What's it like there

[Mort]

Hi Guys,

This is my first message on your forum but I'm sure it won't be my last. I'm due to move to NZ in the next 6 - 9 months. As a fanatic bike rider I'm wondering what the scene is like there... I ride a 2004 R1 and I'm in to trackdays (which are big here in the UK)... I have a few questions...

• Should I bring my bike there or sell it here and buy one down there (Its worth about NZ$17,250 here
• What is the track day scene like around Auckland ?
• Is Pukekhoe the only track in the area ?
• What is the road riding scene like - people keep telling me NZ drivers are dangerous...!!

Would be interested in any info or opinions to help make my mind up....

Cheers fellas...

[SixPackBack]

Hi mort welcome

Bike prices.......r1, 22k
Tracks a plenty, Taupo is also close to Auckland
Drivers can be a little ......agressive, but what the hell.
sell your bike and check out www.biketrader.co.nz an accurate indication of prices..........see you soon
SPB

[justsomeguy]

Welcome matey, :spudwave:

I'd say sell - the stress of the extra paper work and potential damage through shipping isn't worth it in my opinion......

Plenty of R1's/ZX10's/Gixxer thous/Fireblades, etc here - new and used.

The main sites to checkout are www.bikepoint.co.nz for new and used bikes from dealers

and

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...0026-1255-.htm

for mostly private and dealership bikes - it's like NZ's e-bay.

The trackday scene is quite active (I think) don't know really...... however there are enough riders on this forum in pretty much any part of the country who'll give you a race or fast road ride sometime.

A lot of people here serious about trackdays belong to Formal Bike Clubs and are involved with club racing, which I believe occurs monthly during their respective race seasons.

[LB]

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Hi Mort. Welcome to KB and (in advance) to NZ.

I'll let those who have experience of bringing their bikes over advise you on that one. A bloke from work brought his ZX6 over here from the UK recently - PM me if you want to make contact with him for his slight horror story.

Have you thought of living in Wellington? We have Manfeild (race track) about an hour and a half away from here, and some great roads.

Or how about somewhere in the South Island? Best roads in the world there.

Not that I don't like Auckland....
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[Hammer]

Howdy Mort, You want regret making the moving here. The roads are a tad rougher but oh so much more twisties and cool scenery. No motorways really either. Can't help with the track stuff but can help with advice on getting the bike back. I moved here 6 months ago and brought the bike. Never again. The hassle with paperwork and customes and import/gst is just not worth it. To top it off mine got damaged and they buggers are denying the insurence claim. Add to that the dick around you get waiting for the bike and then the time to get it registered here. Forget it - it will be cheaper and less stress to hop off the plane with cash and walk into a bike shop and ride away - seriously. Good luck with the move.

[MD]

Obviously you haven't been up front with our Immigration staff.
Rule 1 - no yamaha owners allowed in
2. we've got 20,000 Brits running amok around NZ at the moment for some reason in campervans. Until some leave there's no more room! Your Prince Will can stay he's turned out to be a top bloke (what bike does he ride? better not be a Yamaha)

I spent a year or so riding in the UK and can confirm NZers are crap drivers. You Guys can move more vehicles faster and safer than here mainly because you are courteous drivers, its a simple cure our Transport police/authorities are blind too e.g. if someone indicates you make a gap, here someone gives you the fingers and trys to nudge you out.
If you've chosen Auckland then... well definitely stay where you are, less congestion in the UK than Auckland.
Welcome anyway Mort. And yes, as everyone had said buy a bike here.
MD

[pritch]

One thing that I don't think anybody mentioned is that, with the possible exception of Auckland, the roads should be much less crowded than what you have been used to.

[Patch]

Obviously you haven't been up front with our Immigration staff.
Rule 1 - no yamaha owners allowed in
2. we've got 20,000 Brits running amok around NZ at the moment for some reason in campervans. Until some leave there's no more room! Your Prince Will can stay he's turned out to be a top bloke (what bike does he ride? better not be a Yamaha)

I spent a year or so riding in the UK and can confirm NZers are crap drivers. You Guys can move more vehicles faster and safer than here mainly because you are courteous drivers, its a simple cure our Transport police/authorities are blind too e.g. if someone indicates you make a gap, here someone gives you the fingers and trys to nudge you out.
If you've chosen Auckland then... well definitely stay where you are, less congestion in the UK than Auckland.
Welcome anyway Mort. And yes, as everyone had said buy a bike here.
MD

I agree with MD, no more bloody poms!!!! For now at least. Went to park down Oriental Parade (where we always do) just before 8am, some asshole in a camper decided he'll have three carparks Me being ever so polite and all had great pleasure banging da crap outa his door.

Old geezer in bathrobe and fluffy slippers


Sell ya Yammy mate, buy a decent one when ya get here.
Then we can all especially after tonite's rugby game

[Coyote]

Come down to Wellington Instead. You have the Rimutakas and Pahiatua Hill Road close by, the closest track (Manfeild) is 1 1/2-2 hours away which isn't much of a problem if you're serious and don't mind the trip, plus you can get into the Victoria Motorcycle Club that hold a winter season at the track. Also it's a lot less crowded than Auckland. Also got a lot of motocross tracks and trails too.

[ZorsT]

I would say come to nelson for the best roads in NZ (Tekaka hill, Kerrs hill, Hope Saddle, Buller Gorge, Mot Valley "highway" dare i mention the Wongamoaes (sp) which leads to QEII road) but we have nothing that is even close to a track... But we make up for it with our sunnyness and our scenery. All those roads are within 2hours ride, most are half to an hour away

[FROSTY:Me]

Welcolm fellow Yamaha rider. To answer ya questions.
Bringing ya bike over--I wouldn't to be honest -If ya can actually SELL it for $17500 I'd do it. Im pretty sure that this time of year you are gonna get a hell of a lot of bike for that kinda moolah.
Keep in mind that even if ya have to dip in your pocket and extra thousand quid you are still better off -By the time ya pay freight and all the stuff youll need to do to get your first WOF(mot) and registration (road tax) youll be lucky to see change from $2500.
But if the best offer ya gonna get is around 14-15000 Then would ship it over -Valuation and actual sale price can vary heaps.
As for roads --we have a fair number of what you would call B roads where the trsffic is light if not non existant.
Race tracks and track days --Pukie is the nearest to AUCKLAND but we have a fair few others and theres a place called Hampton Downs being developed near auckland which is gonna be a world class venue
The good news is that track time i9s shit loads chaper than UK ---these Kiwis moan if they pay more than $60 for a full day on the track
Check the racing forum -in there is a list of NZ tracks.

[Biff]

I guess you're heading to the North Island as you mention Puke'. But there are some very good tracks here, apparently. Although from what I hear from some North Islanders the one here in Christchurch is up there with the best, it may even be the best.

As a Brit that moved here last year:

The roads are rougher, and the road workers have a nasty habit of leaving gravel lying around, which can be 'interesting' - but the roads are emptier (unless you're movind to Auckland) wider and windier, with some magnifcent scenery.

The car drivers are pretty crap, but you learn to look out for their sudden lane changes, lack of indication and sudden use of the brakes, then using their indicators at the last minute or even mid corner!

There are far more traffic cops and general cops allowed to police the roads here, with the kind of radars that were banned in the UK years ago due to their potential for inaccurate and questionable readings. Some have forward and rear mounted radar guns, and they're pretty ruthless on issuing tickets, but there are no VASCARs in use here, and fixed speed cameras are far less common than the UK. And for some reason handle bar, 70's porn star, moustaches are compulsory for all traffic cops (Alledgedly. He he he sorry SD!) So get used to the lower speed limits quick, and invest in a radar detector.

The bike riding scene is great here, and this crowd are a great bunch, so I'm sure you'll hook up with some like minded folk pretty easily.

Leave the bike in the UK - it's not worth the hassle and the bikes are cheaper to buy here, apart from the British and German made variety which are pretty evenly priced with blighty.

Good luck.

[parsley]

I spent a year or so riding in the UK and can confirm NZers are crap drivers. You Guys can move more vehicles faster and safer than here mainly because you are courteous drivers, its a simple cure our Transport police/authorities are blind too e.g. if someone indicates you make a gap, here someone gives you the fingers and trys to nudge you out.

Really? I'm not disagreeing - a lot of drivers in NZ are crap. But I wouldn't have said UK drivers were much better, especially in big cities. Far more aggressive, far less considerate of bikers. NZ drivers will hit a bike because they didn't know it was there. UK drivers will hit a bike because it gets in their way.

Although they're both better than Romanian drivers, who just scared the crap out of me!

[rfc85]

How many of u pommie pricks have we got over here-a shit load by the sound of it, almost enuff to make up a rugby team-NOT

[White trash]

Absolutely crap, weather's shit 11 months of the year, the roads are 95% gravell, there's a Gatso camera on every straight longer than 50 meters, the cops are allowed to shoot you on sight for doing faster than 10 kph over the limit, all the women are ugly, the beers always cold (poms hate that) and the last thing NZ needs is another fucken Yamashit riding, winging pom.

Now on the other hand, if you were to sell said Yamahahaha and get a real bike, you'd find the opposite of what I just said.

Welcome to KB by the way.