Wonderful Haroon Sir..I planned to visit New Zealand on motorbike and travel with almost same itenary. But it didn't worked out.Waiting for more

Cheers
Biru

Sure Shivanshu & Sunil. I shall give the break down. In general terms NZ is marginally expensive but the beauty of the place and enjoyment factor will make up for it.




Thanks Biru. I just read you are returning back. NZ is really an experience in itself. Anyway keep the fire alive.

Going up on the Gondola



The standard curios shop on the peak















For some more serious adventure

















Tearing up motorcycle seats is his favourite hobby- The Kea Parrot.













After our fun with nature, we return back to Queenstown city center for a nice lunch of Turkish kebabs in one of the malls there. A relatively busy mall in NZ, forgot the name.





















Another rider on the S10




















The crazy jet boat that does 360 deg turns during its blasting run thru the river

















































After spending some time there we start our return journey downwards. The ride is again a delight to the senses but one has to be careful due to the general nature of NZ tarmac which is loosely compacted, thereby leaving small debris on curves & switchbacks which can take away the much needed traction. We come down and merge onto the Rte 6 and head to Arrowtown, built on the banks of the Arrow river, which was a gold mining town back in the day with a rich historic past, but now is a quaint & charming hamlet. We visit the local Lakes District Museum that is packed full of intriguing information revealing the early social & cultural history of the Wakatipu region. At the basement studio, Mrs & Mr Adventure also have ourselves snapped in the bygone era!







































This nice lady sold some of the best ever tasting garden fresh cherries











We head back to Queenstown thru Arthers Point on some wonderfully well manicured tarmac of Rte 6 with nice curves & long sweepers. End the day with a mouth watering veggie dinner at a nice Indian restaurant called Tandoori Palace in downtown.









With 3 million people & 60 million sheep in NZ, another obligatory pic



























Short riding day- So distance travelled 84 kms

Day-5 19 December (Queenstown to Fox Glacier)






After another heavy breakfast, we tank up the bike and leave Queenstown & its wonderful memories behind to move north westerly and make our way towards the west coast of the South Island. We have to backtrack to Wanaka climbing the steep Alpine Route.


























After Wanaka, we continue on Rte 6 and branch left onto another scenic road where Lake Hawea gives us company on the right for some distance after which the picturesque Lake Wanaka accompanies us on our left. The twisty curvy road along the lake is a bikers delight, however there are bold warnings in place specially for motorcyclists due to the very high crash rates recorded on this beautiful but treacherous stretch of asphalt. Infact, I & wife said a prayer or two at the start of this section of road to make sure the fun remains under control at all times. On many of those tight & twisty stretches, while its enjoyment mode for me as the rider, I could imagine it would be a different experience for the pillion rider who has to lean & weave with the rider, with no handlebars to hold on and an increasing heart rate means its hug-your-hubby-tight mode for her!!


















Now thats not a warning you want to take lightly!
















Minor Landslide and another roadside attraction
















































We continue to cruise on before we briefly come face to face with the blue waters of the mighty & magnificent Tasman Sea on our left. After that our Rte 6 deviates a little inland passing Lake Moeraki, Lake Paringa & Jacobs River before dropping us off into the small & silent town of Fox Glacier, our base for tonight.


















The trademark leaf of the Kiwis










Some tourists seem to have left a ‘lasting impression’!
















We check into the Westhaven B&B and quickly unload our panniers and immediately head to see the glacier (or what is left of it now). Its just out of town, but the last 300 odd meters is pure gravel to the parking area and I am careful with the RT with so much of Tupperware to take care….. I look around and fortunately don’t see any signs of the dreaded Kea Parrot a.k.a Mr. Seat shredder…From the parking lot its an interesting 2-3 km trek by foot thru rocky terrain to the base of the glacier surrounded by bare razor sharp mountains on all sides. Its a scene to behold. Here we ask a Japanese gentleman to take our picture and soon learn that he, Mr. Sato is the tour guide of a visiting Japanese group. More on Sato-san later…










Warning against two different kinds of crooks

















The glacier, rather what is left of it after global warming…







From the glacier we head to the nearby Lake Matheson which is renowned to produce the perfect mirror image of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman in its still waters. There we came across some professional photographers with their high-tech DSLR camera equipment, filters, heavy duty tripod, insect protection masks etc trying to get the most crispy pics of the place, but Mrs & Mr Adventure decided our simple point & shoot camera should do it for us. They gave us a funny look that reminded me of an old Indian Fevicol adhesive ad where a classy gentleman with high-tech fishing gear is waiting with bait but no catch, while a simpleton nearby applies some adhesive on a stick, dips it in water and pulls it out with some fish stuck to it and walks away a content man…











Its closing time and as we prepare to leave, Mr. Sato-san and his group are also here! Anyways, we bid farewell to him, watch a magnificent sunset near Lake Matheson and hurry back into town and settle for a nice local dinner at this restaurant with wonderful ambience called the ‘Last Kitchen’.












Its been a long tiring day and naturally we just drop flat into bed and call it a day.

Distance travelled 364 kms

Beautiful Haroon I am stuck to this thread, keep it up

Day-6 20 December (Fox Glacier to Greymouth)







After a simple breakfast served in the room, we loaded up & fuelled the bike and made a late start. We continue to head northwards along the west coast accompanied by an old friend- the Rte 6, which is determined to stay with us for a while.
















Along the way we pass Franz Josef, Whataroa, Harihari with lots of beautiful & thick foliage flanking either side of the road. The roads are mostly straight with a few twists & turns thrown in to make up for an enjoying ride for yours sincerely & his long haired general who is busy with her cameras.

















































Bikes from Great Britain






























The unique single track rail & road bridge!







A few kms after Kumara we take a side trip to the right to Shantytown, which is a re-creation of an old gold-rush town from the 19^th century with attractions including a running steam train, gold panning, chinatown, sawmill, holographic theater, museum and church.
























































































We soon embark on the 20 minute well marked pedestrian loop walk that takes us thru this attraction. The spectacular rocks look like giant pancakes stacked on top of each other, while the blowholes are a series of rock cave formations thru which at high tide the water gushes & splaches creating a blow-up effect. The sights & sounds of this place is a heavenly treat to the senses. From the high vantage point, simply watching the massive Tasman Sea in all its glory itself is so gratifying.

























After this soul soothing experience, we head back to Greymouth on the same beautiful road (it was like one giant action replay) and check into the Kingsgate Hotel in Greymouth.


























Distance travelled 279 kms

Day-7 21 December (Greymouth to Christchurch) Last day & final leg












The route took us back thru Parao and then crossing the Taramakau river on the unique single lane railway-on-road bridge. By now as anticipated there is a small drizzle. From Kumara Junction we branch left on Route 73 that will take us towards Christchurch. We then pass the town of Kumara, which used to be a prominent gold mining center in the late 1800s but now stands as a bleak reminder of its glory days with very few inhabitants visible today.






















































With a full tank we then start our downward descend and as we are now heading thru some more scenic surroundings towards the plains of the Canterbury region, we are getting a moving glimpse of typical New Zealand weather where one can experience all 4 seasons in a single day! Across the plains far ahead we can see the sun slowly shinning its way towards us with clearer skies, while one look behind us and the dark clouds are still as intimidating as it has been. So New Zealand weather is dancing gangnam style I guess!!







































Naomi. We had a good chat on touring & other aspects of biking in NZ & Australia and then went our separate ways.




















Aussie riders, Paul & daughter Katherine






We cruise along further on Route 73 passing Sheffield, Kirwee & Yaldhurst getting closer to our approach to Christchurch. The Canterbury region is mostly flat with lots of farming along the road. The green carpet on either side of the road is a treat to the eyes and very soothing.



















Since the International Antarctic Center is located out of town, wifey suggested why not finish that today since we still had some time on hand and anyway have the bike at our disposal. Mr GPS faithfully takes us there. In all our riding gear, Mrs & Mr Adventure could have easily been mistaken for authentic Antarctic researchers and hence we decided it was best to hire a locker and leave our gear there! We take a bargain ticket that enables us to visit the displays with the limited time available. Especially with the amount of untiring research happening on that continent in hostile weather conditions, it was a thoroughly entertaining & educational experience with the Blizzard Room which mimics the brute force of mother nature in sub-zero temperatures in Antarctica making it the highlight. Although our blizzard experience lasts a few minutes, the actual thing sometimes lasts non-stop for upto 3 days on the icy continent. Well worth the visit.










Yes, the last one on the wish list is my hand writing!













With specially provided clothing for the Antarctic Blizzard experience








This is the permanent US aircraft hanger at Christchurch airport (opp the Antarctic center) from where man & cargo are transported to the icy continent


















Earthquake effects- This building like many others are being pulled down for safety reasons




The Grange motel
























Yes, thumbs up on completing yet another wonderful dream ride





Ofcourse, for me the trip is not complete as I still have another 25kms of riding enjoyment to return the bike to the rental shop, which I do the next morning. As a bonus, Mike as promised earlier gives me the keys to their Triumph Bonneville T100 that belongs to his wife Carole, to take it for a nice ride outside their place on the countryside. The bike really impressed me inspite of the fact that I was just coming off an absolutely marvelous sport touring bike like the RT. With Triumph planning to set up a factory in India, I think I will sometime in the near future add a triumph Bonnie to my stable. A very enjoyable steed.


My smile should say it all for my short rendezvous with the Bonnie T100




Bye bye my sweetheart Naomi (she was a wonderful companion on this trip)







Ride safe.

Haroon & Farzana
www.rideforpassion.com

Great Haroon sir, once again a great ride and a wonderful travelogue , hope I'll meet you sometime and want to discuss a lot with you..

Just completed reading the full log. Downloaded a few pics to show my dad. He's skeptical me touring long distances on a bike. Yet, with a heavy heart he allows me!
I bet your travelogues shall bring him some peace of mind.

I just have one word for you and bhaabhi - WOW!

Thanks Surendran and glad you liked it. I am hoping to keep a bike in India and do some local trips and meet up with many of you.

Thanks Divya. Have conveyed it to Farzana also.
As for your dad, dont worry, for me at 44 yrs of age, my mom still gets all worked up when I tell her I am going for a ride

Regarding Shivanshu & Sunilg's query on the bike rental, in NZ the formalities are pretty simple but generally things are marginally costly. You have to be above 25 years of age. The regular Indian bike license is fine (you dont need an international license). The rental for 7 days cost me about NZ$ 1,900 including GPS rental @ NZ$ 10 per day (since I did not have NZ maps in my own GPS and buying a new NZ map from Garmin was costlier, so I rented the GPS). When you rent the bike, they pre-authorize a security deposit of an additional NZ$ 3,000 for insurance excess, but do not charge it to your card unless you damage the bike. Therefore, your liability is max limited to NZ$ 3,000. If its a small item broken, they will only charge the cost of replacing that item. In any case it does not exceed NZ$ 3,000. Their regular insurance has medical coverage in case of accident (god forbid), but NZ has clear laws that the govt takes care of all medical expenses but you cant sue anybody for 'damages & compensation' like USA. As for the choice of bike, I preferred the R1200RT mainly coz we are riding 2-up (for power, luggage capacity & supreme handling), whereas if I were to ride solo, I would prefer the F800 or similar which is more than sufficient for my needs. Again there are also other non BMW rental shops. The traffic cops are very strict and anything even 4-5 kms above the limit of 100 kph on the highways can get you a fine. For more on rental details, you can visit the website of South Pacific Motorcycle Tours, which I have provided in my opening post under Acknowledgments column. For general currency information NZ$ 1.00 = US$ 0.82. As for weather in NZ, its always a gamble, so do not overplan. Just make a route and ride coz you are sure to face some rain at some time of the trip and many times you get to see all 4 seasons in one day. Ofcourse their official summer is December & winter is April-May and the South Island is where all the motorcycle action is.

Based on my global touring so far, my 2 'must-do' choices for any biker are European Alps & New Zealand in that order. Both of which are fairly simple on a rented bike even if you have never ridden a superbike in your life before. Just stay within your limits with the bike and your enjoyment will be limitless. Yes, its costly, but those 7-10 days each are things you will cherish for your whole life. As an example the pics in this thread only convey about 30-40% of the actual beauty.

Anyway for other pointers on doing international bike trips, please do refer to the 'Resources' page on my website. I created that page more as an encouragement for other bikers to shed their inhibitions and JUST DO IT (no, I am not sponsored by Nike).

Ride safe

Its always great to go through your TLogs Haroon bhai! They are something different, one of the reasons-may be ,
because you always take your Home Ministry along with you. This time - the awesome NZ .... Falling short of words here.
Its alwasy great to see couples going for such adventurous trips. Another fine example is our very own - Ridermax Sir!
What an amazing spirit and enthusiasm they both have.
Last but not the least - Hats off to you both as well ... wish you both many many happy miles together...
Keep riding and inspiring us ...

Thanks Nagesh for the encouraging words.
Ofcourse, I need somebody to make kadak chai for me and do the packing, so home minister accompanies me. But jokes apart, its still a mystery to me how someone who had nothing to do with bikes, has fright of heights etc, but makes for a very valuable tour companion on two wheels. She works on everything behind the scenes from getting special deals on flts, hotel and also googling for things to see & do on the journey. Indeed, we also have our fair share of arguments on all our trips but I guess thats all part of the adventure

Very well said about ridermax & wife. They are a very passionate biker couple and I respect them a lot. Infact their relaxed & enjoyable trip logs is making me itch to keep a bike permanently in India and do small rides whenever I am in India.

Superb ride there Haroon.

Have read all of your trip logs and all are very inspiring. My wife and me have also ridden to a lot of places nearby Bangalore and she enjoys riding behind me and experimenting with the camera all the time. The intercom helps a lot in keeping both of us engaged throughtout the ride.

Looking forward for more of your trips. Thanks for taking us along with you.

Cheers!

Prajwal

Now I need some coffee and quality time to read through this! Maybe it is time for New Zealand, the third time around! That is such a fantastic touring country! Congratulations on this one mate!