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New Zealand Motorcycle Travel Stories

To submit a story about your recent New Zealand motorcycle trip send it to us by email and we'll place it below for all to read. office@motorbiketours.co.nz

Touring in New Zealand
by John Miller - Riding On & Australian Road Rider's Cruiser & Trike Magazine

I‘d almost been to New Zealand, twice, but it wasn’t until my old mate the Bear stirred me from my hollow log that I got my butt into gear. And I’m glad I did!

Young Thoeming and his mate Mike were heading off for the Land of the Long White Cloud and asked whether I’d like to tag along. As it was early May and the Qantas fares were incredibly low, my piggy bank didn’t notice the withdrawal.

It’s a pretty easy hop over the pond and when we arrived in Christchurch, Mike from South Pacific Motorcycle Tours was waiting to whisk us out to his home in his Land Rover Defender. Mike and his wife Carole operate out of their lovely home and run a tour operation targeting overseas riders with their fleet of late model BMWs, Harleys and Triumphs, maintained in as-new condition.

After a cosy night’s stay, we trundled out to meet the Road King, Varadero and CB1300 waiting in the driveway. I found myself on the new CB1300, kindly supplied by Honda, and was straining at the bit to see if the good things I’d heard about the model were true.

First impressions were excellent and I was surprised at how effective the relatively small handlebar fairing was. As it was a cool autumn day, the only things I found myself wishing for were Wimpy grips. The Yass Ulysses crew ride pretty much all winter and I’m usually snug-as-a-bug, geared up for winter, behind my old RT’s barn door fairing and schmoozing up to my heated grips. Life’s tough!

As we headed for the West Coast, I was becoming more impressed by the CB1300’s road manners, the motor was so smooth and flexible that I was constantly looking for a higher gear. This machine is a top-class all rounder; the only possible drawback for the long distance runner could be the slightly higher foot peg position. Having said that, I found it a delight to ride and the seat / foot peg layout caused my lanky frame no problems.

We’d encountered a little snow on the pass taking us over the Southern Alps but the roads in New Zealand are so well maintained that it was no bother. We were all too involved in enjoying the winding road. Motorcyclist heaven.

Things had warmed up a bit by the time we headed up the West Coast toward our overnight stop at a motel right on the beach at Punakaiki. I must admit, that West Coast road left every coast road I’ve travelled way behind and it is definitely an experience every motorcyclist should enjoy at least once in a lifetime. The only thing that I would suggest is that, to enjoy it fully, do the run from north to south as the sun is right in your eyes at certain times of the day if you head north.

As I mentioned before, New Zealand roads are generally well maintained and abound in the curves that motorcyclists love. Add spectacular scenery and friendly locals and you have the recipe for a perfect road trip. It’s also important to note that the novice rider should treat the type of road you find in New Zealand with caution.

Some roads, sheltering under the volcanic mountains, don’t see the light of day until well into the afternoon, allowing any slippery bits to persist and lie I wait for the unwary. It was also an interesting experience, riding through a rain forest, to encounter moss on the road. Take it easy and ride within your ability and you’ll have a ball.

Our four-day ride around the islands also made another Kiwi attribute obvious; they have some of the best displays and collections in the world.

We joined the ferry at Picton and headed off to explore some museums Peter had heard about on the north Island. The ferry ride is comfortable, relatively cheap and the motorcycles were loaded and secured with the minimum of fuss.

Our trip to the Southward Car Museum on the north island left us intrigued by the amazing display of machinery. It was obvious that the museum’s main aim was restoration when you looked at the fairly haphazard layout of the place, but what machines! A classic Gullwing Mercedes sports nestled alongside a huge WW2 German staff car, flanked by a vintage Bentley. Turn the corner and Ford Anglias and ‘Bubble’ cars faced you with vintage motorcycles tucked in between. It was a big boy’s wonderland and contained some very rare, and expensive, machinery.

Being an aviation nut from an early age, it was when we called in on the Omaka Aviation Museum that my mind collapsed. The WW2 Hurricane outside the entrance started me dribbling, but when we entered the museum and were confronted by the beautifully restored and displayed World War 1 aircraft I reverted to my childhood. Not a pretty sight.

After wandering, captivated, through the dioramas and displays of this museum, the Three Amigos were all impressed by the range and rarity of this collection, not only of aircraft but uniforms, decorations and other memorabilia from this age. In my limited experience the Omaka Aviation Museum is the best of this type I have ever seen. Definitely world class!

During our ride we had all sampled the Road King, Varadero and the CB1300. All machines handled the roads well and the Screamin’ Eagle pipes on the Harley woke many a peaceful New Zealander. I must admit my favourite was the CB1300 but the other machines were a lot of fun.

Our return down the East Coast provided more spectacular scenery and roads; you wonder whether the locals appreciate what they have. For an overseas visitor, New Zealand offers an amazing variety of options and for a motorcyclist it provides the added bonus of some fantastic roads. Get over there, as soon as you can.

Our trip was made easier by hiring the motorcycles in New Zealand through South Pacific Motorcycle Tours. You can contact them on 00643 3120 066, email office@motorbiketours.co.nz, website www.motorbiketours.co.nz. There are also one or two other dedicated hire/tour companies.

The other way is to ship your own machine over and take care of your own itinerary and accommodation. One of the folk who can help you do this is our old mate Dave Milligan. Contact Dave or Maggie on for more info or to make a reservation, or go to to download the PDF documents containing the information and prices for shipping bikes to NZ.

However you get there, I can recommend a trip over to visit our Kiwi cousins. Nice place, nice people spectacular scenery...and great roads.

John Miller, Riding On & Australian Road Rider's Cruiser & Trike Magazine

This year I went on a motor cycle tour of New Zealand. It was great.
by Jim Wright - UK

At very short notice Mike, Carole and Simon of South Pacific Motorcycle Tours (www.motorbiketours.co.nz) put an itinerary together for a 26 day self-guided biking odyssey complete with accommodation around the North and South Islands. It has to be said that some of their competitors refused to countenance putting together an itinerary at such short notice (10 days driven by a change in employer in the UK). The itinerary arrived after a couple of days by email and it was comprehensive - but to be honest didn't mean a lot, my understanding of New Zealand geography pretty much consisted on knowing there was a North Island and a South Island and the the cities all had names that sounded Victorian (Wellington, Christchurch and so on). So why did I choose New Zealand for a motorcycle holiday? Well it was a driven by a Southern Hemisphere destination to get the weather in March, that pretty much left South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and New Zealand was the only place I hadn't been. However it is a long way to go, especially on British Airways and Qantas via Los Angeles (a change in terminal is required necessitating collecting all hold luggage), New Zealand Air via Hong Kong maybe a better option.

On arrival in Auckland and JAFA Land I had a day to acclimate before picking up a Triumph Sprint with top box and panniers - space enough for all my stuff and after a chat about road safety (what's different in New Zealand? -take account of advisory speeds on bends at 55 km/hr and below, watch out for road wash-outs outside te city and Hoons in the city) and after a guided acclimation ride out to a sensible starting place - I was set free. What followed was 6273 km of long sweeping curves interspersed with attractive straights through landscape on steroids, friendly people and great food and wine.

The first dy was from Auckland to the Bay of Islands, where the Maori and Pakeha (settlers) signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1841, upon which the way New Zealand works today is based. From there a loop out to the north west coast through temperate forest and remote beaches and then round to the east coast and the beautiful Coramandel Peninsula - motorcycling dream land. Beaches and Pacific Ocean swimming then down to the lakeland at Rotorua and the geothermal springs, geysers and maori heritage. From there to the wine country (finally) of Hawkes Bay - and a day of tasting. On to the Capital at Wellington and some world class culture at Ta Papa museum and then a ferry crossing on a beautiful day to the South Island - along with 50 or so other motorcyclists.

The South Island is all about mountains, volcanoes, fjords, glaciers, lakes, mountain passes - on a stunning scale. And for a motorcyclist the roads are a dream, with very few vehicles (watch out for logging trucks, Camper vans and one of the other national obsessions - cyclists). Whilst the roads try and suck the throttle round, the bends are sufficiently demanding to require control, and they are peppered with flat possums (introduced from Australia and deemed a pest) - which also demands ground radar awareness (if avoidance is not possible go straight through them apparently). The few vehicles are respectful of motorbikes and will pull over when practicable - tourists and New Zealanders alike. Some of the highlights of the South Island for me were taking a water taxi into the Able Tasman National Park ad walking out, more wine tasting at Blenheim, whale watching at Kaikoura, riding the Banks Peninsula at Christchurch, a helicopter ride up onto the Frank Josef glacier, a cruise on Milford Sound with 300m high white silk waterfalls on grey granite, Speights Brewery tour and a chance to sample some 12s and riding the Otago Peninsula at Dunedin, and the high spot of all; riding into Mount Cook on the road that begs for the speed record to be broken.

I stayed at a variety of accommodation ranging from home stay to hotels - they were without exception all biker friendly, in great locations and the hosts welcoming. In my view New Zealand is a great destination on all counts: scenery (landscape on steroids); people (determined that everyone should be having a good time); wine and food (there is a preference for lamb and seafood which suited me); and a complex culture that was worth finding out about. And of course the roads are made for riding - long sweeping curves, tight alpine bends and all in excellent condition. Mike and the team put a great package together from a fine bike (the Sprint took in all those curves with a real appetite, I was really stoked), simple "go by" laminated route sheets and recommendations for activities based on their own experience and great accommodation. All in all a great 26 days in one of worlds best motorbikes destinations. Thanks Mike.

Glossary:

JAFA; Just Another Friendly Aucklander

Hoon; Hooligan (particularly those driving pimped cars and prone to leaving spiral tire tracks at junctions)

Stoked; as in stoking a fire, i.e. really hot/good

12: 12 Fluid ounces - a NZ "pint", i.e. not a 16 oz typical of the UK
--
Jim Wright - UK

My Fully Guided New Zealand Motorcycle Tour.
by Michael D. Yaw

I seldom would give such a high rating to anyone or any company on just one experience, but in the case of South Pacific Motorcycle Tours, I will make an exception. Mike and Carol Lester are both very customer oriented. They both met me at the airport exactly as promised. We had a delightful stay at their home just 20 minutes away before leaving on a fantastic 14 day adventure. Since my tour was fully guided, I left all suggested hotels and sight seeing events in their hands.

I was impressed in every way. Even the days where we stayed an extra night in a city to give us a short break from touring was appreciated. On the short days, we would find interesting and exciting events such as the Shoot Over river ride or bungee jumping from the bridge where bungee jumping had its beginnings. The tour was lead by Mike himself. I am a novice rider and he was perceptive enough to travel to my personal limits which grew impressively as the days went on.

The weather was miraculously fantastic as we had only one or two hours of riding in adverse conditions. I rode a BMW RT1200R at their suggestion. As I normally ride a Harley Sporster borrowed from a friend, I was worried that a 4000 kilometer tour in 14 days would exhaust me physically. The roads in New Zealand were made for motorcycles! All their bikes were in excellent condition. We had no break downs or issues. I finished the ride refreshed and have decided to purchase a BMW RT1200R to ride with my friend (who owns the Harleys that I ride) as we plan to tour the Rockies and Canada next year. I feel a little sorry for him though knowing he will have to work twice as hard as I in the twisty mountain sections of our tour.

I would suggest a guided tour for those that can afford it or have limited riding experience as it made the trip very nice for me. However, a self guided tour outlined by Mike and Carol would be an acceptable second choice. Have a wonderful safe trip! New Zealand is a fantastic, beautiful, pristine country.

Michael D. Yaw - USA