Where is the best riding in NZ? (buckw65)

[slofox]

Wellington makes me claustrophobic.

AND the Wellington fault is a little...errr...overdue for a lurch.....

[Monie]

The best riding in NZ is the South Island.Good roads,little traffic and of course the friendly locals.

we just did parts of the south island over xmass and it was mint the roads are bliss.. we have just done the east cape over the weekend and that was bliss... move to the north and you can holiday in the south cause too cold in winter and lots of snow so less time to ride...

[gammaguy]

Heh. Well played. You just made some instant friends.

And without making any instant enemies, either; Aucklanders are pretty much used to people from the rest of NZ not liking their town.

Which is kinda weird. Auckland's fifth on the Mercer Quality of Living global city rankings. And the traffic, Auckland's only drawback, really doesn't signify if you're on a motorcycle.

Oh well, takes all sorts, I guess. Wellington makes me claustrophobic. Always the hills bearing down on you. I like to live around geography that makes me feel as though I can breathe deep and get some elbow room, y'know?

i live in the south island,and as such am expected to hate auckland.

truth is i love it,the weather is mostly awesome,the roads around the area are great if you know where to go and avoid the rush hour traffic,and all the people i have met have made me feel welcome.

and anyway,who rides the motorways for fun?leave them to the cars,and head for the hills and beaches!

truth is ,most of NZ is pretty awesome for a bike,with some standouts being the coromandel peninsula,banks peninsula(where i live)and pretty much most of the south island except some of the more straight boring parts of the canterbury plains.

you will love it im sure!

[slofox]

I have lived and ridden in many parts of NZ - North and South Islands both.
Truth to tell, there is good riding in most areas.
Canterbury can be boring if you stay on the plains but go inland a little towards the Alps and things change - or North Canterbury into the Ashley area....
Northland has some great riding as well, through the centre there are some ace roads...
Currently in the Waikato and finding plenty of interesting roads of all sorts - not too far to serious twisties, some great long sweeping roads, sealed or unsealed, take your pick.
At worst, you are never far from interesting riding....

Ahhh sorry gammaguy - I see I have just repeated some of what you posted - perhaps repetition will add emphasis!

[Sully60]

Keep the rubber side down [/I]

Depends on the part of the Hutt you're talking about. I commute from Upper Hutt to home (Grenada Village, back Norf of Wellington central on SH1) in the morning rush hour. It's a similar distance to going into town and it takes me between 30 and 40 minutes at the moment because of the major roadworks on SH2, lane splitting surprisingly seems to make little difference as I can sometimes get these times in the car.
From Lower Hutt you should be able to cut ten or fifteen minutes off that time, again depending on which part you've come from.

As you would've seen on the maps there's only one direct route from Wellington to the Hutt so if that gets blocked for whatever reason add about 3/4 of an hour to an hour to go 'around the block'.

These all assume that you don't take some of the alternative (twisty) routes along the western side of SH 1 and 2, going home can become a very enjoyable experience and you'll wonder where all the time went

[toebug]

Hey toebug;
I've been riding for 30 years of so. How hard would it be for me to keep my CBR1000RR???
Can you tell me how long that Hutt/Wellington trip would take in peak traffic??? This might give me an idea where I would like to live.

Yes you can keep your CBR, its perfect for NZ roads. Probably 30-40 minutes in peak hour Hutt to Wellington.

It is a great party town with lots of arty and alternative people so a cool place to live but the weather is tempermental, but not unbearable. Its less crowded than Auckland and you are always near water.

[Paul in NZ]

Everything is a trade off, no matter where you live! But honestly I can't think of a place in NZ thats more than an hour from some totally fun roads...

Best place to ride in NZ?? Inside your helmet...

[Sully60]

Inside your helmet...

NZ is a sweaty place!

[Paul in NZ]

NZ is a sweaty place!

Not to mention thinly populated by intelligence and foliage...

[buckw65]

Hey guys; Thanks for all the information. I think that Wellington sounds like the place for me. But it sounds like just about anywhere is good. My wife recorded a program on NZ the other night. It is just so nice and green there. She has relatives in Australia, but I told her that green is in, not brown and dusty. She like NZ as well, after watching the show.
Hey one of the guys I know, knows a New Zealander in the plant that I work at. He says he’s a nice chap and a bike rider too. I’m going to chat to him some time next week.
So how does this motorcycle licensing thing work there??? Is it a displacement thing???
Do you have a location for the World Superbike race???


Keep the rubber side down

[fire eyes]

hello & welcome

I agree .. go to NZ!!!!!!!!

[toebug]

So how does this motorcycle licensing thing work there??? Is it a displacement thing???
Do you have a location for the World Superbike race???

There are 3 stages to the licence here.

1. learners licence, ride a 250cc or less and no pillians plus many more restrictions. The length of time this lasts for depends on age and if you do a defensive riding course.

2. Restricted licnece, not too much different from the learners.

3. Full licence, go hard!

If you already have a full licence, you may be able to just have if converted without having to do too much, maybe you'll just have to sit the full licence test. This is only a short road ride where you are followed and they make sure you observe to road rules. easy really