North Island motorcycle rental?

**NotHisRealName** · 28th December 2010, 21:47

In late November, early December of 2011, I am looking to hire a bike to do a round trip of the North Island.

I'd initially planned on hitting up Wellington as my first port of call, but flights are more frequent (and quicker) to Auckland from Brisbane, and it appears there are more motorcycle hire companies operating from Auckland anyway.

I was thinking about getting a Dual Sport - maybe a 600(ish) to do the tour as there were some dirt roads along the initial route I'd picked. However, South Pacific Motorcycle Tours (http://www.motorbiketours.co.nz/) states:

South Pacific Tours motorcycles may only be ridden on paved or tar-sealed roads. You are not permitted or insured on metal, shingle, or gravel tracks, gravel roads, or off-road.

In New Zealand you are prohibited by New Zealand law from driving any rental vehicle on the following:
• Tasman Valley Road (Mt Cook)
• Nevis canyon Road (Otago)
• Skipper s Canyon (Queenstown)
• Ninety Mile Beach (Northland)
• any unformed roads, including beaches
• through streams, dams, rivers, or flood waters, on flood prone roads or any roadway where the Police or any other Government authority have issued a warning, caution or severe storm warning.
Driving on these roads constitutes a breach of the rental agreement and the renter would be fully liable for any damage or recovery costs to the South Pacific Motorcycles vehicle or Third party property occurring as a result.

This seems to defeat the purpose of having dual sport bikes available if you're not allowed on a dirt road, in my opinion - not to mention the difficulty in policing it. Sure, if you have an accident on a dirt road, you've voided your insurance with the hire company (I presume), but if you are happy to risk it, a quick wash down and the hire company would be none the wiser.

Can anyone comment on these restrictions placed on hire bikes?

At the moment, the only dirt road I'm aware that I might travel down is Ohura Road...