Wanted; South Island road trip ideas

[Winston001]

Get off the ferry head around the sounds to Nelson then thru to Westport to Greymouth then thru Arthurs Pass to Oxford hit SH77 to Geraldine then off towards Central , Omarama , Tarras , Alex then to Dunedin, thru the Catlins , Invers to Manapouri to Milford back to Te Anau, Lumsden to Queenstown then to Wanaka . Thru the Haast Pass, Fox to Greymouth then via Nelson Lakes back towards the ferry .
Take some more time off allow 10 - 14 days to enjoy it .

Yeah that is a fine route but you'll spend all of your time on the bikes if you only have a week. The South Island is quite a bit bigger than the NI.

A more doable option is to go to Queenstown instead of Dunedin and then Wanaka, Haast Pass etc. You miss out Alexandra, Dunedin, Balclutha (home of the mighty Scumdog) the Catlins, Southland, Milford Sound etc. That's a shame but it's all still there for another day. IMHO you are better to have comfortable days with time for stops instead of being under pressure.

[LBD]

if i only had a week i would just ride nelson, kaikoura . murchison ,karamea, golden bay... dont try the big loop unless you like 700k days every day!!

And miss the best?....Picton to Te Anau is only 1076 km down the Wet Coast, nice day trip.....

But you must ride Westport to Greymouth, that is nice.

[FJRider]

You miss out Alexandra

Wash your mouth out... no need to swear...

[smoky]

Take some more time off alllow 10 - 14 days to enjoy it .

Unfortunately I only have a week (plus the weekends so about 9 days).
I have a wife and kids at home – this isn't a holiday, it's just getting out and doing some riding.

... dont try the big loop unless you like 700k days every day!!

A week is a bit short for a full loop, ....
You don't want to be riding all day or it may turn into an endurance event
(unless you are into masochism but that's OK too). I broke it up into four or five hour days which gives you time to wander around the places that you stop so there is a chance you will actually remember something about where you've been.

I've done the tourist thing in the South Island a number of times, in a car just doing the main routes, a proper holiday and with plenty of time to enjoy it.
So this is about finding some good riding roads and just riding – a change of scenery to the North Island roads.
A full day riding, nice cafés and then a pub or something in the evening.

When I was a teenager, my girlfriend, two mates and I scorched around the entire South Island (main roads) in 6 days, in my old XP Falcon wagon, sleeping in the back and roughing it a bit – the focus was music, smoking and driving, a real road trip. Most of the West Coast was dirt roads; the people and pubs were fantastic.

You're on a Bandit ... not a BMW.

And...??? I'm not sure what you're getting at.

[Winston001]

Ok, Gunrunners route is a very good guide. There are probably variations here and there which people can suggest. Get the NZ Motorcycle Atlas.

[Hinny]

The great roads imho are:
Queen Charlotte Drive.
Takaka Hill. A good fang.
SH6 south from Motueka. Smooth and fast sweepers.
Road to Karamea. A bit rough at the start but then Woohoo!
The road into Wanaka. Need to go around 140+ to link the curves.... At a guess!
The Crown Range. On the way up heading south there is a section of bitumen that is race track smooth. Fabulous. You will want to retrace your ride and do it again. Kinda kinky on the other side. 15 kph corner is almost right.
Milford road. The track through the bush at the start is great, the scenery is sublime.
Road through the Catlins. Another place with a good track and great scenic beauty. Take the time to do the short walks along the way. If you don't mind gravel visit Curio Bay at Low tide.
Otago peninsular. The road to the Portabello pub used to be our Sunday race track - Student days. Smooth twisties. RD350's used to be the bike to beat.
Track from Dn. to Mt. Cook. Beautiful cruising.
Akaroa and the Port Hills. Round and round we go. Great views.
Arthur's Pass and Lewis Pass. Must do's.
So much to do, so little time.

[FJRider]

And...??? I'm not sure what you're getting at.

Just the bandit is well capable of 700 km days should you want to, some BMW's (or riders) are not able...

[smoky]

Just the bandit is well capable of 700 km days should you want to, some BMW's (or riders) are not able...

They sure are, I’ve done a few 800 klm days and a couple of rides over 1000 in a day, bikes capable but the butt suffers a bit

[FJRider]

Time to get a sheepskin...

[McJim]

Time to get a sheepskin...

Is that what they're calling condoms in Central Otago these days?

[Jantar]

Is that what they're calling condoms in Central Otago these days?

I don't think FJR uses a condom. Incidentally, we had 200% lambing this season.

[FJRider]

Is that what they're calling condoms in Central Otago these days?

Whatever you want to call them.. you can. (I Don't need one ) Its a free country. What do you call them in southland... Mooooooo-reen...

[smoky]

How'd this thread turn into a thread on beastilaity ???

It's suppose to be about riding the South Island, or is that all part of the 'mainland experience'??

[mikeey01]

How'd this thread turn into a thread on beastilaity ???

Blame the scotsman I say!

Unfortunately I only have a week (plus the weekends so about 9 days).
I have a wife and kids at home – this isn't a holiday, it's just getting out and doing some riding..

So many roads..... Soo many choices with toooo many options and sooooo little time............
it's a bitch living in Ducati country sometimes

Should re-name it....... "Welcome to the South Island Ducati Country "

[MTW]

I think Hinny has commented on some excellent roads, IMO my fav's would be the road from Nelson to Lewis Pass (through Murchison) just about the whole thing is excellent and the road's in great cond. And the road from Wanaka to Haast, road that over xmas and loved it. Crown range also good but was raining the day we went through.

Was chatting to my mate who also had his bike down in Wanaka, he did Queenstown to Kingston and recomended avoiding that stretch if poss. He said the road had been ripped up and re-sealed and was pretty bad. That's the same stretch that guy left the road on New Years Day...although to be fair I don't know the complete circumstances on this...it may have had nothing to do with the road. But thought it was worth a mention.

As per another thread on here, be weary of SH75 from Chch to Akaroa, the Police are targeting this stretch.

Have fun.