Will be visiting in early Nov!

[tjhess74]

Hello!  My wife and I will be going to Australia in early Nov to visit some of her family.  We plan on hopping over to NZ for a few days while were there (would be a shame to miss the opportunity!).  I wont have much time, but I plan on renting a bike out of Christchuch and maybe just heading up to Arthurs pass for the day.  Ive looked at rentals at South Pacific Rentals.  They have gear I can rent and Im looking at either a Viffer or Sprint.

Ive read most of the blogs  and info on here, but would like to know if anyone has any other suggestions.  If you had just one day on the South Island, what would you recommend, or am I on the right track?!

Thanks in advance, Tom

[Sport-Touring]

[Orson]

one day would be a travesty  

I'd try for two days. After Arthurs Pass, hang a left at the coast and ride the coastal highway down to Haast, then across the Haast Pass to Queenstown and spend the night  

[tjhess74]

thanks orson!  i know, one day will be near blasphemy...but, im in afghanistan and this trip will be the first time seeing my wife and daughter in awhile, so i have to hold back the selfish rider in me and limit myself to the day.  ill play it by ear, but from what ive seen and read, you are correct in your suggestion...

[raftn]

Understnadable about your time retraints.  Arthurs pass is brillant, You will not regret it.  You will hate giving the bike bcak though!

[tjhess74]

lol raftn, i know youre right!  

[tjhess74]

well, i have it all reserved and planned.  i have one day to do this so its going to be a full day!  im picking up a vfr 800 from south pacific rentals on the morning of Nov 13.  i have a route planned that should be good for an all day run.

from christchurch, ill head up 73 through arthurs pass and onto kumara junction.  from there, its north on 6 and then east on 7 til it hits back to 1, and back into christchurch.

i know there is so much more to see and roads to ride, but this is all about compromise.  im dealing with a very delicate balance of time, money, and family.

despite that, im looking forward to it immensely as riding here has always been a dream of mine!  if anyone has any 'must see/eat' things along the way i would welcome the suggestions.  i would also entertain a different route that fits the 10ish hour time slot.

[Bowtie76]

Timely topic.  I'm heading for Christchurch for a conference the last week of Nov and was thinking about renting a bike for a day or two.

Let me know how it works out.

[tjhess74]

bowtie, i will definately let you know how it goes!   so far i recommend south pacific motorcycle rentals.  they have been very personable on emails and helped me work through some scheduling issues, which included a rental date change.  they have a decent selection of bikes, but seems to get taken quickly, so i suggest reserving soon.  i wanted the sprint, but it was taken already so i am getting a vfr.

if you have a full day, i think my route will be a nice one.  it would be nice if i had more time and could explore more (glaciers, etc).  

[Daniel Kalal]

Just a note that if anybody is arriving at Auckland on the north island, then you can contact Dave Gale and be riding a Guzzi.  Much the better plan...


Meanwhile, this shot is from the Waimakariri River looking west towards Arthur's Pass:


When you've stopped at the small village at the pass, watch out for the glove-eating Kea bird...

[Bowtie76]

bowtie, i will definately let you know how it goes!   so far i recommend south pacific motorcycle rentals.  they have been very personable on emails and helped me work through some scheduling issues, which included a rental date change.  they have a decent selection of bikes, but seems to get taken quickly, so i suggest reserving soon.  i wanted the sprint, but it was taken already so i am getting a vfr.

if you have a full day, i think my route will be a nice one.  it would be nice if i had more time and could explore more (glaciers, etc).  

I'm waiting for the conference schedule to come out before I reserve, but good advice on getting it done early.  I keep forgetting Nov-dec is peak summer for them.

So what route are you looking at.  I've spend a little time and came up with this route: http://g.co/maps/w355n looks like about 8 hours of riding and has me running through a couple of parks.  I want to have a good ride.  But really want to get to see New Zealand since this might be my only chance.

[tjhess74]

daniel, thanks for the pics!  ive heard its beautiful there and you just confirmed it!  ive also read about the birds...they even have insurance against them!  supposedly nothing shy of steel is safe from them.

bowtie,  i listed my route out up in reply #5. its about a 8-9 hour loop. i cant link to a map due to my severely limited internet here in afghanistan.  if you can spare more time, i would go south on a bigger loop, you will definately see more.  i just dont have the time...

EDIT: i was able to get your map to open...your route is almost identical to mine, with you adding a small section on the west coast.  i believe you may want to make that an overnight trip, as there is stuff to see on the coast, like pancake rocks in paparoa natl park.

if i had the time, i would to through arthurs pass to the west coast, but then head south on hwy 6 and see the franz josef glacier. then continue south til hwy 8.  then either up the middle back to christchurch or continue on to the east coast and then back up to christchurch.

either way, i think its going to be a fantastic ride!

[tjhess74]

bowtie, i did the ride and it was absolutely amazing!!!  you will forever regret not reserving at least 1 day for getting out in the countryside.  i did the route that i listed out earlier and with photo stops and such it was about 9.5 hours.  i didnt realize how late the sun stays up there so i was not stopping as much as i wanted to because i didnt want to ride in the dark.  as it turns out, it is light until about 9pm or so, so i had plenty of light left at the end of the ride.  the little addition on the route you made should work out great.  

that route, even though it is not the most scenic on the island, was still absolutely beautiful and spans many different types of landscapes.

south pacific motorcycle rentals was fantastic as well.  they were most accommodating and gave great advice about food, roads, and precautions.  
 
they only allow 350 kilometers per day on short term rentals and my route was 600 +.  it was $120 something dollars for the over mileage, but was worth every penny.  ill post pics in a few days.

i recommend both the rental place and the ride.

[Bowtie76]

Tom,

Glad you had such a good time.

My schedule got screwed up and I just confirmed that I'm flying out to New Zealand on Friday.

I contacted South Pacific Moto about a rental, we will see if they still have anything available.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I'll let you know if it works out.  I'm hoping to pick up the bike monday afternoon and head out find a room along the way and get back Tuesday evening.

Looking forward to your pictures either way.

[tjhess74]

here are a few pics from my ride: