Have Begun the NZ CoddiWomple

[HSVPhil]

HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen have been planning a bucket-list trip for months, via Hawaii (to snag our 50th BMW state), to now rent BMW F-twins from Te Waipounamu M/C Tours. We landed in Auckland just before New Years, and got to acclimate ourselves around Auckland’s scenic harbor {very nice indeed}. Picked up BMWs on 3Jan; K then decided the F750GS was too tall, so she downsized to a well-used F700GS (which they immediately shod with new tires). This NZ “summer” has been moderate thus far (71F) but very windy with many passing showers {similar to an Irish summer}. The roads & scenery are most comparable to Ireland or Scotland, just with more interesting tropical shrubs & trees. I’m including a few of our accumulated photos to date. Saturday’s rest-day trip took us across SH-11 & 1 to Ahipara from our billet in Paihia (on NW coast & Bay of Islands). The Mangamuka Gorge Scenic Reserve was very reminiscent of The Dragon in NC (US129). So far, so good riding on the wrong side of road. Have a Gr8 New Year & Ciao!
Phil & Karen

 

[HSVPhil]

Cheers to all the MOA wanderers back up yonder! We’ve finished week one on the North Island of NZ; now sitting in the Premium Lounge of the Interislander ferry headed south to Picton [before riding west & south along curvy 2-laned roadways to overnight in Nelson City]. Not many “Expressways” down here but parts of SH-1 north of Auckland was a 4-lane toll road {charged to the M/C Hire folks}. Another section of State Hwy-1 approaching Wellington was Extra-high-speed {110 KPH - usually 100 max!}. Wednesday we stayed in Napier at the very quaint Art Deco Hotel along the main coast road, and then rode X-country to Wellington on Thursday for a brief stay in the Doubletree Hotel. The locals are saying this is an unusually cool summer thus far. We’ve used our Hi-Viz Frogg Toggs as an extra layer of wind protection [because our bikes have hardly any windscreens]. Our rental company secured out ferry tickets and Premium Seating on the slow boat to Picton... Lots of free coffee and delicious snacks included {help yourself}! So far, everyday is a good day while eXploring Down Under! Ciao and Happy New Year all! HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen

 

[HSVPhil]

Enjoyed a two night visit to Nelson City, NZ on Fri/Sat after coming off the Inter-Islander ferry. Stayed at the Rutherford Hotel just on the outskirts of towncenter {a short 5 min walk from all sorts of food & drink & shopping}. Purchased a Deep Space IPL by Hop Federation along the pedestrian walk and bumped into Neil from Birmingham (AL that is) who was riding a rented HD and traveling northward {although he has a GS in AL}. We ate at the 2nd floor Oceana Restaurant in our hotel and split a savory lamb rump roast for two. On our “Rest Day,” we went for an early walk around town, and then rode north&west on a quest to find some lunch and wineries. It took a few tries, but an Indian lunch was had in Motueka, and we located the Neudorf & Gravity Cellars vineyards on our way back to town in the Redwood Valley. Way to go Team-HSV! Sunday finds us near Greymouth up at Nine Mile Beach at the Breakers Boutique B&B. They provided a very nice pizza for supper at 1900 which we devoured in our room overlooking the Tasman Sea. It’s a very nice location [to put it mildly: https://www.breakers.co.nz/ ]. Hope your New Year’s plans come to successful fruition! Ciao, HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen

 

[HSVPhil]

Today’s ADVentures Down Under started with a 10:00 launch from Hanmer Springs; we then headed NE along a very rugged & twisty Hwy-70 before riding north to the coastal community of Kaikōura along the Eastern coast of the South Island. Found a terrific lunch stop at the Slam Club cafe on the tip of the busy north-end of Kaikōura township. Bought some necessary petrol at the nearby CalTex station before heading back south along Rt-1 to the turn-off to Oxford. Weather was cool all day with dashboard readings about 16C (about 61F; no rain at all tho). Found our pre-paid accommodations at the Oxford Village Motel about 16:15 and then wandered across the street to the Black Beech Wine Bar & pizzeria for our Happy Hour/Dinner necessities. Folks were very friendly to a pair of visiting BMW bikers. Most everyone we’ve encountered has been accommodating for us Yanks! Headed west to the Today’s ADVentures Down Under started with a 10:00 launch from Hanmer Springs; we then headed NE along a very rugged & twisty Hwy-70 before riding north to the coastal community of Kaikōura along the Eastern coast of the South Island. Found a terrific lunch stop at the Slam Club cafe on the tip of the busy north-end of Kaikōura township. Bought some necessary petrol at the nearby CalTex station before heading back south along Rt-1 to the turn-off to Oxford. Weather was cool all day with dashboard readings about 16C (about 61F; no rain at all tho). Found our pre-paid accommodations in Oxford about 16:15 and then wandered across the street to the Black Beech Wine Bar & pizzeria for our Happy Hour/Dinner. Folks were very friendly to a pair of visiting BMW bikers. Most everyone we’ve encountered has been accommodating for us Yanks! Headed west to the Scenic Franz Josef Glacier Hotel on Weds all pre-booked by Te Maipounamu M/C Tours. So far; so Good! Not tracking expenditures; it’s all going on the US Visa CC. That said, there are unmanned/automated filling stations here {apd} that do NOT accept US credit cards. Beware for future travelers; just stay aware of your gas-needs and do Not even stop and waste time at un-manned gas stations. Global Banking is Not quite ready for American tourists. Keep working on your New Years’ resolutions, and we will too! Ciao, HSV-Phil & HSV-Karenl on Weds all pre-booked by Te Maipounamu M/C Tours. So far; so Good! Not tracking expenditures; it’s all going on the US Visa CC. That said, there are unmanned/automated filling stations here {apd} that do NOT accept US credit cards. Beware for future travelers; just stay aware of your gas-needs and do Not even stop and waste time at un-manned gas stations. Global Banking is Not quite ready for American tourists. Keep working on your New Years’ resolutions, and we will too! Ciao, HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen

 

[HSVPhil]

So today was a challenging day from Franz Josef to Queenstown because we had to pass the Haast Pass before 12:30 [for interminable PM Road Closures]. Been there, got through there in plenty of time; But there are minor road projects {w/traffic signals} everywhere at this time of their summer. Surprisingly, as we go south from the equator, the temps are increasing! Can’t say why, but we were sweating like Big Dogs in slow traffic when we rolled into Queensland at ~15:30 today (the 16th). Our travels have been everything a motorcyclist would want… Up & down and twists every which way around the many jagged hills and beautiful lakes! And lest I forget, the oh so many “One Lane Bridge” ahead. Traffic both ways must proceed with caution. Just encamped in Queenstown Very Comfortably in the prescribed by Te Waipounamu Motorcycle Tours & Rentals <nzbike@motorcycle-hire.co.nz> “Scenic” Hotel; had a terrific seafood dinner next door to the harbor-front beside Lake Wakatipu! Tomorrow is a designated “rest-day” so we’ll see what percolates to the surface. Ciao, Phil & Karen [out & about in Queenstown, NZ]

 

[HSVPhil]

On our TGIF Rest day in Queenstown, we had a long leisurely walk through town starting around 0920 looking for some breakfast. Settled on Captain’s Restaurant & Bar that offered a good omelet for us to share and an Americano coffee. We then lingered along the waterfront and watched the various tourist boats come and go, as well as the many hang-gliders jumping from the nearby mountaintop ski lodge. Next stop was a long stroll through the public gardens being well-groomed by various workers. Spotted a nice lily pond as well as the Happy Dog statue. One very large granite rock was a tribute to some Antarctic explorers who died around 1912 with a large crop of purple sommerherde {heather?}. Queenstowh is a tourists delight, but like the surrounding hills, there are steep uphill & downhill sidewalks (except town center). But the Kiwis are outgoing adventurers on bicycles & scooters & para-sailing… Another terrific plus for us Yanks is there’s no language barrier and our strong US dollar! Shared a delicious ribeye dinner & drinks at the Speight’s Alehouse tonight for NZ $92 [US $52]. We’re off on the Beemers on Saturday for more crooked roads to Te Anau for two more nights. Our Sunday includes an early ride to Milford Sound and a prebooked ADVenture cruise with Southern Discoveries out through the Fiord before returning to the Te Anau Lodge for dinner! Think Spring for your anticipated ADVentures! Ciao, Phil & Karen

 

[HSVPhil]

I’m falling behind in our travelogue -- T’was a foggy start (15C) on Wednesday’s journey from the Larnach Castle B&B near the Dunedin coast to the Aoraki Court motel in Mount Cook Village where the clear skies and higher terrain brought the temps up to a NZ summer temp of 28C/82F. After the four-course dinner in the castle making new acquaintances from AUS, CH, and UK, Wednesday’s dinner of “warm vegetable salad & Thai beef salad” was a big step back down to Earth. On our way to Mt Cook, we stopped at the New Zealand Alpine Lavender Farm, 657 Mount Cook Rd as oh so many international tourists all do (in buses & vans & cars). Team-HSV shared a cup of subtle, lavender-flavored, vanilla ice cream at a picnic table with necessary shade. The scenery we’ve encountered is as various as much of the US, only NZ is about 2-times bigger than Wisconsin. Seen beaucoup sheep, but that industry is currently in decline due to Asian recessions; the beef industry is also big here too and is on the upswing. Just two more travel days before we turn in the BMWs in Christchurch. We had an easy commute to Lake Tekapo Weds (giving us time to spend exploring Mt Cook trails, except checkout is at 10:00 on Thurs). We had a breezy sidewind coming east over to Lake Tekapo (like in KS)! The view of Mount Cook today was clouded over so I’m glad we stopped for pix on Weds! Ciao, HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen

 

[pauls1150]

Hey Phil, maybe it's too late now, but are you still on the west side of Mt. Hood? If so, you've Just Gotta take the little road to the west, to "Mirror Lake" - beautiful, gorgeous, fantabulous! To get to the "Good" viewpoint, a 1-mile hike is necessary, to get to the opposite side of the lake, but right there is one of the famous "calandar pictures" of Mt. Hood. I just sat there for about an hour, going "wow...."

 

[HSVPhil]

Now that our NZ M/C adventures are over and we’re enjoying a walking “rest day” in Christchurch, I’d be remiss if I didn’t go back several days to 18-Jan and explain what a splendid “2-nighter” that was. We packed up our gear in the parking garage of the Scenic Suites in Queenstown in the morning where there were also two BMW rentals from Paradise Tours by two older British guys riding smaller GS’s like ours. There were also two R1200 GS’s with many global stickers ridden by two Austrians {whom we encountered later along the road to Te Anau}. They are experienced world travelers by the name of Stefan and Michaela who prefer to ship their bikes and then spend many weeks or months away from home {their children look after their farmstead}. Just after noon, we found ourselves buying gas and then eating lunch in the small township of Manapouri where we again encountered the Austrians {and we met them later in town walking to the Fiordland Theater for a 6PM showing of Ata Whenua, Maorian name for Shadowlands area, aka Fiordland}.
https://www.fiordlandcinema.co.nz/ata-whenua-shadowland/

We arrived in Te Anau mid-afternoon with gentle rain showers. We found our pre-booked hotel room in the lodge just on the outskirts of town in a residential area. Sometime ago, it was a catholic convent, and they’ve kept much of the original atmosphere. There’s the confessional box in the main lobby which now serves as a freight elevator big enough for luggage. There’s also the Holy water font at the base of the stairs, and every room has an appropriate Title on the door. We stayed in the Vestry while the neighboring room was the Cathedral Room. We unpacked and decided to take a short ride around town center on my GS. Then the rains became consistent, and we headed back to the room located 15 minutes away when walking. We timed it when we left for dinner and we took in the 5 o’clock showing of Ata Whenua which describes the Fiord character of the many deep fiords as filmed by an enthusiastic helicopter pilot who captured hundreds of hours of footage. We purchased the two tickets and a pint of beer for about $40 and joined many other visitors for the 33 minute showing. The pilot actually built the theater and the Black Dog Pub next door because this is the jumping off point for day trippers to Milford Sound (which was incorrectly named by the early explorers). A V-shaped sound is formed by water and erosion, whereas a deep U-shaped fiord was formed by ancient glaciers moving ice & rock across the land during the many ice ages. So we got pretty wet walking the 1.25K “downtown,” but we saw a good show and enjoyed a hearty dinner pre-booked for 18:30. When we walked back to the lodge, it was still light and the rain had passed by.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milford_Sound

Had to set the alarm to get up after 6:00 so we could have an 7:00 light breakfast downstairs before taking the 2-hr ride up to Milford Sound. Our sailing into the fiord would start at 10:30 but check-in was around 10:00. It was the coldest 74 mile ride of our visit to NZ that morning (11C/52F) as we also had to allow time for the steep, one-way Homer Tunnel managed by timed traffic lights. We got to the end of the road, parked the bikes, locked up our boots and suits and paid an “estimated time” for parking ($10/hr; I allowed 4-hours — 3 would’ve worked}. So many visitors drive their rental cars or come in big coaches, that parking is at a premium so it was good we were among the early drivers & sightseers on the 19th. We boarded the small Southern Discoveries catamaran with maybe 40-50 other passengers including several families on summer holiday. Our skipper was friendly & informative and gave us a very enjoyable tour. He said he hadn’t seen any wandering Bottle-nose dolphins in months so that was extra special for everyone. We also sailed by some relaxed, sun-bathing seals and we later went very close to the 150m tall Stirling Falls so folks down on the bow could “moisturize their faces.” Had a less stressful ride back along the twisty road through narrow canyons, valleys, forests, and fields (elevations: 20’ to 3,030’).

Homer Tunnel - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Add this experience to your list of future ADVentures. We returned our bikes back to Nan Miao at Te Waipounamu Motorcycle Tours Ltd on Saturday without complaints or incidents. He dealt with me via email over many months, and planned our whole route based his own personal experiences over the years. He took over operations just before covid took over the world in 2020. Don’t forget to apply for a visitor’s Visa well before your intended arrival. There’s literally an App for that. We’re off to Adelaide tomorrow for a visit to the Riesling Valley and a different kind of bike experience…
https://www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz/

Get out there and enjoy a BMW ride Somewhere whilst ya still can; that’s what we’re doing!
https://www.australiantraveller.com/sa/clare-valley/riesling-trail-clare-valley/

Happy Trails whenever U can - Ciao from Christchurch where it’s 64F @9PM!
HSV-Phil --- & --- HSV-Karen
USAF-Ret'd — & — USN-Ret’d
'75 R90S ——-—— '82 R100CS
'14 K16GT ———— '16 R1200RS
’09 KLX250S ——— ’88 R100RT
’05 Vespa 200L -—-- ’11 Vespa GTS 300
President of MOA CC-05: mailto: president@bmwmoal.org
Airmarshal of CC-214

 

[HSVPhil]

Left the “quaint” old dusty township of Auburn this morning & back to the big city of Adelaide in the rental car. Stopped on our way in the Fabulous beach resort of Glenelg (just by chance) for a place to visit the ocean shore and eat some lunch. Karen picked an inviting two-story restaurant open to the public. It’s actually a member of the Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) with a storied history of many ocean rescues & competition along this southern Australian beach front. I enjoyed a Pirate Life Pale Ale and shrimp & rice, as well the pleasant view overlooking the southern coast. We then headed back into town on the busy ANZAC Hwy, filled up the rented Corolla with 20 liters of petrol and wended our way into the city center. We got ourselves checked into the Indigo Hotel that I reserved many months ago {a fancy IHG-Holiday Inn}, and then moved the car into a large parking garage on the north side of China Town (about a 6-minute walk away if you know where you’re going through the one-way streets)… We later wandered north from town center to investigate the large public spaces near the Convention Center, just south of the meandering Torrens River. Opposite was the gigantic Adelaide Strikers Cricket Stadium as a variety of racing shells practiced their synchronization up & down the river. After hiking back into town, we stopped for a quick pint of refreshing Stone Wood Pacific Ale at the upstairs Tattersalls Pub. We chose to return to the Indigo Hotel and ate a tasty dinner just beside the check-in desk in the lobby of the hotel {everyday is another introduction to life Down Under}. P had a mildly seasoned pork loin and K had a toasty Duck Leg Confit sharing a tossed green salad. A tasty dinner after 14K steps around the wonderful city. We’ll see what tomorrow brings before returning to Rocket City via Dallas TX. Think Spring everyone. Ciao, HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen 🗺+🏍++:=&
>>> https://sls.com.au/ <<<
>>> https://harrysongrenfell.com.au/functions/the-tattersalls/ <<<

 

[HSVPhil]

Just to Conclude our NZ CoddiWomple story:
I’m pleased to summarize that Team-HSV arrived home in one piece on Jan 31st and that all ist gut back in Sweet Home Alabama {‘sept for the dead car battery}. We thoroughly enjoyed our M/C tour Down Under with the significant help of Nan Miao of Te Waipounamu Motorcycle Tours out of Christchurch, NZ. Nan operates the M/C rental company and he took very good care of us by selecting our itinerary and our many hotel stops for my dream M/C journey over 23 nights. Here’s the gist of our visit: Arrived in Auckland a couple of days early to acclimate & explore on foot before taking possession of my F850GS; Karen requested to swap from a standard F750GS to a more aged but lower F700GS. Nites 2&3: in Paihia and the Bay of Islands. Nite 4 was the Warkworth Lodge. Nite 5 was in Coromandel up on the scenic peninsula. Nite 6 we visited Rotorua City. Nite 7 found us in downtown Napier on the east coast. Nite 8 was a short stay in Wellington and a very early premier ferry sailing to the South Island. Nites 9&10 was a respite in Nelson City where we relaxed some while it actually rained heavily over night. We went for a short spin on my GS on the 11th to find two respectable wineries nearby with some light showers… Nite 11 was spent in a deluxe B&B overlooking the Tasman Sea north of Greymouth. Nite 12 was at the Hanmer Springs Resort where Karen acquired a new blue wool & possum hair sweater. Nite 13 was spent in the quiet town of Oxford, where we enjoyed Happy Hour & dinner at the Black Beech wine bar and pizzeria. Nite 14 found us wandering around Franz Josef Glacier. Nites 15&16 found exploring scenic Queenstown. Nites 17&18 were enjoyed in Te Anau & with a tour-boat ride at Richmond Sound. Nite 19 was in Invercargill with a visit to the Classic M/C Mecca Museum - Home of the World’s Fastest Indian exhibit. Nite 20 was comfortably spent at the Larnach Castle B&B with a 4-course dinner in the large dining room with a friendly group of international visitors. Nite 21 had us visiting the small Mount Cook Village. Nite 22 found us not far away at Lake Tekapo Grand Suites, and we turned in our BMWs on Friday afternoon of 24th spending two nights in Christchurch. Can’t thank Nan enough for the tour sites he chose for two wandering former GI's. He saved me a lot of time for a splendid Bucket List Tour of New Zealand.
https://www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz

I/we then decided to fly over to Adelaide and spend six days exploring the Clare Valley Riesling Valley Wine Rail-trail. I didn’t do nearly as good of a job at this part of the vacation {as Nan}, but we still had fun tasting wines, eating good food, and experiencing the good life Down Under.

Still adjusting to life in the Real World; had to add air to all of our many vehicle tires, and deal with a dead battery on the 7-year old Honda. Gotta balance the checkbooks and pay some new or old bills! Our next getaway will literally be to the Fontana Lodge for the MOA Getaway in April. Happy Trails everyone as we continue our 2025 journeys.

Ciao, HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen [Alabama Airmarshal of CC-214]
USAF-Ret'd - & - USN-Ret’d
'75 R90S ——-—— '82 R100CS
'14 K16GT ———— '16 R1200RS
’09 KLX250S ——— ’88 R100RT
’05 Vespa 200L -—-- ’11 Vespa GTS 300
President of MOA CC-05: mail-to: president@bmwmoal.org

 

[orygonman]

HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen have been planning a bucket-list trip for months, via Hawaii (to snag our 50th BMW state), to now rent BMW F-twins from Te Waipounamu M/C Tours. We landed in Auckland just before New Years, and got to acclimate ourselves around Auckland’s scenic harbor {very nice indeed}. Picked up BMWs on 3Jan; K then decided the F750GS was too tall, so she downsized to a well-used F700GS (which they immediately shod with new tires). This NZ “summer” has been moderate thus far (71F) but very windy with many passing showers {similar to an Irish summer}. The roads & scenery are most comparable to Ireland or Scotland, just with more interesting tropical shrubs & trees. I’m including a few of our accumulated photos to date. Saturday’s rest-day trip took us across SH-11 & 1 to Ahipara from our billet in Paihia (on NW coast & Bay of Islands). The Mangamuka Gorge Scenic Reserve was very reminiscent of The Dragon in NC (US129). So far, so good riding on the wrong side of road. Have a Gr8 New Year & Ciao!
Phil & Karen

Thanks for sharing this trip Phil. We did a similar trip back in 2017 and loved every minute of it. Brought back many good memories. Would love to do that again. Cheers

 

[HSVPhil]

I/we’ve been summarizing our NZ-Aus trip into a pdf {with pics & hyperlinks}. Should U be interested for your own curiosity, I’m available at the other end of an eMail: president@bmwmoal.org The latest version is 39.5 MB in medium resolution, and it’s now being finalized at this mid-March timeframe.

I put some 5,245 km on my F850GS in NZ [3,278 mi]. "They" said their summer was unusually cool, and we encountered many Irish Mist days. Not at all horrible; just a wee bit annoying at times. For our trip in 2025, it simply wasn’t what we had anticipated for their summer & our winter excursion. We’d do it again anytime, but we're now planning new excursions to execute in 2026.

Ciao! HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen
Current leaders of the AlaBeemers and the AL Airheads

 

[HSVPhil]

Yoh, jus sayin, we crossed paths with Nan at the MOA Rally this past weekend.

Since the new owner of Te Waipounamu Tours is Chinese, it only makes sense that he has produced a tour called “Wild West China” for a limited few BMW riders. I have a card describing the Aug-31 to Sept-11, 2025 journey {so I’m telling y’all if U might care.}

Nan {who lives in China half of the year} bought the company, Te Waipounamu M/C Tours, just before Covid shut everything down. Apparently, he is now also involved with (100% asphalt) ADVentures in China [ 31Aug-11Sep ] during summer in the northern hemisphere. His handout shows a 1,600 mile loop: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Yueliangshi, Bingzhongluo, Deqin, Shangri-La, Yading, Lugu Lake, Dali, back to Kunming. So many roads; so little time! Do investigate if interested....

IT ALSO SAYS: WhatsApp: +64 210 709 348
or for info write: nzbike@motorcycle-hire.co.nz

Our budget & schedule precludes us from participating in such a grand ADVenture... but U can Go 4 It!

Ciao, HSV-Phil & HSV-Karen [Alabama Airmarshal of CC-214]
USAF-Ret'd - & - USN-Ret’d
'75 R90S ——-—— '82 R100CS
'14 K16GT ———— '16 R1200RS
’09 KLX250S ——— ’88 R100RT
’05 Vespa 200L -—-- ’11 Vespa GTS 300
President of MOA CC-05: mail-to: president@bmwmoal.org