Dunedin To Whangarei in June 09

[ReeDaa]

Im riding from Dunedin to Whangarei at the beginning of June and wanted to know if anyone has done this trip. Id appreciate any info/suggestions/advise re road conditions, short cuts etc. Im planning to get to Whangarei in 5 days.

[CookMySock]

That will be an awesome ride. The only thing I can think of, is you might get a sore back or sore bum on your cruiser, but if you are well-seasoned on your bike then you will be fine.

You might want to drop a wee bit of pressure out of your tyres so they are not so rigid and chattery on the road - that might help your endurance a bit.

For such a long trip, following the state highway is probably your only option. Experienced bikers will howl in dissapproval, but I think you would be much safer on the beaten track, than trail-blazing somewhere.

Consider also, if the weather is cold, avoiding the Taupo / Central North Island area and going via Taranaki. The roads are still perfectly fine, but you remove the possibility of slippery conditions near the mountains.

edit: use the higher octane fuel - it gives much better range, so you are not so concerned with refilling all the time.

Remember if you have some problem somewhere, to post on KB right away, and at the very least you will be in some KBer's nice warm lounge and your bike in their shed for the night.

Steve

[STJim]

Sticking to the main roads sounds like good advice.
I would suggest that you allow a 2 days to get to Picton,crossing on the morning of the 3rd day.
On the thrid day try and get to Wanganui. From there if the weather is good take State Highway 4 through Taumarunui. Try and make Hamilton for the end of the forth day.
From Hamilton to Whangarei is a relaxed days trip apart from the 60 kms bash up the Motorway through Auckland.
If you need accomodation don't hesitate to ask. We would be happy to put you up in Hamilton.
Cheers and good luck

[CRM]

I did Dunedin to Whangarei in 2 and a bit weeks mostly travelling just mornings including some off days and took all the loops and interesting roads I could and it was about 4000km.

Google maps says its 1592km if you go direct (SH4 route as suggested) and should take 26hrs if you didn't stop. That works out at 318km/day or 5.2 hours riding per day - so definately doable. I actually enjoyed the days with the longer rides more than the 2-3 hour ones. I guess the main issue in June will be the possible cold so get the thermals and the waterproofs and good gloves (I thought mine were good but even with thermal liners my hands froze a few cold mornings in March).

The main thing is don't rush, stop at every interesting spot and take photos. Only speed if you want to not because you have to and enjoy !!

[BMWST?]

Its only NZ mate!
I did Queenstown to Wellington in one day on a ducati 900 s2 including a service in CHCH....So its doeable in two days but two big days for sure..Four days would be easy but i would be keen to do some exploring.Seriuosly consider heated handgrips for Winter tripping!As previusly mentioned keep an eye on the weather for the desert road ,its a mixed blessing,quite a good windy road and view of the mountains,but can be boring if there is lots of traffic and of course snow could make it a bit dodgy!Taranaki or Hawkwes bay are detours

[Nasty]

Im riding from Dunedin to Whangarei at the beginning of June and wanted to know if anyone has done this trip. Id appreciate any info/suggestions/advise re road conditions, short cuts etc. Im planning to get to Whangarei in 5 days.

Wow that will be an intense trip ... sounds like fun though ... I will send you a PM with my details ... happy to have a yarn about how to get you where you need to go.

[Balu]

Remember to be careful going thru north canterbury ,especially the Gretra Valley and the Hunderlees. I rode thru there yesterday morning on my way back to Auckland from Christchurch with the temp in the Greta valley at -1.

[hayd3n]

its gonna be a cold one but if you've got the gear DO IT
ohh dont for get strops for the ferry

[caseye]

Sounds like theres a few very experienced folk out there who are freely offering their opinions. Enjoy the ride and take as much time as it takes, give your self a day or so each side of your trip/schedule/
Dangereous had a great idea, if in trouble get to the net, I'd put you up and house the bike if it was required, no worries at all.Main thing, ENJOY.

[Dodgyiti]

Be warm, as many layers as you can get under your safety gear should be packed. A rain suit- one or 2 piece is good, then if its really pissing down you wear the rain gear over the top and your riding gear will be dry for the next day even if it is waterproof it will still be wet on the outer layer plus the rain suit drys super fast and will take a small bite out of the cold as well.
A visor antifog system is a must either an insert or sprays will do. Remember it could rain the whole time. Also on that note, never trust touring luggage, put all your clothes in zip lock bags just in case, same with cell phones, chargers, cameras etc
Plan your trip through the problem areas (the ones where ice are a worry if it's not raining) like central routes- desert road, Taumaranui etc for after 10am.
The amount of time you have allowed is plenty for any unforseen things.

And as mentioned, a few friendly contacts along the way just in case. I am not in agreement with anything other than the factory spec tyre pressures though...And watch out for 'staying with friends' - the bastards keep you up all night if you let them!

Should be an awesome first big trip, even if its cold and wet you will be dry, warm and have good visibility if you prepare well.

[jafar]

Im riding from Dunedin to Whangarei at the beginning of June and wanted to know if anyone has done this trip. Id appreciate any info/suggestions/advise re road conditions, short cuts etc. Im planning to get to Whangarei in 5 days.

If you can get some heated grips & carry spare woollen socks & sweatshirts, wet & cold will kill the ride for you real fast.Thermal linings or even old skool woollen underwear could be useful.
Pack your stuff into plastic bags, bigblacksacks (the rubbish bags) are ideal & cheap as chips, they can be used for their intended purpose when you have finished with them.
Always plan to travel in daylight, if you can't make your destination well before dusk then you may have a problem.
Change your motel booking if you feel the need, better to lose $40.00 on the motel you couldn't get to than to crash or get lost trying to get there on roads your not familiar with.
Work on 350ish k's per day, that will give you time to stop & check out stuff along the way & still make reasonable progress.
Check your tyre pressures in the morning when they are cold, if you do this near an air pump then you can adjust them easily. While your looking @ the tyres check them over for cuts, tread depth etc. checking your chain once in a while to make sure it is lubed & the correct tension is a good idea especially on a longish trip.

Relax & take it easy, there is no rush, your bike is plenty big enough & powerful enough to handle a trip of this distance. Stay fairly close to the speed limit where you can. You will see a lot more than if you try to push it.
Stop every hour or less if that's how you feel, riding requires more concentration than driving a cage especially if it's raining, so take the break.

Eat regularly, a Fed rider is safer than a hungry one.

Contact someone every day @ the same time, tell them where you are, that you are safe & where you will be calling from the next night. Not only does it stop your mum worrying about you it also means the authorities have a better idea of where to look for you IF you don't make it to your next stop. Searching 350 km of highway is much easier than the entire route you might have taken. Even a text will do.

An AA membership is a good idea, they can get someone to you just about anywhere & it's cheap.