Greetings from the northern colony

[Yiet]

M wife and I will be touring NZ in the month of January 2010, trying to escape the worst of our Canadian winters. We plan to ride the north island for about 1 week and the south for 2 weeks. The balance of the time we will be looking to rent a self-contained unit in an area with lots of tourist activity options. I've got requests in with a number of rental companies for quotes on bikes.

I've done some reading of the info here and you all have been very helpful already. I have a few questions that I am hoping to get your help on:

1) Is there a good map, tour route on paper or gps that would be recommended?
2) Do we need to book all accommodation in advance or is it easy to obtain rooms along the route?
3) We will have about two weeks without the bike (perhaps a car instead) and want to stay at one or two places to explore, hike, relax. From research so far Nelson and Akaroa seems like possibles. Which locations would you recommend?

Cheers

[CookMySock]

We plan to ride the north island for about 1 week and the south for 2 weeks. The balance of the time we will be looking to rent a self-contained unit in an area with lots of tourist activity options. I've got requests in with a number of rental companies for quotes on bikes.

Three weeks riding will indeed cover most of the country. There should be plenty of accomodation on-route, EDIT: Oh JANUARY er yeah book ahead.

1) Is there a good map, tour route on paper or gps that would be recommended?
2) Do we need to book all accommodation in advance or is it easy to obtain rooms along the route?
3) We will have about two weeks without the bike (perhaps a car instead) and want to stay at one or two places to explore, hike, relax. From research so far Nelson and Akaroa seems like possibles. Which locations would you recommend?

1.) Someone will recommend a good paper touring guide, but if it were me I would take some electronic device with GPS and maybe google maps.

2.) There should be accomodation everywhere along the main route (edit: but book ahead in January), and some really cool little places off the beaten track if you have time to fossick around - you will meet more people this way.

3.) This will be the tough one to help you with. You will find some area that you adore. Be it Nelson, Rotorua, The Far North, Coromandel, or whatever.. you will know it when you see it. Any of these areas are motorcycle-friendly - particularly for a larger dual-purpose/adventure bike, where you can really get off the beaten path, ir coromandel peninsular. You can't take a motorcycle on many of the walks.

Tell us more about what you like, and we can perhaps be more specific re: question 3.

Welcome to NZ. The hardest part will be going home.

Steve

[Radar]

January is peak tourist time (local and overseas tourists, first 2 weeks the most), so it is best to book your accommodation in advance. It depends though on what type of accomodation - you can usually find backpackers and motels a day ahead or even up to early afternoon on the day you want to stay. I would advise you to book your first night or two, then book the rest a day before or in the morning. As DB says above, local events can fill up all accommodation but if you go far enough you will find something. Join Couchsurfing - it is legit, safe, free, and has over 1 million members worldwide. I advised another Canadian KiwiBiker to join Couchsurfing (Dan) and he made a special trip to my home to say thanks as he had terrific experiences with Couchsurfers.

The Nelson area is good for your plans. Akaroa is a special, unique place but maybe not for a week. Also consider the central North Island, National Park - Taupo - Rotorua; there is enough to see, do and hike to keep you busy for weeks.

You will find plenty of information here on KB by doing a search to see what other travelers have found to be best.

[Beemer]

You'd be welcome to stay a few nights with us (see the first thread in this forum).

I'd also recommend the Coromandel and Bay of Islands - both beautiful places whether on two wheels or not.

My brother-in-law has just left Canada after a year-long firefighter's exchange visit, living in Guelph and working in Kitchener. The photos of the snow drifts certainly made for some interesting viewing!

[Blackbird]

1) Is there a good map, tour route on paper or gps that would be recommended?

Get: http://www.aucklandmapcentre.co.nz/d...cycle_atlas.sm. It also gives the "grin rating" for all the major motorcycling routes. This is all you really need although Lonely Planet is good for side activities.

Some south island pictures here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHDgmYTqYsA

Cheers,

Geoff

[Yiet]

Thanks very much for all the great advice. This is a dream trip I've been plotting since the 70s so I need no selling on how great it will be.

Geoff, I've ordered the motorcycle atlas. Thanks very much for the link. I can't believe I missed this in all my research to date.

Beemer, that's a most generous offer and we'll get in touch as our plans firm up.

Some of the motorcycle rental places offer help with accommodation and it sounds like the easiest way is to get their help for a modest fee.

Can I ask what GPS data maps you all use? I have a Lowrance XOG that does not seem to have any maps for your area and a Garmin that is difficult to transport and may be difficult to power on a rental bike. What works best for you?

Also, an option for the off motorbike weeks may be to rent a camper van and tour about on that. Does that also require advance reservations or can you rough camp on vacant land in a pinch?

Cheers, Gerry

[CookMySock]

Can I ask what GPS data maps you all use? I have a Lowrance XOG that does not seem to have any maps for your area and a Garmin that is difficult to transport and may be difficult to power on a rental bike. What works best for you?

I'd just buy a cheapie GPS navigator from a local retail store. Sell it on trademe when you are done with it, or give it away.

Also, an option for the off motorbike weeks may be to rent a camper van and tour about on that. Does that also require advance reservations or can you rough camp on vacant land in a pinch?

There are many places you can legally park your camper overnight for no charge. The camper company should provide you a list of these places. If you mean in a tent, yes you can do this as well, but you should take care where you pitch it. You will almost certainly need to book a camper in advance in January. A four-wheel-drive camper will get you off the beaten track a bit, if you can find one. Sometimes your insurance will not cover any off-road travel.

Steve