New Zealand Motorcycle Tour $$

A 2-Island motorcycle and luxury itinerary.

This is an itinerary highlighting some of the best motorcycling available in New Zealand.  With long, open roads and beautiful views New Zealand is recognised as one of the best motorcycling destinations in the world.  We take it one stage further, combining an impeccable motorcycling tour with some of our unique activities and people.

The South Island - with more kilometres of roads and fewer people - is widely recognised as the best island for motorcycling.  But, as always, we are reluctant to miss out on some of the special things the North Island offers.  These are not immediately obvious and hence the general public's preference for the South - but after our tours our clients have agreed with us that it would have been short-sighted to do the one without the other.  Having said that, those people with limited time are welcome to pick and choose sections of this itinerary as per their preference.

As motorcyclists tend to go on trips together, we have costed this itinerary for a group of 10 motorcyclists on 5 motorcycles together with a motorcycle guide and a comfortable support vehicle with trailer driven by a second guide.  The motorcycles we have costed are BMW1200RT models.  These are well suited to New Zealand's roads.  We can substitute Goldwings (as in the photo we took, above), or Harleys.  For those interested in offroad motorcycles, we can put together on-road, off-road variants in the trip.

The cost for this 20-day luxury fully-guided motorcycle itinerary with special events included is NZ$42,000 per couple for five couples travelling together.

Day One

Arrive in Auckland.  Be met at the door of your aircraft, taken through the priority exits, and handed over to your driver/guide.  On the way to your hotel, stop at One Tree Hill for a panoramic view of the city and orientation.  Your guide is on-call through the rest of today and we will book a suitable restaurant for you tonight.

Day Two

Meet the motorcycles and drive north 3 hours to the Bay of Islands.  The route incorporates some spectacular views and is an easy introduction to New Zealand roads.  Stay at the Paihia Beach Resort.  Eat at one of three top restaurants that night.

Day Three    

Drive two hours north along beautiful beachfront before reaching Carrington Estate on the Karikari Peninsula.  Relax on the Estate in the afternoon - playing golf, walking on the beach etc. 

Day Four

Drive two hours north to the northernmost tip of the North Island.  Meet Maori up there and have a formal welcome and a traditional lunch before heading back to Carrington.  On the way back we could organise the most beautiful quad bike ride in the country across untouched coastline and 100-metre sand dunes - if you wish.

Day Five

Drive four hours south and stay in a private rural property near Warkworth. 

Day Six

Drive three hours south to Waitomo where we have set up an exclusive introduction to a number of caves off the beaten track.  These include the world famous glowworms and if you wish we can also include a wet caving experience, often referred to as black water rafting.  Spend that night in a local bed & breakfast.

Day Seven

Drive two hours across remote back roads before hitting the outskirts of Rotorua.  Stop at Wai o Tapu for a 90-minute walk around a geothermal park.  Then back on the bikes to drive another hour to Poronui Ranch, south-east of Taupo.

Day Eight

A rest from the motorbikes.  Take a short helicopter ride deep into the wilderness and land in some mountainous native bush where you will meet your Maori tracker/chef.  He will take you for a hike through this rugged terrain explaining the nature from a Maori perspective.  This will include gathering natural food (plants, trout, eels, Sika Deer, wild pigs) and cooking it in the traditional ways.  If you have an interest, you can hunt and fish.  After a long day, return to Poronui by helicopter.

Day Nine

Back on the bikes and drive East two hours across the ranges to Hawkes Bay and Greenhill Lodge, a historic luxury lodge.  Indulge yourselves and enjoy the chef's efforts in the evening.

Day Ten

Drive four hours south across the rolling farmland roads of the Wairarapa before ending up in Martinborough.  Stay at the iconic Martinborough Hotels and indulge in an evening of top-grade Pinot Noir.

Day Eleven

Drive two hours across to the car ferry and sit on the ferry for the three-hour trip to the South Island.  Land at Picton and drive south for 30 minutes to The Convent.  Enjoy a vineyard meal that evening.

Day Twelve

Take a day trip south to Kaikoura.  The road is a lovely rolling coastal road.  At Kaikoura, transfer to a fixed wing aircraft for a flight over the famous whales.  Hit another vineyard that evening.

Day Thirteen

Drive across the extremely winding Queen Charlotte road before heading across to Nelson and south to Motueka River Lodge.  We estimate three to four hours driving today across coastal, mountain and river roads.

Day Fourteen

Head south along the West Coast.  Stop at Punakaiki for a walk around.  End up at Franz Josef Glacier Country Retreat after a long five hour's worth of driving.  This is spectacular scenery of mountain gorges and wild coastline.

Day Fifteen

If the weather is good, take a helicopter up to see and land on the glaciers and also see Mount Cook.  Then continue south for three hours until you reach spectacular Silver Pine Lodge.

Day Sixteen

Time for another non-motorbike day.  Be picked up at the lodge by helicopter and fly into the mountains for an hour.  Hopefully spot some wild animals as you helicopter past glaciers and over remote valleys.  Land near the West Coast and transfer to jetboats for a run out to the coast along a deserted river.  On arrival at the river mouth, meet the helicopter again, this time bringing back divers with your lunch of freshly caught crayfish.  Have a barbecue on the beach and then return to Silver Pine.

Day Seventeen

Drive two hours to Queenstown, staying in a modern apartment in the centre with beautiful lake views. 

Day Eighteen

Free day - we suggest splitting up and doing whatever you wish.  We can of course put together a special day for you.  Our special days include:  helicopter trip to Milford Sound - possibly with the pilot who did all the filming for Lord of the Rings; a day in a Land Rover on a high country station; a day exploring local wines with a talented winemaker responsible for putting the region on the global map.  There are also many many standard activities available.

Day Nineteen

Free day.

Day Twenty

Drive five hours inland, past spectacular lakes, to reach Christchurch and your aircraft home.