Bikes are expensive in NZ!

[JustMe]

Thanks 4 ur info. The dealers are a bit "uncooperative" or maybe it's just me..

[maxworldbiker]

i'll see what i can do about those bikes. would it be difficult to register a bike from another country in NZ? i know here in the US it is very tough to register a bike from somewhere else, especially in california.

here's another question: what are the seasons like down there? I was thinking of coming down around march but then out found out that it rains and gets cold around then. and it keeps getting worse all through june, july etc. i think i want to live in auckland just because i want to be in a big city with some action. how is the weather there compared to other places in NZ. any advice you could give would be great.

thanks,
ross (Rizza)

We had friends over to visit us from the US last November. They borrowed my spare bike (Yamaha XJ750) and we all rode around the south island for more than a week with hardly a drop of rain anyplace along the way. From November thru to March is generally pretty good, and remember the south island gets colder earlier than the north island (for obvious reasons) at the end of the summer. But its pot luck. We don't have the same land mass the US does (Jeez, that's a landmass! I rode it coast to coast last year) so we're a lot more open to weather fluctuations. If its temperature you're worried about, Feb is the hottest month of the summer. If its rain, all you can do is gear up for it, cos chances are you'll get some, whenever you come over.

I hope you make it out here. I experienced some incredible hospitality while on my USA ride last summer, from a great many people, and if I have a chance to pay it forward by response, I always will, so get in touch if you're coming over. You might be interested to know that I shipped my bike out of Long Beach thru an independent shipping agent based in New Zealand for $600 $NZ plus 12.5% tax (around $US 400), when I was coming home, which was less than half of what any other agency wanted, and I can give you the details of the importaning agent if you're of a mind to bring your own bike out here. You'll have to make different arrangements for getting it back home again if you did (and I can soooooo tell you who NOT to use for that!!! I can give you my blog details if you want the full horror story of what happened when I did it), but it may still be cheaper than buying something over here.

PM me if you want to, and let me know what info you specifically need. I have a load of resources to contact after doing this myself (albeit in reverse) last year, which might be of real help to you. I can also put you in touch with my mates out in Arkansas who came out here and had the kiwi experience, which you may find helpful too. Above all else, don't be at all intimidated by the process of coming over to ride around NZ. There's definitely a way to make it work, whichever way you want to do it, and it will be worth the effort.