Routes
Please remember you are on, what will be, the vacation of a lifetime and we want to make sure you have a great time riding one of our bikes here in New Zealand.
Ideal daily distance – Not every day should be the same, we suggest you vary your distances from 300-400 km, some slightly less and some slightly more. You will most likely want a half day here and there to do laundry etc. and just enjoy the local area. We also suggest you allow 2 nights in Queenstown, one being a day off from riding on the longer tours.
First and Last Day – After you pick up your motorcycle, we suggest you only ride up to 300 km on the first day of hire, get used to the bike and how you have distributed the luggage weight. We find this does take a couple of days to settle down, together with you as the rider getting used to the motorcycle, local roads, and weight differences, if the motorcycle you have chosen is different from the one you have at home. On the last day keep the distance relatively low around 250 km allowing plenty of time to drop off the motorcycle and transfer to your hotel and / or airport.
Suggested daily destinations or a variation of:
Auckland to Auckland – 7 Days
Day 1 – Auckland to Opononi (Northland) 280km – via SH 16,1 & 12
Day 2 – Opononi to Monganui (Northland) 340km – Via Rawene Ferry, coast road, SH1 return, SH10
Day 3 – Monganui to Orewa 318km – Via SH10 Paihia, Russell, Old Russell Road, SH1, Waipu Cove, Mangawhai Heads
Day 4 – Orewa to Whangamata (Coromandel) 340km – Via SH1, Pacific Coast Scenic Route, SH25
Day 5 – Whangamata to Gisborne 370km – Via SH2, Mt Maunganui, Whakatane, Opotiki
Day 6 – Gisborne to Taupo 330km – Via SH2, Napier, SH5
Day 7 – Taupo to Auckland 278km – Via Old Taupo Road, Waipapa South, Kihikihi, Te Awamutu, West Huntly, SH1
Christchurch to Christchurch – 7 Days
Day 1 – Christchurch to Hokitika 260km – Via SH73, Arthurs Pass, SH6
Day 2 – Hokitika to Wanaka 420km – Via SH6
Day 3 – Wanaka to Te Anau 280km – Via Crown Range Road, SH6, Queenstown, SH97, SH94
Day 4 – Te Anau, Milford to Invercargill 420km – Via Milford, Tuatapere, SH99
Day 5 – Invercargill to Clyde 320km – Via Catlins Road, Balclutha, Old Clutha Valley Road, SH8
Day 6 – Clyde to Geraldine 307km – Via SH8, SH79
Day 7 – Geraldine to Christchurch 165km Via SH77
Auckland to Christchurch – 14 Days
Auckland to Nelson – link to map
Day 1 – Auckland to Whitianga 232km – Via SH1, Pacific Coast Scenic Route, SH25
Day 2 – Whitianga to Rotorua 260km – Via SH25, SH2, SH33
Day 3 – Rotorua to Gisborne 300km – Via SH30, SH2
Day 4 – Gisborne to Napier 250km – Via SH2
Day 5 – Napier to Wellington 355km – Via SH2, Matinborough, SH53, SH2
Day 6 – Wellington to Nelson 120km (100km on ferry) – Via Queen Charlotte Drive, SH6
Nelson to Christchurch via Queenstown – link to map
Day 7 – Nelson to Punakaiki 318km – Via SH6, SH60, Motueka Valley, SH6
Day 8 – Punakaiki to Franz Josef 220km (Allowance mad for Glacier Tour in the afternoon) – Via SH6
Day 9 – Franz Josef to Queenstown 362km – Via SH6, Crown Range Road
Day 10 – Queenstown
Day 11 – Queenstown to Dunedin 320km – Via SH6, SH94, SH1
Day 12 – Dunedin to Wanaka 310km – Via SH87, SH85, SH6
Day 13 – Wanaka to Geraldine 300km – Via SH6, SH8a, SH8, SH79
Day 14 – Geraldine to Christchurch 165km – Via SH9, and Rakia Gorge
For Christchurch to Auckland just reverse the above.
Coromandel Peninsula Loop
A very popular motorcycle trip over mountains and along fantastic winding roads. This can be done in a day, but way better to spend a couple of days exploring. Take a look