South Island trip NZ

I have just returned form a trip to South Island - all the pics posted at this link http://kiwiland.typepad.com/ for thos interested. Sensational trip and worth every minute. Bikers paradise. Covered app 5500km in 3 weeks with 2000km on dirt.
Cheers
rich

Great pics, its a beautiful country!

Awesome Richard. I'll probably never see NZ (hope I will though)but it was great to see it through the eyes of your good lady and yourself. The South Island looks like a cross between the best parts of Scotland and Norway

Yeah many of the views are "picture postcard perfect" and breathtaking. If you get the chance ......... jump at it.

only 5 weeks to go until im there 3 weeks in total , 1 weeks bike hire on the south island

those 5 weeks had better go quick now ive seen your stunning pics ,

thanks for posting . mike

Where are you planning on riding on South Island ? Type of bike ? You will love it. Just remember to carry warm gear with you ALL the time - thermals - preferably 3 layers beneath your jacket and thermal long johns & neck warmer. The weather changes at the drop of a hat - bloody cold in 20 minutes. Literally. I would never have beleived it.

Have fun.

Rich

hi rich , picking a 1200 gs up from christchur ch , would like to take in mount cook and get down as far as milford sound if possible .Dont really want to stick to any itenery ,Just see how far we get each day

any advice on good routes ,as much stunning scenery as possible with a few mountain passes thrown in for good measure . would be appreciated

have noted your advice re the thermals

cheers mike

DO NOT plan to fill your bike up at Milford Sound. Fill up at Te Anau (pronounced Tay Ar Now).You will get there and back ok. Last i heard petrol (if you could get it) at Milford Sound was about $13.00 per litre!!!

Hi Mike

Apologies for the delayed response. Cool you will have a GS. i am not sure if the hire companies allow/like you to go offroad. There are some really stunning gravel tracks through mountain passes which are a must of you are allowed offroad - Dansey's Pass, Hakataramea Pass (see my photos) which are on the eastern side of the island from Christchurch. Tarseal passes which are a must are the Lewis Pass via Hanmer Springs, Springs junction to Greymouth (east to west or vice versa across the island) and also the Arthurs Pass is a beauty (also from east/west). The west coast road is tarseal all the way down to Queenstown from West port and beautiful scenery. Also takes in the glaciers (Franz Joseph and Fox) - motorcycle paradise. There are various routes from Queenstown to Te Anau - tarseal is ok, but the nicest roads are gravel - Mavora Lakes road, Nevis Road. The Te Anau to Miford road is a beaut- just be careful as it is often wet and there are loads of tourists some of whom forget to drive on the LHS !! Further South the Caitlins from Invercargill to Dunedin is stunning and is tarseal. Centrally there are the Great Lakes - LakeTekapo, Benmore etc. Magic and all tarseal.

There are heaps of lesser know passes too. Get yourself a good road atlas - I use The Motorcycle Atlas of NZ by Peter Mitchell. He has highlighted all the good rtoutes for bikes and has a brief description of each one. Well worth the effort of getting hold of a copy. http://www.mcycle.co.nz/books.htm to order a copy.

You will love it. And don't worry about accomodation - motels always have rooms available as long as you aim to get to your destination before 4 ish in the afternoon. Don't stay at the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers - too bloody expensive as is Queenstown.

Let me know if you need further advice - email me tustinr@xtra.co.nz

Cheers
Rich

One more stunning ride is from Queenstown to Glenorchy along the edge of the lake with snow covered mountains in the background. The blue water !! If you can drive on gravel continue along Paradise rd from Glenorchy for another 30 odd kms. Magic. Also well worth a visit is the Coronet Drive up Coronet peak in Queenstown. The road is a bikers dream and the view is out of this world.

Rich

cheers nigglec and tustinr , just the sort of advice i wanted

we were planning to stay in backpacker hostels mostly , www.bbh.co.nz

with the occasional hotel thrown in .

i will get hold of a copy of that atlas you mentioned ,and ill mail you if i need any more pointers .
counting the days now

thanks again, mike

No worries mate. Let me know if you come unstuck ! You will have a ball.

Rich

Hello fellow GSers...

Hi to everyone in the UK. Just picked up a thread back to ukgser from the BMW Owners Register in New Zealand. Jean-Ann and I managed to escape the daily Ipswich -London grind in 2001, and have been down here in Kiwi hiding (and riding!) from the world quite successfully ever since. Might think about returning (for a visit, of course) once Ipswich Town win the Champion's League! Looking forward to hearing from some like-minded GSers.


Rich- some nice pics. I'm sure you had a memorable trip that you'll be talkin about for years to come. Don't worry, ever forget what it was like would be an excuse to come back and do it all over again!

Cheers Karl

Yeah couldn't agree more. Already planning the next trip !!

Cheers
Rich