A few questions about trip in Feb 2017

[iautox]

Hello All,
My girlfriend and I are making a trip to NZ sometime in February that will last 2 to 3 weeks. We are fortunate that she works for a regional airline in the US so we have multiple choices for free flights. Since we are going standby though we need to time our arrival and departure to passenger loads, especially if we want to go business or first class. Therefore we don’t know our exact time frame. We will be flying into Auckland and picking our mc up in Helensville. We plan on heading quickly to Wellington for the ferry with perhaps a stop in Napier on the way down or back if we are lucky enough for our dates to coincide with the Napier Art Deco Festival. That looks interesting.
My son student taught in Wellington and then taught for a year in Whangarei, so I’m fortunate to have one of his friends who arranged the purchase of a nice 2008 Suzuki Bandit with full cases for us. Since we can fly for free we plan on making multiple trips and based on rental costs I think after 3 trips I could throw the bike away and come out ahead. The Bandit looks like it should work well though I would have been happy with a less powerful V Strom since I don’t go fast. I have a 650 V Strom, and a Victory V92c which is being replaced by a Victory Vision that I just purchased here.

I would very much appreciate some help with a few questions I have or even some direction as to where to better ask some of my questions. I’ll ask them in order of importance and number them to make it easier to respond.

1 Is it reasonable to expect to be able to make reservations for units, motel rooms, or camping cabins a day in advance during February? I’ve stayed at Top 10 parks before and have liked them. My girlfriend is up for hostels as well. However we are in our 50’s and we may be out of place at a hostel.

2. I see that we should bring tie downs for the ferry. I’ve not taken a mc on a ferry before, but have put lots of them on trailers. For trailers I use a pair of handle bar straps with a ratchet strap on each side and then a ratchet strap through the back wheel. Is that what is needed for the ferry and if not what would you recommend? Also I can get a 10% discount on the Interislander when I buy a Top Ten Park membership which will about pay for the pass. Are there better discounts around?

3. Any recommendations for chains or independent places to stay, especially Queenstown since we may spend 2 or 3 days there?

4. Our plan is to leave Picton and travel counter clockwise around the island. My only must see on this trip is Milford Sound. I have not been there before and my son says that even just the drive there is spectacular. I have made one trip to the South Island before, self drive in a car, – Picton, Golden Bay, West Coast, Queenstown, Christchurch and back to Picton. What other stops do you all think are ‘must sees’? I’m thinking about Invercargill and Dunedin since I haven’t been there.

5. I plan on getting cell service and using google maps and nav as well as bringing a paper map for backup. Is there any reason that this would not work well?

6. Are there formal or informal meeting places established for weekends where groups meet up for a ride? If so we’d love to find a local group to ride with for a day. Our plans are always changeable since we plan on coming back and picking up where we left off anyway.
Thanks in advance for your consideration and again, if you know of a better forum to ask some of these questions we are all ears.

Mark and Suzy

[Gremlin]

Sounds like good plans, sorry to hear of your Victory purchase :D

1. February much easier than Christmas obviously, but you may struggle in the more popular regions and have to choose a smaller town outside of the one you wanted. Mostly however, the tourists have gone home and we're all back at work sometime mid to late January ish.

2. Tie downs sound fine. The exact method of tying down will vary between the ships, some have specific chocks for the front wheel, others string chains for busy motorcycle loads mid ships. The deck points are domes with an X, so a hook type tie down can be better (can't connect karabiners to those) but when the staff have been lazy and not bothered to lay out chains (they've got points that lock into the X), I've done it instead and then you tie to that.

3. You already know about Top 10, also http://bbh.co.nz/ for backpacker and budget. Otherwise various services exist like AA accommodation and Airbnb is increasingly available. Most chains are hotels, so the more expensive stuff. Queenstown is a tourist trap, also consider places in the region like Wanaka (although it's also getting busy)

4. I'd rate one of the best multi day routes is Nelson > Buller Gorge > Westport (side trip to Karamea if you want) then down the west coast > Queenstown (side trip to Glenorchy) > Te Anau > Milford Sound. Just remember that rain on the west coast is more like monsoons most of the time and Milford Sound, it rains 2 out of 3 days, although, riding it in the rain is certainly an experience as all the waterfalls are in action. Invercargill good, motorcycle museam, Burt Munro stuff and Catlins to the east (another great ride).

5. You'll struggle with mobile reception out of towns, some whole areas will have no service, GPS navigation is the better choice.

6. Different towns may have an evening ride or suchlike, Wednesday night ride, Thursday night ride etc... varies from place to place.

[pritch]

With the exception of a large part of the east coast, mainly Canterbury, the South Island roads are brilliant. The only main attraction I haven't done down there is Milford because there was no fuel available at Milford and the trip there and back was bigger than my tank range permitted. If you're sufficiently keen you can pack extra gas if necessary. Also insect repellent.

As has been pointed out, the roads around Kaikoura may or may not be open by February. That could give you an excuse to use the Lewis Pass which is a magic ride.
If you visit Christchurch, the ride to Akaroa is recommended, and It's a lovely place to eat fish and chips by the sea.

There is a very useful book, the New Zealand Motorcycle Atlas which details the interesting roads. It's about ten years old and I note though that it seems to be out of print and some hopeful is advertising a second hand one on Amazon for $1295.00. You may be able to dig one out from a New Zealand supplier using the 'Net. It should cost about NZ$29.95 plus maybe $20.00 p&p to the US.

[iautox]

Thanks for the information. We do like hot Springs and a visit to Kaikoura may be nice to both avoid crowds and help out the local economy.


On the Inland South Island route there is the Clay Cliffs Omarama (down a dirt road) Mt Cook village and the Mt Cook museum, Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo. At Tekapo there is hot pools. When you get to ChCh you can head north to Kaikoura which is another tourist town popular for whale watching, seafood and seals. If you are keen to visit Kaikoura check at the visitor info centre in ChCh in the Arts Centre building about road conditions as the roads there were badly damaged in an earthquake in Nov with the road north from Kaikoura to Picton still closed. You should have no problem getting accomodation in Kaikoura due to the earthquake damage to the roads keeping tourist numbers down. I will add if you are going to Invercargill The Catlins area is popular with impressive waterfalls but I have never been there myself.

[iautox]

Thanks for letting me know that there is a significant drop in tourist in Feb. I only suspected that to be the case. Also I/m glad to hear that the straps I have will work for the ferry. I have read about the Buller Gorge. I'll be sure to ride it. There are two votes for the Catlins so we will try to get down to Invercargill. We just watch the Fastest Indian again so I'd love to see the Burt Munro stuff. As an aside note, Polaris really scored when they bought the Indian name. The can't hardly make enough of them. Victory was doing well, but nothing like Indian even though the Polaris Indian's really don't have any lineage back to the original Indians other than the retro styling. My friend took his new Roadmaster to Sturgis with it. One ride on it with my girlfriend and I knew it was over for my Victory Cruiser. She was spoiler rotten and thus the need for the Vision purchase which is almost as nice as the Roadmaster is you like the retro futuristic, George Jetson's, jukebox styling which I do. I invested in some better rainsuits for this trip so we'll take the weather as it comes. Thanks again for your help.


Sounds like good plans, sorry to hear of your Victory purchase :D

1. February much easier than Christmas obviously, but you may struggle in the more popular regions and have to choose a smaller town outside of the one you wanted. Mostly however, the tourists have gone home and we're all back at work sometime mid to late January ish.

2. Tie downs sound fine. The exact method of tying down will vary between the ships, some have specific chocks for the front wheel, others string chains for busy motorcycle loads mid ships. The deck points are domes with an X, so a hook type tie down can be better (can't connect karabiners to those) but when the staff have been lazy and not bothered to lay out chains (they've got points that lock into the X), I've done it instead and then you tie to that.

3. You already know about Top 10, also http://bbh.co.nz/ for backpacker and budget. Otherwise various services exist like AA accommodation and Airbnb is increasingly available. Most chains are hotels, so the more expensive stuff. Queenstown is a tourist trap, also consider places in the region like Wanaka (although it's also getting busy)

4. I'd rate one of the best multi day routes is Nelson > Buller Gorge > Westport (side trip to Karamea if you want) then down the west coast > Queenstown (side trip to Glenorchy) > Te Anau > Milford Sound. Just remember that rain on the west coast is more like monsoons most of the time and Milford Sound, it rains 2 out of 3 days, although, riding it in the rain is certainly an experience as all the waterfalls are in action. Invercargill good, motorcycle museam, Burt Munro stuff and Catlins to the east (another great ride).

5. You'll struggle with mobile reception out of towns, some whole areas will have no service, GPS navigation is the better choice.

6. Different towns may have an evening ride or suchlike, Wednesday night ride, Thursday night ride etc... varies from place to place.

[iautox]

I've read forums and web articles, etc. stating that there is fuel available in Milford Sould including this goverment article: http://nzta.govt.nz/assets/projects/milfordroad/news/Transit-brochure-Milford.pdf. Are they incorrect or outdated? I ask since round trip from Te Anau to Milford should be close to the limit of my Bandit 1250s.

I've had a short afternoon, bad experience with sand flies before I knew they existed. Does the DEET stuff work?


With the exception of a large part of the east coast, mainly Canterbury, the South Island roads are brilliant. The only main attraction I haven't done down there is Milford because there was no fuel available at Milford and the trip there and back was bigger than my tank range permitted. If you're sufficiently keen you can pack extra gas if necessary. Also insect repellent.

As has been pointed out, the roads around Kaikoura may or may not be open by February. That could give you an excuse to use the Lewis Pass which is a magic ride.
If you visit Christchurch, the ride to Akaroa is recommended, and It's a lovely place to eat fish and chips by the sea.

There is a very useful book, the New Zealand Motorcycle Atlas which details the interesting roads. It's about ten years old and I note though that it seems to be out of print and some hopeful is advertising a second hand one on Amazon for $1295.00. You may be able to dig one out from a New Zealand supplier using the 'Net. It should cost about NZ$29.95 plus maybe $20.00 p&p to the US.

[Murray]

1. February much easier than Christmas obviously, but you may struggle in the more popular regions and have to choose a smaller town outside of the one you wanted. Mostly however, the tourists have gone home and we're all back at work sometime mid to late January ish.



Not quite right - biggest months for overseas tourists are February March (Domestic travellers yes 24th to about 10th January). The 1st week of Feb will be especially busy with Chinese New Year.

I would suggest booking well in advance for Queenstown

[insomnia01]

The 1st week of Feb will be especially busy with Chinese New Year

I got caught out with this in 2015, arrived in Arrowtown to find our pre-booked motel was shit & managed a refund but finding a room in Queenstown, Te Anau or ever further a field to Cromwell was not going to happen as everything was booked. Certainly book ahead

[Wannabiker]

You might strugglefor accommodation in Napier for Art Deco weekend...look at Hastings or Havelock North if you cant find anything in Napier, Both are 10-20 km away from Napier.

Travelling the South Island West coast / Milford: If you see a gas station... stop and fill up.. It has been a while since I have been down that way, but fuel stops can be pretty far apart (especially if you have a small tank / thirsty bike)

[Gremlin]

I've read forums and web articles, etc. stating that there is fuel available in Milford Sould including this goverment article: http://nzta.govt.nz/assets/projects/milfordroad/news/Transit-brochure-Milford.pdf. Are they incorrect or outdated? I ask since round trip from Te Anau to Milford should be close to the limit of my Bandit 1250s.

I've had a short afternoon, bad experience with sand flies before I knew they existed. Does the DEET stuff work?
No, don't rely on any gas availability after Te Anau. I think there might be gas around Hollyford Rd, but it's private and at least double the regular price. Best tips, are either go in the afternoon when everyone is coming back (and hit some traffic on the way back), or head out in the morning. Gas station opens at 7am from memory, buses can't be on the road too early as the Homer tunnel is traffic light operated (2 buses can't fit side by side inside) and those lights start operating at 9am? from memory. So you get out early, first vehicles on the road, have a look around, and head back before anyone else is.

The sand flies love humans, DEET might work, I generally keep my visit short and get back on the road. They can't fly at 100kph ... well, yet :laugh:

[Dobbin]

Te Anau to Milford Sound and back is a little less than 300 km. I did this last year on my GSX1250 with no concern for fuel. I would normally expect 350 km on a tank but you'll be a little less economical if you're two-up. Depends on how you ride, of course.

If you want to join other riders, most branches of Ulysses have rides each Sunday, and a few branches also have mid-week rides. See http://www.ulysses.org.nz/branches/ for a list of branches, and call or email the appropriate branch to see what they have organised. On facebook, https://www.facebook.com/groups/fatbikersmcevents/ lists rides for charity events and some clubs.

[go2stroke]

There is a petrol station in Milford Sound, you must pay with credit card, my MasterCard worked well.

If you can do about 200 kms on one full tank, you shouldn't experience any problem when riding South island. Just take fuel when you see a petrol station. Some smaller of them could be closed at night.

[FJRider]

Te Anau to Milford Sound and back is a little less than 300 km.

240 km's actually. Fuel availability in Milford and Gunns camp in the Hollyford valley is sporadic and bloody expensive.

[go2stroke]

240 km's actually. Fuel availability in Milford and Gunns camp in the Hollyford valley is sporadic and bloody expensive.

Prices for green 91 I have paid in last 14 days
Milford - 2,16 $
Haast - 2,19 $
Franz Josef - 2,39 $

:facepalm: :-D

[iautox]

Thanks everyone for the help. We will be arriving in Auckland on February 21st and staying until some time in the first week of March. Looking forward to seeing some great scenery and meeting some great people.

[iautox]

Hi All,

We did our trip from Feb 21st through March 9th. We put on about 6,000 KM and amazingly only caught a tiny bit of rain in Invercargil and then for part of the last two days as we returned to Helensville. We stopped at Taupo on the way to the ferry and then covered the South Island from Farewell Spit to Bluff. We got to everywhere we wanted to on this trip. Milford Sound was amazing including the ride there. As we waited to go through the tunnel I had a Kea on each boot one on the front fender and a bunch on the ground around us. People were taking pictures of us. I wish we had some of those pictures. We did not see Dunedin, Christchurch, Kaikoura, Mt. Cook or Hamner Springs, but we will get those on the next trip. We missed Mt. Cook because the day before we meet an very nice guy at a gas station in Gore and he told me about the March Hare Rally so we went there on Saturday afternoon. Not quite as big as Sturgis, but the drinks were cheap, roast pork great, band great and natives friendly! I have the t-shirt to prove I was there. Oh, and I have a bunch of World's Fastest Indian swag too. What a cool 'hardware store". I could go on and on, but the highlights of the trip were the New Zealanders we met. Since we flew standby and really just wanted to go from place to place changing our plans as we found things to do we booked lodging no longer than 3 days out, but usually just a day and a few times the same day. The only place we had a real problem was Queenstown and then we turned to Air B&B. I wish we would have done that right away. We met sooooo many nice people that way. We may never stay in a hotel or motel again. We stayed with a couple in Te Anau where the husband is a paramedic for St Johns on the helicopter that flys out of there. He had the most incredable video that one of the pilots put together over several years of flying over Milford Sound. We stayed with a couple in Cromwell with wonderful home in an olive orchard surrounded by other orchards and vinyards. They were equally as wonderful. They have a Moto Guzzi American that they ride all over and he's 70. I hope I'm still doing that at 70. We also stayed with a woman in Nelson who rides a Ducati Monster. She had the garage door up for us when we arrived and helped us pick a great route home. The only problem we had is that at the beginning of the trip my girlfriends legs were totally uncalibrated. She was squeezing me with her legs whenever she thougth I should slow down. If I would have applied the brakes as hard as she was squeezing we would have come to a complete stop in the middle of many corners - especailly the the two times we went over Takaka Hill since it was at the beginning of the trip. By the end of the trip she was prefectly calibrated. Oh, and I made her do the Big Swing over the Shotover twice. It was a day before she could open her eyes and two days before she could say anything, but by the third day she could usually answer simple questions. Don't worry though, she's back to talking my ears off again (what a shame, lol). The 1250 Bandit is a wonderful bike. You only really need first and 6th gears. It has so much torque. I'd like a big windscreen and a longer seat, but no bike is perfect. I'll get a better helmet and then I think the lower screen will be much better. Quite a few guys commented that they have a Bandit and love it, had one and wish they didn't sell it, sold one and then bought it back. One guy said he'd owned 23 bikes in his lifetime including a BMW GTL 1600 and that he liked the Bandit best and sold the BMW. We are planning to come back in October to do the North Island and then some time in Dec, Jan, Feb or March to hit the South Island again. We are flexible on dates and would love to have some company if anyone out there is interested. Also my friend in NZ is looking into renting out my Bandit is he can figure out insurance, etc. That would help me offset the cost of registration, insurance, and maintainence (wore out the front tire on one side). We were thinking maybe two week minimum time frame so he wouldn't have to deal with it a lot. If he figures it out I'll make a new post here. Once again, thanks for all the advice here! Mark and Suzy.

[pritch]

Seems like you had a great trip. You must have been luck with your timing because we've had a really crap summer this year.

[iautox]

Seems like you had a great trip. You must have been luck with your timing because we've had a really crap summer this year.

Yes, everyone was telling us this was "the year without a summer". We didn't get a bit of rain on the West Coast. I had told Suzy it was almost certain we'd be riding in rain at some point on the West Coast. She said our rain gear was going to waste. I told her that by that same token we then needed to crash so our air bag vests didn't go to waste, lol.