Please review my route

**skeelo221** · 28th May 2010, 12:24

Hello Everyone!

First post here..woo hoo

Last week I bought my airfare over to NZ where I will hire a bike for 15 days and tour the south island. After that I will fly to Cairns and tour the gold coast on down to Sydney in a campervan. Enough about that part though I'm looking forward to the riding!

My trip won't be until the end of November but I have been doing quite a bit of reading about the sights and just picked up a NZ Motorcycle Atlas with some routes put together by Peter Mitchell. Can you guys please take a look at my route and let me know if I'm missing any "must sees?"

I was deciding between going north or south first from Christchurch but I decided to go south since my only reservations will be in Queenstown where I will do the Awesome Foresome and in Doubtful Sound where I will do an overnight sea kayak trip. That and lodging might be scarce in that area so I might make one or two hostel reservations. After I "get that out of the way" I'd like to have an open schedule to tour the rest of NZ at my leisure.

By the way, does anyone have any input on TE WAIPOUNAMU motorcycle rentals in CHC? I was going to hire a SV650. http://www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz/

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...9,14.27124&z=7

Edit: Let me know if you have any issues with the Google Maps link. It works for me but there's a bloody mess of destinations on there!

**NighthawkNZ:Me** · 28th May 2010, 12:45

Looks us up when in Dunedin we may go for a ride have coffee of what ever...
You want to take the route a little but further south and do the Catlins... its brillient that time of year and is a good motorcycle heave of a road...

**neels** · 28th May 2010, 13:17

Looks like a good trip, only a couple of suggestions...

To get to methven take the long way around through darfield and rakaia gorge, much more fun than SH1 and thompsons track.

Oxford to Rangiora via ashley gorge rather than the pretty straight boring road direct.

**skeelo221** · 28th May 2010, 13:42

Originally Posted by neels

Looks like a good trip, only a couple of suggestions...

To get to methven take the long way around through darfield and rakaia gorge, much more fun than SH1 and thompsons track.

Oxford to Rangiora via ashley gorge rather than the pretty straight boring road direct.

Thanks, I've updated my route to take the long way to Methven through rakaia gorge. You're right, looks a lot more fun!
I don't see any other roads to get from Oxford to Rangiora, however.

**skeelo221** · 28th May 2010, 13:48

Originally Posted by NighthawkNZ

Looks us up when in Dunedin we may go for a ride have coffee of what ever...
You want to take the route a little but further south and do the Catlins... its brillient that time of year and is a good motorcycle heave of a road...

Will do!

I was planning on posting back up when I'm getting closer to departure. I would love to meet and ride with as many Kiwis as possible...that's all part of what makes a trip worth it! Hopefully the trend will start as soon as I land in Auckland. I'd like to grab a beer and check out Deus Ex Machina.

**neels** · 28th May 2010, 13:56

You might need to zoom in a bit to see ashley gorge road going north from oxford, around through loburn to rangiora. From rangiora to hanmer springs you could also take the road through ashley/sefton/balcairn to amberley to avoid the other traffic stupidity that always seems to exist on that part of the main road.

**Jantar** · 28th May 2010, 13:57

I would suggest that for the Hanmer Springs - Picton leg that you go via the inland Kaikoura route and Kaikoura coast. That is a great piece of road and the coastal scenery is very worthwhile. It also save you repeating the Murchisaon section on your way back to Punakaiki.

**Warr** · 28th May 2010, 14:12

Originally Posted by NighthawkNZ

......
You want to take the route a little but further south and do the Catlins... its brillient that time of year and is a good motorcycle heave of a road...

If you make the addition of heading through the Catlins (very well worth it too) .... Also get onto SH99 around through Riverton , Tuatapere, Manapouri, TeAnau.

I can recommend the accommodation at Riverton too. We stayed on the road out to The Rocks. Lovely Cafe / Resturant out there as well.
globebackpackers@xtra.co.nz 0800 843456

PS and the only other omission you seem to have made is to make it 2 the that other bit of land further north commonly referred to as North Island !

**clint640** · 28th May 2010, 14:17

Looks Good. If you have some extra time at Westport & the weather is nice I strongly recommend the side trip up to Karamea & back. Since you are going through Motueka you would be mad to miss the Takaka Hill road over to Golden Bay, another out & back route - even if you only zoom over to Takaka for a coffee & straight back it's well worth it just for the ride.

Cheers
Clint

**dave_ali@xtra.co.nz** · 28th May 2010, 14:49

Youll love it. I'm planning a trip from Tauranga south to Dunedin soon myself, Leaving here on the 14th June for 10 days. Really looking forward to the space and not too ready for the cold. Bit of preparation required yet.

**skeelo221** · 28th May 2010, 16:20

Originally Posted by clint640

Looks Good. If you have some extra time at Westport & the weather is nice I strongly recommend the side trip up to Karamea & back. Since you are going through Motueka you would be mad to miss the Takaka Hill road over to Golden Bay, another out & back route - even if you only zoom over to Takaka for a coffee & straight back it's well worth it just for the ride.

Cheers
Clint

Thanks! That does look good. I would like to take the road all the way out to Totaranui but it looks like it turns to a dirt road in Anatimo as seen on Google Street view:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...127.65,,0,3.05

Hah, technology!

Anyways has anyone ridden this road? I will be on a loaded SV650 which is not supposed to go off road. Tisk tisk! I have no problem putting out there if it's very packed (as is looks on street view) I just don't want to run into really deep gravel and bin it.

Route in original post has been updated.

**skeelo221** · 28th May 2010, 16:26

Originally Posted by Jantar

I would suggest that for the Hanmer Springs - Picton leg that you go via the inland Kaikoura route and Kaikoura coast. That is a great piece of road and the coastal scenery is very worthwhile. It also save you repeating the Murchisaon section on your way back to Punakaiki.

Not exactly sure I follow you. I am going through Kaikoura on the way to Picton. I also have no duplicate routes going through Murchisaon.

**Jantar** · 28th May 2010, 16:31

My apologies. Google maps didn't load correctly for me the first time and it didn't show your route through Kaikora. The way you have planned it is the best route.

**skeelo221** · 28th May 2010, 16:33

Originally Posted by Jantar

My apologies. Google maps didn't load correctly for me the first time and it didn't show your route through Kaikora. The way you have planned it is the best route.

No worries. I think I basically have google maps maxed out right now. It won't let me add any additional routes or change any of the routes. Oh well that's plenty enough planning it seems! I have a road atlas that's all I really need I suppose.

**jim.cox** · 28th May 2010, 16:37

Originally Posted by skeelo221

Anyways has anyone ridden this road? I will be on a loaded SV650 which is not supposed to go off road. Tisk tisk! I have no problem putting out there if it's very packed (as is looks on street view) I just don't want to run into really deep gravel and bin it.

The gravel is the least of your worries - just watch out for campervans (and other idiiot cagers) on the wrong side iof the road