thinking out loud: traveling in New Zeeland/Australia

[Tagger]

So, since winter is slowly hitting Europe i was thinking it would be nice to try and avoid it next year.
I always wanted to visit New Zeeland and/or Australia and since going there during the summer is a bit of a waste i was thinking of going there around this period one year from now (when it's spring/summer over there). (was thinking for about a month, or more if i can afford it)

Offcourse, i want to discover that/those country(s) by bike. This is where i need some input ideas from you guys for. As i see it, there are 3 options

- Ship my own bike: I heared of people doing that, but i have no idea how the logistics work for that, how expensive it is or if this is a smart idea.

- Go there and rent a bike: seems the most secure. I did some googeling and the prices i found, if i would try to rent one for a month the prices go through the roof (which initially spiraled me in the "ship the bike" idea)

- try and find a way to buy a bike and sell it again afterwards. Again, stuck with the logistics, how would that work with insurance and the likes.



Would love to hear some input from people who did something like this before !

 

[stink989]

This time of year is hot here (40degreesC) and that is a prick to ride in. I don't know about NZ though. In NSW at least and I think the rest of aus you register your bike and have a 3rd party insurance (for the other person in the accident but not the vehicle) and any other insurance is up to your choice.

 

[Kazza]

Before you look at Western Australia ( which is a beautiful place, check a map of Aus out, look at the distance between Adelaide and Perth. There is almost nothing in between but the Nullabor Plain. Would take 2-3 days to cross.
Perth is the most isolated capital city in the world.
If I were you, I would look at flying between many capital cities and making some online enquiries about hiring bikes. Buying bikes in Australia is very expensive compared to other countries. OR I would check out shipping. A lot of European travellers fly their enduro bikes over to tour.

NZ is pretty but it has been too long since I lived there to know about insurance and bike hire etc.

Good luck
Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

 

[Cloggy]

Well I guess Britain was a bit too wet for you (pics were great but still waiting for the write up BTW)

I was watching a biking program this evening and they used this company to rent a bike in Australia and New Zealand, starting from one location and ending in an other. It might be too expensive for you but I thought it was worth a mention.

Well good luck with your plans :thumbup:

 

[aussiejules]

Spring /summer is the best, as said 40deg c is a often happening thing at the moment, we hit 45deg this week in Adelaide with some of the country towns registering 49deg. Unfortunately everything comes down to money. Also kep in mind we do still run quit a few(not major) dirt roads, so thing carefully what bike and tyres you choose. Other things to take into account with when to come is where you are going, we can have all seasons in australia at once. North is tropics centre is desert, coast is beautiful, tasy is normally colder being closer to the bottom of the world, again beautiful with snow. Dont take it because you saw weather in sydney to be 27deg every different capital city could be different. Just plan carefully and come and enjoy our big beautiful country.

 

[Daniel_Aus]

I haven't traveled all over Australia, but I can say the east coast is fantastic and has a lot of varied kinds of roads, beautiful scenery and great places to stay. You can always check the maps and find an old twisty road that not many people use due to there being freeways in place instead.

If you're on the east coast this time of year you will get some very hot days, but they don't tend to string together like they do in the south, west, and interior of the country. Be prepared for hot weather though.

You can buy a used FZ6 for about $5,500 - $8000 AUD depending. You could buy a bike with 6 months rego still on it and just pay the stamp duty (about 3% of purchase price). Check out Swann Insurance for good prices on Third party property and comprehensive insurance.

 

[NorCal FZ6]

Great idea! I recommend touring the South Island of New Zealand! Many years ago I went toured the South Island at 16. Not by motorcycle, but by small passenger van... It was phenomenal. What I couldn't help noticing in the many motels and ski lodges I visited, there were a few bikes. So after all these years this has been a life long dream to go do. Ride New Zealand by bike. I imagine much has changed over the years. Ideally I would reccomend going the winter months in the northern hemisphere, that will be the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere.

I would describe New Zealand south isle as; many two lane country roads minimal traffic. Also be prepared to eat lots of lamb. Back then (the 80's)it was estimated 8 sheep to every human in N.Z. Yep lots of sheep... Could even be a road hazzard. But the best part about going in there summer is there is minimal tourists, I imagine. When I went I would stay at ski lodges with 200 plus rooms and absolutely no one there with minimal staff. It was like a scene out of the movie the Shining. ;') World Class Skiing.

Honestly, tho imagine driving in Alpines, in the summer or driving through fern Forrest's like something out of the prehistoric period. Fern looking trees that are like 50 ft off the ground. They even have fiords like Norway, you could tour by boat for a day excursion (Milford Sound). Thats right! several thousand ft. faced cliffs right off the water, where you could swear your ready to see a viking ship go flowing past. I reccomend renting a bike to tour and breakout with a GPS. I did look at tours within the last year it seems very expensive by guide, but well worth it if you just got the bike yourself. I say thumbs up all the way.... Be prepared for driving on the opposite side of the road, sheep herding across the roads, and the toilet swirl to go in the opposite direction. I would say November will still be a little to early perhaps December/ January. I haven't sen a lot of film on New Zealand. Very minimal to say the least. But it was an experience like no other!!! If the south isle is to quiet you could always hop over to the north isle. Where it is not considered as rural Wellington.

 

[nivag]

I did NZ around this time about 5 years ago. Weather is prefect compared to Europe.
Roads were great, sadly I was in a cage as I had others to ship around, but I met loads of bikers that had hired bikes there.

Without starting an argument I did prefer the South Island over the north.

Woud love to go back out there, probably hire a dual sport bike or get a offroad bike as well for some of it.

 

[NorCal FZ6]

Great idea! I recommend touring the South Island of New Zealand! Many years ago I went toured the South Island at 16. Not by motorcycle, but by small passenger van... It was phenomenal. What I couldn't help noticing in the many motels and ski lodges I visited, there were a few bikes. So after all these years this has been a life long dream to go do. Ride New Zealand by bike. I imagine much has changed over the years. Ideally I would reccomend going the winter months in the northern hemisphere, that will be the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere.

I would describe New Zealand south isle as; many two lane country roads minimal traffic. Also be prepared to eat lots of lamb. Back then (the 80's)it was estimated 8 sheep to every human in N.Z. Yep lots of sheep... Could even be a road hazzard. But the best part about going in there summer is there is minimal tourists, I imagine. When I went I would stay at ski lodges with 200 plus rooms and absolutely no one there with minimal staff. It was like a scene out of the movie the Shining. ;') World Class Skiing.

Honestly, tho imagine driving in Alpines, in the summer or driving through fern Forrest's like something out of the prehistoric period. Fern looking trees that are like 50 ft off the ground. They even have fiords like Norway, you could tour by boat for a day excursion (Milford Sound). Thats right! several thousand ft. faced cliffs right off the water, where you could swear your ready to see a viking ship go flowing past. I reccomend renting a bike to tour and breakout with a GPS. I did look at tours within the last year it seems very expensive by guide, but well worth it if you just got the bike yourself. I say thumbs up all the way.... Be prepared for driving on the opposite side of the road, sheep herding across the roads, and the toilet swirl to go in the opposite direction. I would say November will still be a little to early perhaps December/ January. I haven't sen a lot of film on New Zealand. Very minimal to say the least. But it was an experience like no other!!! If the south isle is to quiet you could always hop over to the north isle. Where it is not considered as rural Wellington/ Christchurch.

Absolutely 100% dual sport riding. Although I saw a few road bikes.

 

[Tagger]

Thanks for kicking up this thread again

Right now i'm leaning more towards the buying bike option. To manage the practical stuff i am concidering going for a work/travel visa ( Belgium Working Holiday Scheme )

Since i will be 29 then, this is a last time i could apply for this, so this would be great if i could find a job there. Working there for a while would give me room to take my time to look for a bike and all the practical stuff etc. + it will be a great experience to get to know the working/living culture there.

I have also been looking more at sites like "bikeroundoz", which is expensive, but for a once in a lifetime chanse it's worth concidering (depending on howmuch work i have the comming months). But what holds me back is that if i would come across an area i really like, i won't be able to stick around there for 2 days and explore it more by foot/sightseeing... it will get really expensive just to leave a rented bike on the parkinglot

 

[NorCal FZ6]

Outstanding!! But finding work there could be difficult. Perhaps stay close to the cities. When I was there years ago it seemed like much of the economy was driven by farming or tourism. Interesting to see what one could come up with. I understand wine making is a recent industry. I read recently Christchurch is still ravaged by a more recent major earthquake they had and there economy is struggling. Ironically enough the article was based on how much the hobbit movie series would bring revenue into the country. I wish you the best. Seriuosly, keep us posted. If I had the opportunity of a work visa in N.Z I would absolutely jump on it.

 

[aussiejules]

I dont know what work is like yhere, what i do know is alot of nz's come to australia for work.

 

[Tagger]

I have the benefit to be working in a freelance-driven environment (TV/film postproduction), so IF there's work, finding a short-term contract shouldn't be a problem.

I don't know what the state of that industry in NZ is. Well, i do know actually, it's all "Weta Weta Hobbit Hobbit Peter Jackson Weta..."-talk. But in regards to smaller productions (or other big productions not involving dwarfs) not a clue. I hope they get the benefits from the attention it's getting.

... at the end of the day i will probably go to Weta and begg them if i can clean their trashbins



... or just do something completely opposite from my normal career, wouldn't mind that for a change.