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Biking Trip Of A Lifetime - Nz17


Skids

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Must have missed this thread, glad you gave it a bump. I was lucky enough to take a three week motorcycle ride of the South Island in March of last year, starting in Nelson and basically riding counter-clockwise. You and Mrs. Skids are in for a great trip! In addition to what has already been recommended, I would add:

 

I brought my geeky Aerostich full suit and it worked great for the conditions. If you're like me, and only stop to put on rain gear after you're soaked, this type of garment comes in handy in NZ.

 

Queenstown is touristy but worth a few days. The ride in from the north by Lakes Wanaka and Hawea is as spectacular as I have ever seen, as is the ride NW from Queenstown to Glenorchy.

 

Hope you like sheep.

 

In Invercargill you have to see the Burt Munro stuff at the museum, but there is also a big display of Munro bikes and many others at the giant hardware store (yes) in town, well worth a visit, see photo.

 

Finally, great roads over all, but as others have noted watch out for the one-way bridges, and the Homer Tunnel on the way to Milford Sound (other photo) was the sketchiest mile of the whole trip.

 

Damn, now you've got me looking at pictures, I want to go back...

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Thanks for that.

 

What exactly do you mean by:

52 minutes ago, St. Stephen said:

I brought my geeky Aerostich full suit and it worked great for the conditions. If you're like me, and only stop to put on rain gear after you're soaked, this type of garment comes in handy in NZ.

 

Is the Aerostich a rain coverall or something else? You've got me slightly confused.

 

Top tip on the Burt Monro museum. Saw the movie with Anthony Hopkins as Monro.....what a bloke he was!

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Skids, here's the link to their site:

 

http://www.aerostich.com/suits/one-piece-suits

 

Basically a year-round one-piece riding suit that is also waterproof. With layering underneath it is good for as cold as you will ride in, and as high as 80-90 degrees F depending on your heat tolerance. Very good armor and abrasion resistance, and you can wear your regular clothes to work underneath. But if you want to look cool you'll probably buy something else! 

 

Hope you have a great trip! 

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51 minutes ago, St. Stephen said:

Skids, here's the link to their site:

 

http://www.aerostich.com/suits/one-piece-suits

 

Basically a year-round one-piece riding suit that is also waterproof. With layering underneath it is good for as cold as you will ride in, and as high as 80-90 degrees F depending on your heat tolerance. Very good armor and abrasion resistance, and you can wear your regular clothes to work underneath. But if you want to look cool you'll probably buy something else! 

 

Hope you have a great trip! 

 

Ah, I see. Looks like a quality piece of kit.

 

But if it's armoured, what do you wear when yr not wearing it? I'm ATGATT so I never ride without armour and if I wore that suit it would mean I'd have 2 layers of armour, wouldn't it? Or have I missed something?

 

Sorry, being a bit slow tonight. :beer:

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U ≠ Π

"Or" not "And"

i.e. one OR the other. Not one AND the other.



With the aerostitch you can wear it like overalls on top of your civis and have atgatt while riding. Remove, leave in topbox and blend in with the crowd, instead of getting around like a member of Star Trek in your riding gear at points of interest.
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I reckon Mr and Mrs Skids adopting me as their son was never considered...... :goofy:

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NZ is a wonderful place, been to north iland in 2006. Would love to go back! Only bad thing is the left side traffic, but that you get used to. Be aware of sheep transportation in uphills, can get nasty as smelling to get to close behind them....

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9 hours ago, Dutchy said:

I reckon Mr and Mrs Skids adopting me as their son was never considered...... :goofy:

 

We're getting rid of child #4 to university in a couple of weeks so there's zero chance of us adopting anyone!  :laughing6-hehe:

 

8 hours ago, keny said:

NZ is a wonderful place, been to north iland in 2006. Would love to go back! Only bad thing is the left side traffic, but that you get used to. Be aware of sheep transportation in uphills, can get nasty as smelling to get to close behind them....

 

That's ok Keny, I'm used to riding on the left!  :wink:

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2 hours ago, Skids said:

 

That's ok Keny, I'm used to riding on the left!  :wink:

Ha, yes, did not look that your from UK :tongue:

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The itinerary looks good Skids, aside from the trip on Day 18 it all looks sensible. The Kenepuru Head road looks to be a long one-way gravel road.

 

February is when the summer weather is (usually) more settled, so I doubt you'll be in for any really cold weather, even on the Haast and Arthur's passes. If anything you might get into the low 30's in and around Otago and Christchurch. Rainy weather is a virtual given  up the West Coast at some point so be prepared. 

 

The Hammer Hardware store in Invercargill with the vintage bike collection is E Hayes & Son, 168 Dee St. 

 

 

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8 hours ago, Terry said:

The itinerary looks good Skids, aside from the trip on Day 18 it all looks sensible. The Kenepuru Head road looks to be a long one-way gravel road.

 

February is when the summer weather is (usually) more settled, so I doubt you'll be in for any really cold weather, even on the Haast and Arthur's passes. If anything you might get into the low 30's in and around Otago and Christchurch. Rainy weather is a virtual given  up the West Coast at some point so be prepared. 

 

The Hammer Hardware store in Invercargill with the vintage bike collection is E Hayes & Son, 168 Dee St. 

 

 

 

Terry, thanks m8.

 

The 18th is flexible. TYRE thinks the going will be very slow but I've read that the first half of the side-roads are tarmac'd so should be a bit quicker but we're flexible and will decide on the day.

 

Thanks for address & weather update too. :beer:

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Looks like you have a great trip planned

We did both islands in Jan last year and had the most amazing time

I could have stayed on that boat at Kaikoura for ever watching the whales

You can't go wrong anywhere on the South Island, it's just beautiful

Wish I could go back, only problem there is I wouldn't come home again

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Really interested in this thread. My wife and I are keen to tour NZ, there's a group here in Oz who will ship a bike over and back for a bit less than it costs to hire one there but I'm considering all options.

 

Please post pictures.

 

JB

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  • 2 months later...
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You're getting closer to your NZ trip so of course I have to post a few more pics to get the blood flowing. These are from March 2015, and as you can see I was on a water-cooled R1200RT. Turned out it was just the right bike since I was not quite moving at a NorCal hooligan pace on this trip. The format left me on my own to go wherever I wished, just had to arrive at the night's lodging in time for dinner. And beer.

 

Below are Glenorchy, Milford Sound (the white spec is a very large boat), Burt's bike w/o fairing, and Mt Cook. And beer.

 

Have fun Skids. And post pics!

 

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Thanks for that. Yes, just under 2 months to go.

 

We need to contact a few b&b's that were in the earthquake affected area to see if they're ok and we may need to re-route as the main east coast road into Christchurch was hit very hard.

 

Will try to post pics but also hoping to have my Fusar helmet cam in time.

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Hi Skids 

I live in Christchurch. You are covering most of the South Island and I am sure you will enjoy it. There are many interesting places to visit along all these roads
so you will have no trouble filling in your days. 

For example earlier this year I revisited the Catlins and saw two waterfalls (one is a 20 minute walk in and the other about 30), I camped overnight on a beach
(twice) and two sea lions arrived both times and slept in the sandhills, I visited two lighthouses (one with seals), and I saw petrified trees which are now part of a
rocky shore...and that's about half of what the Catlins has to offer. And when you get to Invercargill you can spend an hour or two in E Hayes and Son's shop
looking at Bert Munro's Indian along with a lot of other motorbikes and memorabilia. There is also a motorcycle museum which has just moved there from
Nelson (another 2 hours) as well as a great truck museum ( another 2 hours).

NZ Frenzy,  available from http://www.nzfrenzy.com/ for $19.95  is what I use when planning a trip. It's a pdf. Get the South Island edition....you won't be
disappointed. Your problem will be what to leave out.

I see that you are aware that the recent 14 November earthquakes along the Kaikoura Coast have made the route from Blenheim to Kaikoura to Christchurch
impassable due to large slips. It will not be open for many months so you need to revise that section. The route from Blenhiem is now St Arnaud - Murchison -
Springs Junction - Culverden - Christchurch. I will not be pleasant as lots of large trucks now also use this route. So take care.

The Molesworth http://www.doc.govt.nz/molesworth may provide you with an alternative but it also is currently closed with no indication as to when it will reopen.
It is the South Islands greatest adventure...about 180kms of gravel road through completely isolated back country. You will have to carry enough fuel to get you
to Hanmer Springs at the southern end. It is normally open during the summer months. It is on my bucket list and I had intended to do it this summer.

February is our warmest month (usually). I wear a gore-tex type jacket and trousers with liners. On a hot summers day I take the liners out, and wear a tee shirt
and shorts underneath. As it cools I add a skivvie, sweat shirt and long trousers, and finally a neck sock. I carry wet weather gear as you will strike rain
sometime. Wet gloves are a pain so I have bought rubber overgloves but I haven't used them yet. I have heated grips but I wouldn't expect to use them much
during February.

The sandflies on the West Coast are bad, but I use Bushman 80% Deet and I don't then have any problems. I get it at our local chemist in Christchurch.

Best wishes and have a safe trip.

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1 hour ago, mobikie said:

Hi Skids 

I live in Christchurch. You are covering most of the South Island and I am sure you will enjoy it. There are many interesting places to visit along all these roads
so you will have no trouble filling in your days. 

For example earlier this year I revisited the Catlins and saw two waterfalls (one is a 20 minute walk in and the other about 30), I camped overnight on a beach
(twice) and two sea lions arrived both times and slept in the sandhills, I visited two lighthouses (one with seals), and I saw petrified trees which are now part of a
rocky shore...and that's about half of what the Catlins has to offer. And when you get to Invercargill you can spend an hour or two in E Hayes and Son's shop
looking at Bert Munro's Indian along with a lot of other motorbikes and memorabilia. There is also a motorcycle museum which has just moved there from
Nelson (another 2 hours) as well as a great truck museum ( another 2 hours).

NZ Frenzy,  available from http://www.nzfrenzy.com/ for $19.95  is what I use when planning a trip. It's a pdf. Get the South Island edition....you won't be
disappointed. Your problem will be what to leave out.

I see that you are aware that the recent 14 November earthquakes along the Kaikoura Coast have made the route from Blenheim to Kaikoura to Christchurch
impassable due to large slips. It will not be open for many months so you need to revise that section. The route from Blenhiem is now St Arnaud - Murchison -
Springs Junction - Culverden - Christchurch. I will not be pleasant as lots of large trucks now also use this route. So take care.

The Molesworth http://www.doc.govt.nz/molesworth may provide you with an alternative but it also is currently closed with no indication as to when it will reopen.
It is the South Islands greatest adventure...about 180kms of gravel road through completely isolated back country. You will have to carry enough fuel to get you
to Hanmer Springs at the southern end. It is normally open during the summer months. It is on my bucket list and I had intended to do it this summer.

February is our warmest month (usually). I wear a gore-tex type jacket and trousers with liners. On a hot summers day I take the liners out, and wear a tee shirt
and shorts underneath. As it cools I add a skivvie, sweat shirt and long trousers, and finally a neck sock. I carry wet weather gear as you will strike rain
sometime. Wet gloves are a pain so I have bought rubber overgloves but I haven't used them yet. I have heated grips but I wouldn't expect to use them much
during February.

The sandflies on the West Coast are bad, but I use Bushman 80% Deet and I don't then have any problems. I get it at our local chemist in Christchurch.

Best wishes and have a safe trip.

 

Thanks m8, that's exactly the kind of information I have been looking for.

 

Unfortunately, the bike we are hiring is not a dirt road bike, it's a 6th Gen VFR, so we'll be sticking to tarmac'd surfaces but thanks for the head's ups! :beer:

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mobikie

 

Can you confirm that Kaikoura is basically cut-off to road traffic from Blenheim to the north & Christchurch to the south?

 

I'm awaiting replies from our accommodation and the whale-watching trip company that we've booked with but it's not looking good right now and I think we'll have to revise our final couple of nights.

 

Does anyone know of anywhere else where we can go whale/dolphin etc watching on North Island?

 

Cheers.

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We've had a prompt e-mail reply from our accommodation in Kaikoura and they are open as usual. They say the southern road to Christchurch should be open by Xmas but they don't know about the northern road down from Blenheim. All that means is a longer day for us as we'll have to divert inland in order to get to Kaikoura.

 

Hopefully, our whale watching in Kaikoura will be ok too.

 

Good news that they all sound ok.

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The Blenheim Kaikoura road is severely damaged and said to be out of action for 6-12 months. The inland Kaikoura road is also badly damaged and slowly being fixed. 300 rental cars trapped in Kaikoura have just been evacuated, and road use is currently restricted. The government is keen to get the tourism business in Kaikoura back on its feet so lots of effort going on that road. Whale watching has resumed but harbour access has reduced due to the sea floor rising by 2m, and access is limited to around high tide until dredging can be done.


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8 hours ago, Terry said:

The Blenheim Kaikoura road is severely damaged and said to be out of action for 6-12 months. The inland Kaikoura road is also badly damaged and slowly being fixed. 300 rental cars trapped in Kaikoura have just been evacuated, and road use is currently restricted. The government is keen to get the tourism business in Kaikoura back on its feet so lots of effort going on that road. Whale watching has resumed but harbour access has reduced due to the sea floor rising by 2m, and access is limited to around high tide until dredging can be done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Awesome, thanks m8. :beer:

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3 hours ago, mobikie said:

I guess you are getting info on the access to Kaikoura from those you have booked with, but in case you aren't this link tells us the road from Christchurch to Kaikoura is now open to traffic.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/87823887/state-highway-1-south-of-kaikoura-reopens

 

Thanks m8, yes, I check the Transport Agency website and saw that. It must a heck of a repair job going on and it sounds like they've done a really good job.

 

We can now access Kaikoura and our booked accommodation was not severely affected but the harbour is still the issue where the sea bed rose around 2metres making it too shallow for the larger boats. They are able, on occasion at high tide, to get boats out but they need to dredge the channel to allow routine access and we are waiting for updates on that.

 

Thanks for the update though.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Just over 2 weeks to go.

 

Transferred the routes across to the TomTom and have started printing out the route books from TYRE so we have back-ups in case the sat nag fails. It's just the little details now so we've started a list then we don't forget. Have to go to Post Office this weekend and order some NZ $ & Singapore $.

 

Excited? Moi?  :cheerleader:

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