Sunday 12 April 2015

Itinerary for 7 day motorbike trip of New Zealand South Island


Following on from our planning, here's our itinerary:


Laka Matheson
Akaroa, Banks Peninsula
Monday*: Auckland to Wellington [7h47m 637km] **see Ferry comments
Tuesday: Picton - Nelson - Westport [4h46m 346km]
Thursday:  Franz Josef - Fox - Wanaka [3h32m 285km]
Christchurch
Laka Wanaka
Friday: Wanaka - Twizel - Takapo – Ashburton [3h58m 348km]
Monday 30/3/15 - Wellington - Auckland via Whanganui River Road [9h 684km] 

Total planned above: 3,160km 
Actual : M109R 3,175km / Hayabua 3,408km including Arthur's Pass peak

*Auckland to Wellington:
Coromandel turn off sh27) 
Waharoa (sh27) 1st Fuel stop Started to drizzle there.
Matamata (sh27)
Tirua (sh27) – spotty the dog and antique shop and our stop back from Taupo with the girls
Tokorua (sh 27) -  lots of rain, even bought rain pants at the local Suzuki.
Turned off to SH41 and missed Taupo
Kuratau (sh41)
Turned back onto SH1 at Turangi then the desert road through to ( fuel stop and had a good Burger king Wrap)
Waiouru SH1
Taihape SH1
Hunterville SH1 – put fuel in but can’t recall the place.
Bulls
Foxton
Wellington (Fuel and Ferry)

**Ferry: We decided to catch the Bluebridge 2am Ferry and take a room. Early boarding at 11pm meant that arriving at Picton at about 6am, theoretically anyway, we could get a 5 to 6 hours sleep and at $30 for the room sleeping 2 meant we save a night accommodation cost and not lose a night heading off fresh in the morning. We had a nice shower in the morning but the ferry ran late so we were not rested as we only got to bed after 2am and were woken well before 6am. But we did sleep soundly. We heard that Bluebridge was better than Interislander but chose it ultimately for room option.

*** Arthur's Pass: Actually we deviated from plan with the M109R rider riding from Ashburton to Christchurch [1h11m 89km] and me, the Hayabusa rider riding from Ashburton to Arthur's Pass [2h11m 177km] and then from Arthur's Pass to Christchurch along the Old West Coast Road [1h54m 145km]. We then both rode from Christchurch to Akaroa, Banks Peninsula [1h31m 88km] and back [1h31m 88km]. This amount of riding that day on the Busa was a lot but the only way for me to fit in Arthur's Pass without adding additional km's every day for us both. 

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