Frequently Asked Questions

On a 14 day tour there are 3×2 night stopovers, and these are in the places that experience has taught us that our clients like the extra time. As a group we don’t have the flexibility to spend an extra night, and also accommodation booking pressures would probably prevent that even if there was group consensus that they’d like to stay over. That aside, we have no problem with an individual or couple deciding to spend an extra night and catch the group up the following day. In some cases you may find that the accommodation you wanted to stay in would be already booked out, but you’d be unlucky… As long as you understood that the support van and guide stick with the group and itinerary (and route) , we could accommodate you on this point.

We ask all international clients to arrive the day before on the earliest flight possible (before 8:00am is ideal). That way we can get them over their jet lag, introduce them to their bike and make any last minute adjustments, and if they want, they can spend the afternoon getting used to their bikes. Also, we like to have dinner with them that night if possible. The tour leaves the next morning. In most cases they will require accommodation for the night before and night after the tour. This is not included in the package price.

On a Self Guided Tour, the price is determined by the amount of involvement we have, the type of accommodation, meals, activities you want included etc. A Custom SGT is a very personalised tour, built to your specific requirements. A Fixed Itinerary SGT is more like a dining in a buffet restaurant – you get a great price, but everything has already been pre-prepared and planned in advance. On either Self Guided option, you ride alone, no guide or chase van, carry your own luggage etc..but you have all of our special knowledge and information with you in your SGT itinerary booklet. All your accommodation is prebooked and pre-paid.. and we still provide the detailed personalised touring notes as on the Guided tour. You can have us organise most of your meals, or you can just follow our suggestions. A typical 14 day Fixed Itinerary SGT with all accom, some breakfasts, works out at around NZ$600 per day for a couple, depending upon the type of bike chose and level of accommodation required. SGT’s are a good way to save a few bucks over a Guided tour, and clients have enjoyed them tremendously, but I feel that a Guided Tour has significant additional benefits. Surprisingly, the benefit most people enjoy the most, is that of not having to worry about your luggage – you can bring all the clothes you like without having to compromise, and the bikes are more fun to ride. Additionally, the social interaction and friendships that develop on a Guided tour, is missed on a SGT – it’s nice to sit in a bar round a fire with a beer or wine at the end of a day, and swap stories. Lastly of course, you miss out on the on demand assistance that the guide is there to provide, whether it be information on where to exchange currency, where you can get a decent cup of coffee, or helping you when you unluckily suffer a puncture.

In NZ we have “restricted” and “unrestricted” licences. Restricted means as a New Zealander you can ride no more than a 250cc motorcycle (no power limits yet..) if you are over 25, and successfully complete all the skill based tests, you can obtain an unrestricted licence in 9 months. If you are under 25, it takes from 12-18 months.

But here’s the interesting thing: If your licence in your country states that you can ride a 650cc motorcycle in your country, then you can ride a 650cc here, using your licence. The NZ laws state that you are able to ride the same capacity motorcycle in NZ, that you are licenced for in your own country ( they don’t mention power ratings).

If you have a current full licence in another country, it is valid here. You don’t need to bring an International Driver’s Licence.

Typically you will cover about 4500 – 5000 kilometres, or 2800 to 3215 miles. The bikes do an average of about 40 miles to the gallon (imperial), so you’ll use about 75 gallons of fuel, or 337 litres. Premium fuel costs about NZ$2.00 cents per litre, or NZ$9.00 per Imperial Gallon or NZ$7.00 per US Gallon. So you’ll spend about NZ$675/US$506/ UKP337 on fuel. You don’t pay for oil, and neither do the bikes tend to use any. I can’t remember when I last had to add oil to one of our tour bikes..

15 nights on a 14 day tour, and 13 nights on a 12 day tour. One night pre-tour, AND also the night the tour finishes. If you’re cross checking prices with other operators, check that they are doing the same. Most don’t.

What to bring …
Riding gear
Your full unrestricted motorcycle drivers licence
Your credit card with enough reserve to cover the insurance deductable at least 🙂
Full face helmet is recommended.
Earplugs if you like ’em
Protective/windproof motorcycle jacket & trousers – a 2 piece Goretex/Cordura Aerostitch or BMW type riding suit is best.
Rain Suit – just in case (if you’re using leathers/jeans)
Leather Gloves, (medium weight, Goretex lined if possible)
Quality Riding boots (Goretex lined if possible)
Swimming gear, swim suit & beach towel (esp. if you want to do the Dolphin Swim)
Hiking Gear walking boots or shoes
Small day pack (or bum bag) & water bottle (though you can buy bottled spring water everywhere…).
Camera Wildlife shots like whale watching require at least 200mm zoom lens.
Underwater disposable camera (with flash) for Dolphin Swim
Good film and processing is available in NZ (avoid taking high speed films through arport X-ray machines).
A spare large, soft “carry all” type bag for putting all the additional things you may buy in NZ (like woollen jumpers and T shirts) into. This will save you having to ship stuff home by post or airmail Clothing/Laundry
Please be aware that most accommodations allow us to use their laundry facilities – a typical load of washing costs about NZ$10.00 Dress for temperatures of 16C to 24C (61F to 75F), though in Feb March we can get max. daytime temps of upto 40 C (104 F)
Medium and light weight for under riding gear, something warm with long sleeves.
Warm pull over (sweater) for glacier hike & colder evenings
Leisure/Casual (not Business/Casual or Formal or) dinner clothes. NZ is a jeans ‘n T shirt sort of place.
Personal items toiletries, sun block cream (SPF24 or higher), sunglasses (a must!).
Casual shorts for hot days, maybe some flip flops to keep your feet cool.
A baseball type cap can be useful to combat glare and keep the sun off your head.
Light coloured clothing is best in Summer – you’ll cook in black… 🙂
Notebook and pen
A small flash light maybe.

If you enjoy making new friends and your budget allows, we’d strongly recommend our Deluxe Guided Tour package. This package shows off the very best of New Zealand. It’s not just another motorcycle vacation – we want our Deluxe package to be remembered by our clients not just as the best motorcycle tour they’ve ever had, but as the best vacation they’ve ever had…. period. One thing overlooked by many people when trying to decide on Guided vs Self Guided is the new friendships you’ll develop. One of the truly rewarding aspects of this job for us is watching the group dynamic develop, and after a couple of days it’s just like a big party. We’ve had many groups book again for another tour en masse… and we regularly hear about tour party members making plans to tour together once they arrive back home.

If you have less than 16 or 17 days, our strong recommendation is to spend it all in the South. The South Island is far more rewarding for a motorcyclist that the North Island. The South is far more spectacular and diverse from a scenery perspective, better motorcycling roads, much lower traffic density ( the South Island is the size of England but has only 700,000 people) plus it has better weather in Summer. You can ride for less than 30 minutes and see the scenery change from lush coastal rainforest as in Oregon, to an alpine pass a la Switzeralnd, to mountainous but barren moonscapes as found in Northern Israel. If we were asked to rank the 18 best things to see and do in New Zealand by a motorcyclist, the first 16 would be in the South Island…
Which is why our 14 day guided tours only cover the South Island. Only our 21 day tours head up into the North Island (for 7 days of the 21)

What to bring …
Riding gear
Your full unrestricted motorcycle drivers licence
Your credit card with enough reserve to cover the insurance deductable at least 🙂
Full face helmet is recommended.
Earplugs if you like ’em
Protective/windproof motorcycle jacket & trousers – a 2 piece Goretex/Cordura Aerostitch or BMW type riding suit is best.
Rain Suit – just in case (if you’re using leathers/jeans)
Leather Gloves, (medium weight, Goretex lined if possible)
Quality Riding boots (Goretex lined if possible)
Swimming gear, swim suit & beach towel (esp. if you want to do the Dolphin Swim)
Hiking Gear walking boots or shoes
Small day pack (or bum bag) & water bottle (though you can buy bottled spring water everywhere…).
Camera Wildlife shots like whale watching require at least 200mm zoom lens.
Underwater disposable camera (with flash) for Dolphin Swim
Good film and processing is available in NZ (avoid taking high speed films through arport X-ray machines).
A spare large, soft “carry all” type bag for putting all the additional things you may buy in NZ (like woollen jumpers and T shirts) into. This will save you having to ship stuff home by post or airmail Clothing/Laundry
Please be aware that most accommodations allow us to use their laundry facilities – a typical load of washing costs about NZ$10.00 Dress for temperatures of 16C to 24C (61F to 75F), though in Feb March we can get max. daytime temps of upto 40 C (104 F)
Medium and light weight for under riding gear, something warm with long sleeves.
Warm pull over (sweater) for glacier hike & colder evenings
Leisure/Casual (not Business/Casual or Formal or) dinner clothes. NZ is a jeans ‘n T shirt sort of place.
Personal items toiletries, sun block cream (SPF24 or higher), sunglasses (a must!).
Casual shorts for hot days, maybe some flip flops to keep your feet cool.
A baseball type cap can be useful to combat glare and keep the sun off your head.
Light coloured clothing is best in Summer – you’ll cook in black… 🙂
Notebook and pen
A small flash light maybe.

There are a few options for payment, depending upon your level of paranoia… 🙂
1. Use one of our secure online booking forms
2. Fax us your cc details.
3. Pick up the telephone and tell us your cc number.
4. You’re not getting my credit card info – I’ll get my bank to wire you the amount in NZ funds.