Day
5: Wanganui to Martinborough
This delightful little town is noted for its many vineyards
- there are more than 30 of them located in the immediate vicinity.
The town is home to one of the most magnificent little boutique
hotels that you'll experience during the trip - the Martinborough
Hotel. The hotel is located on the town's main square and includes
a lively bar and an elegant dining room.
 Day
6: Martinborough to Nelson
As if you will not have already ridden some spectacular
motorcycling roads, today should give you a real dose of sensory
overload - on the motorcycle and off. The day's ride begins with
an early morning trip across the Tararua Range to the ferry at
Wellington, where you'll ride your motorcycle into the "belly
of the beast" and cross the Cook Strait for Marlborough Sound
and the South Island town of Picton. Seeing Marlborough Sound
from the vantage point of the ferry will be an extraordinary experience,
but seeing it from the motorcycle as we take the twisting and
scenic Queen Charlotte drive is indescribable. You really have
to ride it to believe it. You'll want to stop repetitively for
the many photo opportunities at the scenic overlooks along the
way.
Day 7: Nelson
You'll have two nights in Nelson, so you can use your free
day to relax and enjoy the town's delightful collection of cafes
and quaint old architecture, or you may opt for still another
day of breathtaking scenery and hairpin turns on a ride to Collingwood
on Golden Bay, near the northernmost point of the South Island.
Day 8: Nelson to Punakaiki
Be prepared for yet another day of great roads and spectacular
landscapes as you cross the Southern Alps - New Zealand's renowned
mountain range that isolates the west coast of the South Island
from the mainland. Isolated from the rest of New Zealand by the
Southern Alps, Coasters have developed a distinctive culture of
their own, where the pioneering values of self-reliance and hospitality
are as strong now as they were a century ago. It's New Zealand's
cultural 'heartland' and is reputed to be one of the best motorcycling
areas in the world with light traffic, spectacular scenery, and
great roads. Rudyard Kipling described the region as "the
last, loneliest, loveliest, exquisite part".
The pancake rocks and blowholes at the Punakaiki National Park,
located adjacent to your beachfront hotel, are one of the areas
most interesting spectacles, and will serve as the perfect high
spot to end the day's beautiful ride.
 Day
9: Punakaiki to Fox Glacier
Leaving Punakaiki, you'll ride winding coastal roads through
ancient rain forests punctuated by stunning viewpoints and beautiful
mountain vistas. You'll ride through "Glacier Country"
- the term used to collectively describe Whataroa, Franz Josef,
Fox Glacier and Paringa. When you arrive in the lovely little
town of Franz Joseph you may wish to take a diversion to see the
famous glacier of the same name. You'll continue to another of
the country's famous glacier attractions - your overnight stop
at Fox Glacier, where you may opt for a helicopter flight that
will deposit you on the glacier for some great photos, or take
a leisurely scenic flight in a fixed-wing aircraft that will show
you a multitude of scenic attractions.
Day 10: Fox Glacier to Queenstown
Today's ride will take you to the southernmost crossing
of the Southern Alps, as you return to the eastern side of the
mountains. You'll ride the sinuous Haast Pass, situated alongside
Mt. Aspiring National Park, in the heart of the South West New
Zealand World Heritage Area, a place declared by UNESCO to stand
alongside the Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef, Mt. Everest and
other significant natural treasures around the world. Your destination
is Queenstown - New Zealand's outdoor adventure capital located
on Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the breathtaking Remarkables
and Eyre Mountains.
Day 11: Queenstown to Te Anau
With a short 170 km ride to Te Anau, you'll have time to
either participate in one of the Queenstown areas many adventure
attractions (paragliding, bungee jumping, parasailing, etc.) or
perhaps to stop along the way to ride the Kingston Flyer - a heritage
steam train that makes several 14-kilometer runs per day between
Kingston and Fairlight. Te Anau is lovely enough, situated on
the beautiful lake with the same name, but an even greater reason
for the two-night stay is to use the town as a base for a trip
to Milford for a cruise on the stunning Milford Sound.
Day 12: Te Anau
The 120 km ride along the shores of Lake Te Anau, along
the Eglington River and the "Avenue of the Disappearing Mountains"
and across the Earl Mountains with a dramatic descent into Milford
will be one of your most memorable rides of the trip. At Milford
Sound you'll take a cruise past several of the areas famous landmarks
- Mitre Peak and Mt. Pembroke - to the point where the Sound opens
to the Tasman Sea.
Day 13: Te Anau to Omarama
You'll wrap up your New Zealand Adventure with a ride to
Christchurch, interrupted by an overnight stay in Omarama. The
route from Te Anau will take you through the aptly-named "The
Remarkables" Mountains to Frankton where you can decide to
take either ride from Frankton to Omarama via Cromwell and the
Pisa Range, or you can opt for the even more scenic twisty route
through The Crown Range and to the historic little villages of
Cardrona and Wanaka. With either route, you'll enjoy the stunning
Lindis Pass before arriving in Omarama.
 Day
14: Omarama to Christchurch
You have two more riding days before you, and it's more
of the same: great motorcycling roads and beautiful landscapes.
There are a few alternatives for getting from Omarama to Christchurch
and they are all great. Take the most direct route through scenic
Lake Tekapo and Geraldine and you've got less than 300 km to go.
Add 25 km or so and you can ride the more scenic route via Windwhistle
and Darfield. Tack on another 110 km and you can pop up and take
a look at Mt. Cook and capture a photo of yourself with a life-sized
statue of Sir Edmund Hillary. Or, catch a photo of you and your
bike with North to South magnificent Mt. Cook in the background.
Day 15: Christchurch
We've provided an additional riding day in the Christchurch
area simply because it's such a spectacular area to ride and it's
a great way to wind up your New Zealand Adventure. We recommend
a ride around the nearby Banks Peninsula, including a stop at
some coffee shops and lunch stops favoured by local riders - including
lunch in Akaroa - famous for the great salmon that is caught and
served there and throughout New Zealand.
We'll have a celebration dinner as the culmination to your New
Zealand Adventure.
Day 16: Departure
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Bike Options UP
TO 900cc:
NZ$ 8,250
Honda VTR250, Honda CB400, Honda Hornet CB600, Yamaha XT600e,
Suzuki SV650, Honda Transalp XL650, BMW F650CS, BMW F650 Dakar,
BMW F650 GS, Honda VT750, Honda VFR800 FI, Yamaha XJ900 Diversion
|
|
Bike Options OVER
900CC:
NZ$ 9,585
Honda Shadow VT1100, BMW R1150R, BMW R1150RT, BMW R1150GS,
BMW R1200RT, BMW R1200GS, BMW K1200LT, Suzuki GSF 1200S |
|
Bike Options, Harley
Davidon and Honda Holdwing
NZ$ 11,025
Harley Davidson Heritage, Harley Davidson Roadking,
Honda Goldwing GL1800 |
 |
 |
|
Day
2: Auckland to Coromandel
Day
4: Rotorua to Wanganui
