservations). The only thing I would have done differently is to stay longer - 2 weeks at least. Any other questions - let me know!

Tom Drew

Mary and I set it up ourselves, and rented from Te Waipounamu. (In spite of all the net hits, you'll find there are actually only three rental agencies!) They do the same first-rate job others do; nice folks.

To plan for yourself, get a copy of Great Escapes - Motorcycle Touring in New Zealand by Peter Mitchell. It discusses the roads and destinations and will give you an excellent view of where to go. (Mitchell and his wife run a nice B&B in Dunedin, too.)

It was a wonderful trip for us. We rode only the South Island, and took 11 days. It wasn't quite long enough...but I suspect that if we'd been there for two months we'd say the same. Other than the Kiwis' predilection for putting beets on hamburgers, the food was excellent.

spinner said:

I want to plan a motorcycle vacation and am thinking of taking it in New Zealand. I'd like to hear some feedback from others who have done this. Especially recomendations of tour companies and the best time of year to go. Thanks.

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Deb Lower went this year, I think it was New Zealand. Maybe she will answer this when she gets back from Germany.

In the winter of 2002, I went with a group of friends on an Edelweiss tour. While that was ok, I doubt I'd do it again. It was far from their home base, they were renting bikes from one of the big 3 bike rental agencies themselves, and the reservations got screwed up one night. Besides, what's the challenge when travelling in a (mostly) English speaking country? ;-)

That said, NZ is a gorgeous place. It's also very long, and I found that 2.5 weeks wasn't long enough to see it. The north island is more populated, but even Aukland, the biggest city by far, didn't feel a bit crowded to this native Angelino. What I really liked was even the touristy places weren't so touristy that I was turned off.

We did a "farm stay" one night near Nelson on the south island, and that was definitely fun. Of course, we got to see a sheep sheared, but more interesting was that the family made their real money growing calla lillies and shipping them all over SE Asia.

The Kiwis are nuts for vintage vehicles, and you'll probably see a number of vintage cars out on the roads, in apparent everyday use. Because they're so far from everywhere else, they have to make what they have last.

Finally, a recommendation: if you're a bit flush and in Christchurch, I highly recommend the Hadleigh House B&B. Each room is a suite, the house is built from local woods in the Edwardian style, the gardens are lush, and the owner is a privateer Porsche racer. Also, it's a pleasant 10 minute walk to downtown.

Here's seconds for the Hadleigh House - Mary and I stayed there, at Darryl's recommendation, and it was wonderful. Plus, we'd arranged to stay there for the first two nights in NZ and the last as well, and the Warrings cheerfully kept all our non-bike gear (we'd come from two weeks with family in Australia) in a closet while we were on the road.