Please review my route

[skeelo221]

Thanks again everyone for the advise. I think I got the route pretty fuckin' dialed in:

http://goo.gl/maps/L6Ro

I had to change the direction of travel to accommodate the Doubtful Sound kayak tour but no worries.

NighthawkNZ: I'll send you an IM a day or two before I get into Dunedin to see if you have any interest to go on a ride. I'll be headed to Lake Tekapo via Mt. Cook the next day if you have any desire to head up that way.

Here's where I should be staying each night, if anyone will be in the area chime in if you want to go on a ride or grab a beer.


24-Nov Christchurch
25-Nov Anakiwa
26-Nov Nelson
27-Nov Punakaiki
28-Nov Hanmer Springs
29-Nov Greymouth
30-Nov Glaciers
1-Dec Glaciers
2-Dec Wanaka
3-Dec Queenstown
4-Dec Queenstown
5-Dec Te Anau
6-Dec Doubtful Sound Kayak Trip
7-Dec Te Anau
8-Dec Dunedin
9-Dec Lake Tekapo
10-Dec Christchurch

Hell yea

[neels]

If you'll have your bike on your first day in christchurch on 24 Nov, there's a regular wednesday night ride you could come along to and meet the local rabble. If you were thinking of a trip to Akaroa and wanted someone to show you the way, it probably wouldn't take much persuasion to make that the destination for the night.

[skeelo221]

Ah, damn no I won't have it. Picking the bike up the next morning. I'll be staying at the Around the World Backpackers joint off Barbadoes St & Gloucester St which looks to be a 20 min walk. I'll try to walk down if I'm able to come say hi and shoot the shit.

I liked this line from the post about the night ride, gave me a good laugh:

This is not a race from point A to point B. If you want to "see how fast you can go" then please just fuck off.

[Grubber]

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.

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.

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 !

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

Ok so these guys have got all you need. there is more but i suggest you go with all the above. Just done 4 weeks down there in March and it is an awesome riding island for sure.
ENJOY!

[skeelo221]

Man that came up quick, leaving tomorrow for my trip! If anyone would like to meet up please let me know. Here's the post with which town I'm hoping to stay in each night:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...post1129871324

[Winston001]

The only additional suggestion is that you should take your time. The South Island is big but its possible to travel its length in a day. The trouble is you wouldn't see much except roads.

Naturally bikers recommend twisty interesting routes but IMHO you should also experience the empty open spaces of the Mackenzie Country and Central Otago. These are quite different to British landscapes as are our alpine mountains. Sort of like Switzerland with bits of New Mexico tossed in.

Don't spend all of your time on the bike. You'll enjoy Doubtful Sound.

[FJRider]

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

And remember to keep left yourself ... will be easy to forget ...

[skeelo221]

Thanks again everyone for the recommendations. I had the fucking time of my life! Ya'll have a beautiful country and the people were great as well.

If you have a couple minutes click through some pics on my blog I wrote while I was over in NZ. As for the NZ/OZ debacle, I will be siding with the Kiwis during the next "taking of the piss" session!

http://jkeiner.posterous.com/

[tri boy]

Nice blog skeelo.
Happy trails dude.