Guided 16 Day North & South Island

Guided 16 Day North & South Island
From NZD $18,700.00
  • Duration: 16 Days (approx.)
  • Location: Auckland, NZ
  • Product code: 16DayNorthAndSouthGuided

Experience the best that New Zealand has to offer on this motorcycle tour. On the ‘Riding Through Paradise’ 16 day guided tour you can experience the extreme contrasts that are New Zealand roadscapes. From rolling King Country farmland to snow capped mountain ranges framing the horizon. See New Zealand’s finest cities and experience the country’s wild, remote locations. 

Starting in Auckland, explore the North Island, with its geothermal wonderland and rich cultural heritage. Cross Cook Strait by ferry to the South Island which offers both “Middle Earth” vistas and warm hospitality. Do a full circuit of the Southern Alps, cross three alpine passes and finish your tour in Christchurch knowing that you have ridden the country in style.

Distance: 3,502km / 2,176 miles


Bike Options 

Band A – F700GS, F800GS, F800GT, F750GS
Band B – R1200GS, R1250GS, F850GS
Band C - R1200RT, K1600GT, R1250RT
 

Please Note: All tour prices are PER PERSON in New Zealand dollars and include GST (Goods & Services Tax)

 

What's Included

  • Motorcycle of your choice 
  • Panniers and top box
  • Soft lift out luggage bags
  • Motorcycle Insurance
  • Good quality accommodation
  • Welcome drinks and farewell dinner
  • Guide on a motorcycle
  • Guide in a support vehicle
  • Tour booklet with route and maps
  • Airport transfers

Not Included

  • Meals and drinks - except welcome and farewell dinners 
  • Fuel
  • Gold Cover
  • Airfares
  • Personal travel insurance

Bonus

  • Paradise Motorcycle Tours NZ Cap
  • Milford Sound Cruise, South Island, NZ
  • Visit to the Burt Munro 'World's Fastest Indian' display in Invercargill
  • Cook Strait Ferry Crossing

Itinerary


Day 1
Auckland to Rotorua 232km: From Auckland ride south across rolling countryside to Rotorua.There is an option to visit the film set of 'Hobbiton' where 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' were filmed. See boiling mud and geysers at Whakarewarewa Maori village. Visit the Agrodome, take a gondola and ride and try the luge, or discover what zorbing is. A Maori cultural show and hangi feast is arranged for the evening wih a chance to see our National flightless birds - Kiwis!


Day 2
Rotorua to Napier 230km: Lake Taupo, in the centre of the North Island is your first destination, it's a favourite holiday playground for North Islanders. Stop for lunch and visit the pounding Huka Falls. Cross the Ahimanawa and Maungaharuru ranges and ride through the vineyards of Eskdale, before arriving in Napier, New Zealand's home of Art Deco.


Day 3
Napier to Wellington 320km: Continue south, through vineyard country and see Hawkes Bay's orchards. Ride over the windy Rimutakas, just north of Wellington where pretty houses cling to the hillsides overlooking Wellington Harbour. Explore the capital city and see the 'Beehive' - New Zealand's government building and visit the fabulous Te Papa Museum.


Day 4
Wellington to Nelson 110km: Cross Cook Strait by ferry, one of the most beautiful crossings in the world (3 hrs) and ride the Marlborough Sounds iconic roadway - Queen Charlotte Drive. Follow the road through dense pine forests to Nelson, Australasia's largest fishing port with its unique microclimate. Nelson has the highest number of sunshine hours in the country and is known for its art and culture.


Day 5
Nelson to Hanmer Springs: Ride south over Mt Hope Saddle and through the Buller Gorge. Stop for lunch at the old gold mining town of Murchison, then ride the famous Lewis Pass with its world-class mountain scenery. Hamner Springs, set in a basin of forest clad mountains and home of natural hot springs where you can soak away your aches.


Day 6
Relax at Hanmer Springs or Day Trip to Kaikoura: Stay at Hanmer Springs, or take a day trip to Kaikoura. You can go whale watching by boat or from the air. Depending on the season migrating Humpback Whales, Pilot Whales, Blue Whales and Southern Right Whales may make an appearance. Then enjoy freshly caught cooked crayfish on the shore at Kaikoura.


Day 7
Hamner Springs to Punakaiki 253km: Ride the spectacular Lewis Pass - a fantastic scenic ride and an old Maori greenstone trail. We stop at Reefton, a historic gold mining town for lunch then head to Punakaiki on the wild West Coast. See Pancake Rocks, incredible rock formations and blowholes were 30 million years in the making.


Day 8
Punakaiki to Franz Joseph Glacier 250km: The West Coast road looks towards the Tasman Sea on the right and Southern Alps on the left. Known as “The Ice Run”, this road provides superb riding. The glaciers are an awe inspiring spectacle, amazing seen from the ground, and even more stunning from above. A helicopter can take you on a trip you'll never forget, land on the glacier and soar around New Zealand’s highest mountain!


Day 9
Franz Joseph to Queenstown 352km: Heading north on the Tasman coast road - wild and beautiful, we stop to sign a pebble on Bruce Bay, a Kiwi tradition! The scenery changes dramatically to native forest as we turn inland to cross the famous Haast Pass. Tumbling rivers, waterfalls and winding undulating riding. Again, the scenery changes as we enter central Otago and the Mount Aspiring National Park, we ride beside huge lakes with a background of snow capped mountains and cross the highest sealed road in New Zealand, the Crown Ranges and descend into the Adventure Capital of the World - Queenstown!


Day 10
Explore Queenstown: Paragliding, jet boating, bungee jumping and white water rafting are just a few of the adventure activities that you can try in Queenstown. Or, you could take a ride along the ribbon of lakeside road to Glenorchy, visit a vineyard for lunch, or explore Arrowtown a historic gold mining town full of cafes and art galleries, site of Lord of the Rings filming.


Day 11
Queenstown to Te Anau 170km: Take a short, but stunning ride to Te Anau and Fiordland's primeval landscapes. This is one of the few places on the planet of untouched wilderness. Waterfalls tumble hundreds of metres into pristine forested valleys. The mirror surfaces of the fiords reflect the majestic towering mountains where the word 'silence' takes on a different meaning.


Day 12
Te Anau to Milford Sound to Te Anau 110km each way: Ride along the shores of Lake Te Anau, through the famous Homer tunnel, honed by hand in the 1950’s, and down to Milford Sound. The mountain views on the road to Milford are almost as impressive as the Fiord itself. Keep an eye out for kea, a cheeky alpine parrot with a taste for rubber and plastic. Your cruise around Milford Sound is included.


Day 13
Te Anau to Dunedin 390km: Today's route is a curvaceous ride that winds through central Otago, to the very Scottish city of Dunedin. Victorian architecture and the divine Otago Peninsula makes this a particularly attractive place to visit. We pass through the fly- fishing capital of New Zealand - Gore where we stop for lunch and visit a fascinating vintage aircraft museum and workshop.


Day 14
Free Day to explore Dunedin: Dunedin is the heritage and wilderness capital of New Zealand. You can choose to explore the city or ride out to the Otago Peninsula to visit the Royal Albatross Centre and see yellow-eyed penguins. The Peninsula has winding roads with stunning coastal views, while the city has historic buildings, museums and art galleries waiting to be explored.


Day 15
Dunedin to Tekapo 414km: Leave Dunedin for a great ride over the Maungatua Ranges. The area is characteristic of the dry Maniototo region - sparse, tussock clad rolling hills. Stop at Cromwell - 'fruit bowl of New Zealand'. Then take on the Lindis Pass, the saddle with alpine landscape between Lindis Valley and the Ahuriri River to Lake Tekapo.


Day 16
Tekapo to Christchurch 251km: Lake Tekapo offers breath taking views of Mt Cook, New Zealand's tallest mountain. At the Church of the Good Shepherd, admire the bronze statue of a sheep dog and views of the turquoise lake. Ride on to Christchurch via Burkes Pass, Mount Hutt and the Canterbury plains. Arrive in Christchurch where we say our goodbyes and make plans to return over a farewell meal!