G'day All,
I'm heading to the land of the long white cloud in March for a bike tour of the Islands for 12 days, flying into Auckland, and leaving via Christchurch, I've never been before and was hoping some of you might be able to give me some tips of where to go and what to see (especially you Kiwi's) I only booked my ticket's today and am now planning my route, I thinking of spending 5 days on the North Island and 7 on the South, any advise you could give would be greatly appreciated.



Cheers

Are you renting a bike or taking your Bird? Sounds like a fantastic adventure, enjoy.

Renting for sure, much, much cheaper.

Bloody hell - if you are able to change your itinerary, I seriously would. It would take 2 weeks of fairly solid riding to see all the best bits of the south island (among the best biking roads in the world), a month if you were serious. March is at the end of the settled weather period too. Could be pretty nice still, but there's a bit more risk of variability. February is a far better month. One of the UK BIRD members toured the south island last year for 3 weeks and in Feb, he's coming back to do the north.

I now live on one of the best biking roads in the north Island - the Coromandel Peninsula. Whatever the outcome, get yourself a copy of the NZ Motorcycle Atlas (New Zealand Motorcycle Atlas), it's our bible and gives you great rides, points of interest and so on. That will set you up whatever you decide to do. It also has adventure bike routes in it.

I apologise if I've worried you a bit but there's so much to see, you're better off concentrating on one island (ironic considering I got round NZ in 5 days as part of an organised challenge, but that's another story). Still, whatever you decide, you're in for a real treat.

Have attached my South Island ride report from last year in case it's of interest. You can see our ride through Arthur's Pass in the S.I here:YouTube - Honda Blackbirds in New Zealand. It's speeded up 50% to fit more into 10 minutes but it will give you an idea what the mountain passes are like down south and there's a heap of them!

Cheers,

Geoff

Thanks for the post Kiwibird, yeah, I know that 12 day's isn't going to be long enought to satisfy me but:
1- that's all I can afford, &, 2-It's all the leave I can get from work.

This trip is really going to be a bit of a scouting trip, I plan to return within 18 mths with my father (currently riding a Honda Varadero) to really get into it, and hopefully take our own bikes over, and it cheaper to fly to NZ than to Perth currently.
From what I understand in your post though, the south island is better for biking, is that correct?

Oce I have some destinations penciled in (within a week)I will ask your opinion if that's alright.

Overall, the south island is better for biking - low vehicle density, stunning roads and scenery. That's why I'd spend all my time there and leave the north for another time. However, parts of the north island are great too and if you were going to spend 5 days or thereabouts up north, I'd be heading south from Auckland onto the Coromandel Peninsula, then down the east coast and round East Cape south to Wellington. Divine roads. We can talk about accommodation options another time unless you've already organised something.

I'll PM you my email address if you want to send anything through for me to look at in due course. Get that book I mentioned pronto!

Geoff