New Zealand motorcycle trip

New Zealand is awfully far away from Norway. You spend more than 24 hours flying there, which is tough if you, like me, don't sleep on airplanes. Finally there, you still have to adjust your internal clock 12 hours. It takes some effort, so it'd better be worth it.

Motivation and preparation

Like most of my travels, the motivation for going to Queenstown was a scientific conference, the Australasian Aluminium Smelting Technology Conference. Since my travel to Hawaii in 2006, I've been reluctant to travel to the opposite side of the world, in both directions. New Zealand has always intrigued me since reading about trout fishing in gorgeous rivers. I was a fan of Peter Jackson well before Lord of the rings, but his movies of Tolkien's universe made traveling to New Zealand even more attractive.

It was pretty clear to me from the start that if I were to go to New Zealand, it would not be just for one week. The minimum time for a visit would have to be two weeks. Luckily, my colleague from SINTEF had some time off as well, so we decided to explore South Island by motorcycle.

Motorcycle rental was not abundant in Queenstown, but we managed to find an agency in Cromwell 60 km away. Central Otago Motorcycle Hire turned out to be an excellent choice that provided transport to and from Cromwell. The bikes cost us NZD 240 a day all included. Not a bad deal. Unfortunately, they only had one BMW R1200GS. As I was offered a Honda Africa Twin, I generously offered the BMW to my colleague.

Day 1: Milford Sound

After a week on New Zealand we were well rested, time-adjusted and ready to mount our bikes. We were picked up at 09:00 at the Millennium hotel and taken to our bikes. Going on an eight-day ride was something we had not done before, so packing of the panniers for the ride was highly unprofessional.

 My initial plan was to ride to Glenochry the first day, but since we'd heard so much good things about Milford Sound we decided to head in that direction. As we'd been on an excursion to the only aluminium smelter in Invercargill, we'd driven HW6 south before by bus. On a motorcycle it was more enjoyable (it is no secret that I hate riding on a bus), but still the road was quite ordinary. Once we hit HW94 north towards Milford Sound things started to get really interesting.

On our way to Milford Sound.

The good thing about New Zealand roads, is that the general speed limit is 100. This means that you can enjoy the curvy sealed roads without speeding, well not much anyway. Approaching Milford Sound I felt like home, riding gorgeous mountain roads with great view. The tunnel through the mountain came as a surprise, and suddenly we were in Fjordlands.

While New Zealand only has 15 fjords and all relatively short, Norway has 1190 of them.  Milford Sound does not show its best side from the ferry terminal: you have to take a ferry to get the best views. We did not have time for that, but still were impressed with the view from the ferry terminal.

Milford Sound Panoramic view.

After having dinner at a restaurant near the ferry terminal, we rode HW94 back to Te Anau.  We quickly found a motel by the lakefront and unloaded the bikes. The local pub provided the most desired drink: craft beer and some snacks.  After grabbing a geocache downtown, we called it a night: 450 km on the bike had taken its toll.

Day 2: Dunedin

We faced a dilemma this morning: we had already been to Invercargill, yet the scenic route from Te Anau was heading in that direction.  We resolved to follow the advice on the map. The road was indeed very scenic, with green rolling hills that reminded of The Shire. When we came to Oahu Flat we saw a possibility to do the first dirt road riding of the trip: cutting east to Birchwood and HW96. The road was excellent, and of course we lost directions along the way. By driving east and south we eventually made it to HW96.

We took a rest in an old cold mining town called Nightcaps. It looked deserted and took us back in time, reminding us of numerous road trips in the US. Former colonies are in many ways similar when it comes to suburban settlement.

From Nightcaps we took the shortest route available to Dunedin. It was certainly long enough, still the penalty for cutting across was that we missed the Catlins Forest Park. Dunedin is a Scottish settlement from 1848, and as Europeans we found it interesting to visit. It was also our first visit to one of the larger cities of New Zealand.

Larnach Castle.

Arriving in Dunedin, we were not immediately taken by the beauty of the place. The town square had quite a few restaurants and bars so we found a hotel nearby with a garage for the bikes. There certainly was craft beer available downtown, and we enjoyed short ribs in a very good restaurant. The odometer showed 400 km for the day and we decided to call it an early night.

Day 3: Geraldine

Dunedin is perhaps most famous for its peninsula. Next morning, we took the Northern route along the shore all the way out to the Royal Albatross Centre. The view was enjoyable, but the road was too speed limited to be enjoyed on a motorcycle.  At the centre,  I was surprised by the amount of seagulls.  Luckily, we were not hit by targeting birds. We skipped on the albatrosses and walked down to the shore to have a look at penguins and seals. The seals were there, but the blue  eyed penguins were not. I was not too disappointed, as I had seen penguins in South Africa in February.

On our way back to Duendin, we took the inland route. This was far more scenic with green rolling hills. We stopped at the Larnach castle for coffee and to enjoy the botanical gardens.

Dunedin peninsula.

Returning to Dunedin, we refueled and headed north on HW1. As it was marked as scenic, we took a short detour to Karitane. As one of of our colleagues had lived in Waimate, we made a small detour there as well. The east coast were not at all interesting to drive on a motorcycle with flat, agricultural lands. We eventually had to stop in Geraldine for the night.

Day 4: Arthur's Pass and Reefton

Next morning, we were hoping for better roads as HW72 was marked on the map as scenic. We were really disappointed to find that scenic was more in the sense of agriculture landscape scenic. When we stopped in Windwhistle to refuel, we were fed up. I had seen on the map a large body of water, but I did not find a road through so I had really put it out of my mind to visit. Luckily, as I talk to almost all people I meet(!), the guy at the petrol station told me that it was a dirt road, connecting Lake Coleridge with the road to Albert's Pass. Perfect.

The road up to Lake Coleridge was fast and enjoyable. We visited the power station: New Zealand is similar to Norway in so many ways. We then found the road connecting the power station to the water intake. Very enjoyable.

Lake Coleridge.

 The dirt road from Lake Coleridge to Lake Lyndon was amazing. The road was good, but challenging due to very loose gravel at times. It was also very dusty, so it was best to ride up front. The bikes were also very dirty when we stopped for a break when we reached HW76 to Arthur's Pass.

Driving again on sealed roads towards Arthur's Pass, we could enjoy a mountainous landscape opening up. The pass itself is only around 740 meters, so not impressive when it comes to road elevation.

Arthur's Pass.

 What was impressive, was the descent. The road was steep and windy. We could see that water and stones coming down from taller mountains had a devastating impact on the road quality. And there were lots of road work, with traffic regulated by lights in one direction at time.

By the time we reached Jacksons, it was raining pretty bad. We were looking for a place to have lunch and we saw a food sign in the the direction of  Lake Brunner that made us change course. We connected with HW7 at Stillwater and decided to follow it to Reefton and call it a day.

Reefton was quite interesting as a town. The place had a "wild west" kind of appearance that we liked. After they discovered gold in quartz in 1866 the place grew into a town with electricity and railway. We were amused to read that place was initially called Quartzopolis. The best hotel was expensive, so we found a cheaper motel. The most populated local pub was not very enjoyable beer wise, so it did become a late night on town.

Day 5: Lewis Pass and highway 6 west

The next morning we followed HW7 west towards Lewis Pass. The road through Victoria Forest Park was quite nice. When we reached Lewis Pass the road turns due south at the border between West Coast and Canterbury. Although at higher altitude than Arthur's Pass (864 meters) it was not very spectacular and we actually road quite a while before we knew we had passed it. We headed back west and rode HW65 north. The road was trapped between Victoria Forest Park and Nelson
Lakes National Park and was quite scenic. Not very windy though.

Buller River.

Once we reached HW6, everything changed! We stopped by the bridge across Buller river to have some refreshments when five bikers stopped. They had ridden up from Westport and had really enjoyed the road. And we would too: the road followed the river almost all the way
to Westport and was simply fantastic; probably one of the best sealed roads I have ever ridden. Memorable.

Westport was a bit of a disappointment to us, and we decided not to start looking for a hotel. We had some food at a coffee shop before heading out to Cape Foulwind. Here, we walked to the lighthouse to find a geocache. Instead of turning back, we found a path down to the shore and could walk an ATV track back to the bikes. The power of the ocean was apparent: a lot of ships had probably run ashore near the Cape.

Cape Foulwind.

We followed the Wilsons Lead Road back to HW6 and continued south. After passing through Charleston the road got interesting again, being windy at times. With the Paparoa National Park on our left, the view was also very nice. When we reconnected with the ocean, the view along Woodpecker Bay was splendid. The ocean haze was very peculiar. We stopped at several turnouts for photos.

When we reached Greymouth, the Speights Ale House looked very inviting. We took the biggest, and probably oldest hotel downtown: Kingsgate Hotel.  The spare ribs served were not that impressive, but with a large bar with a very good selection of beers that did not matter much.

Day 6: Whataroa and Haast

We followed the coast further south. The West Coast is truly a very beautiful place to visit and deserves more attention than we gave on motorcycles riding through. Our first stop of the day was at the Kakapotahi river crossing. Some of the rivers in New Zealand look completely different from what we have in Norway, where flat and wide riverbeds are not that common. We crossed several of these rivers on our way to Whataroa. There was a sign for chartered helicopter tours, so we took the 1 km detour up to the old Whataroa bridge.

At Arthur's pass, some Asian girls had told us that they were going to Mount Cook by helicopeter. As neither of us had been in one, we were really interested. Glacier Country Scenic Flights could offer a 40 minute trip to Mount Cook. Skipping the "stop on the snow" option, the cost was around NZD 430. Not bad compared to offers received on Manhattan and Grand Canyon.



The ride itself was not that spectacular, but I guess the pilot was focusing on the view rather than the acrobatics. And the view was truly amazing. As we ascended from sea level to 2900 meters, the change from green to white and glacier blue was stunning. The guide gave us lots of information on the locations that were used in Lord of the Rings, and even more interesting information about glaciers.

We did not make it to Mt. Cook that day: the weather did not allow it. Nevertheless, we got some stunning views of Mt. Tasman and some amazing glaciers. We were looking out for Tahr but we could not spot one. Tahr is the biggest game on New Zealand, and hunting for them is popular.

Our helicopter.

Back on the ground we continued south. When we reached Franz Joseph Glacier we realized that we had jumped the gun: this was probably the center for tourism in the area. While having a coffee, I checked one of the operators and no one were flying to Mr. Cook that day.

The road onward to Fox Glacier was very nice: scenic and windy. It was if were driving a road framed in by tall green walls. As the road reconnected with the ocean, the shore was steep. This of course made the road fantastic, but the views were actually very nice. We made use of the turnouts to take photos of the stunning views.

West Coast.

Once we reached Haast we drove down to the beach. The beach was beautiful and a walk along it would have been something to do if we could find accommodation nearby. The nearby motel was not to our liking so we drove up to the intersection. The Heartland World Heritage Hotel was a good choice with two restaurants.

Haast beach.

Day 7: Lake Wanaka and Glenochry

Looking at the map in the morning, we saw that the distance to Queenstown was now about 200 km. Queenstown was again within a day's ride. Add 50 km and we would be in Glenochry, where I had wanted to go on the first day.

The road through Mount Aspiring Nation Park was really nice despite some rain the first hour. When we reached Makaroa, the landscape opened up and Lake Wanake could be seen ahead. Driving along Lake Wanaka was gorgeous, and we did several stops. At The Neck, the road crossed over to Lake Hawea and followed the Western shore down to Lake Hawea. Scenic too, but not like the bigger lake.

The Neck.

We stopped in Wanaka for lunch. The place had the apparence of Queenstown, just a little less of everything. The beachfront was very busy, with people swimming in the lake. We took the Cardrona Valley Road back to Queenstown without knowing that this would be the highest point on the entire trip. The Crown Saddle is the highest covered road in New Zealand at 1076 meters. We could actually see Lake Wakatipu from the viewpoint.

The Crown Saddle.

We passed Queenstown and road on towards Glenorchy. This was a nice, fast road that actually got more and more scenic as we got closer to Glenorchy. The lake was dead calm and gave us a fantastic view. When we arrived in Glenorchy, we drove down to the pier. The view was amazing. I still will claim that this is one of the prettiest places I've ever visited. It has been used for shooting movies Lord of the Rings and Top of the Lake.

Lake Wakatipu. Mount Alfred to the right of the islands.

I visited the Tourist Information Office and they showed me the open dirt roads on the map. The first part of the road was sealed, but most of the road up to Paradise was actually a gorgeous dirt road with great view of Mount Alfred to our left. From Paradise we drove the road to the end, to a place called Chinaman's Bluff. The view towards Mount Earnslaw was amazing! The only problem was the large midgets! It was raining, and they were quite aggressive! We were looking forward to driving the gorgeous dirt road and the six river crossings in reverse.

End of the road: Chinaman's Bluff.

Staying in a new hotel every nights wears you our and the idea of spending our two last nights at the Millennium Hotel was tempting. We did not even look for options in Glenochry before I called and made the necessary arrangements.

Back in Queenstown, we parked the bikes. We asked for a good beer place at the reception, and was recommended a place called 1876, the old courthouse turned into a bar. We were probably the oldest people there that day, but the beer and atmosphere were really good. We decided to find a restaurant for dinner. The Flame Bar & Grill served us the biggest meal of the entire trip: spare ribs go large. We only barely managed to eat it all.

Day 8: Skippers Canyon road and Cromwell

For the last day, we had several options: Skippers Canyon Road, Macetown and Nevis Valley. We googled them all, and what we found surprised us: Skippers Canyon Road was rated as one of the 20 most dangerous roads in the World. It was also informed that rental cars were not allowed, so I made call to make sure that our adventure bikes were OK to go on, uh, an adventure. They were, so we went.

Entering Skippers Canyon Road.

The road started out nicely, winding slowly down a canyon. One lane only and with no fence it did not feel very safe. The problem with the loose gravel was that you have a minimum speed required to keep the bike in balance. With blind corners, we were forced to drop into first and the bike felt wobbly.



We met quite a few cars, but most of them were traveling in our direction. Big vans with rafting boats were a few. We overshot the road to the Skippers location, but when the road was turning bad ... and wet we decided to turn back. We had already been driving for an hour and a half and could have ridden for another hour. We turned the bikes around, no small feat where we did it, and crossed the scary bridge to Skippers and had lunch.

Skippers site.

It was really nice to get out of the gear and enjoy the great weather. I must have been close to 30 degrees, and we we slow cooked due to the slow driving on the challenging road. We met some campers near the School building and had a nice chat before starting on the return trip. Why did they make this road? Gold. In 1862 the found gold at Maori Point. Soon a couple of thousand people lived there.  The needed to get there.

Skippers Canyon school.

The return trip was enjoyable but hot. I was happy when we reconnected with the sealed road. We enjoyed the view from Coronet Peak skiing resort before driving to Arrowtown for coffee.

It was still early afternoon, but we were still exhausted.  We discussed driving to Macetown and Nevis Valley, but we concluded we had had enough dirt roads for one day. We could have had the bikes for another four hours when we parked in Cromwell. I felt a bit bitter about Nevis, since that would have taken us higher than the Crown Saddle on a dirt road. But I guess you have to leave some spots on the map for later adventures...

Back in Queenstown I actually had time for a run before dinner. After eight days of mostly driving a motorcycle, the physical exercise was welcoming. A nice walk by the lake and dinner at very nice brewhouse called Smith's on Shotover street.

All in all we drove 2870 km in eight days. Just about right: some more exhausting days with 450 km on the odometer, but also shorter ones. No issues with the bikes either, no complaints considering they were not fitted to us in any way.

Route mapped.