New Zealand tour 2006
07-15-05, 08:51 PM
#1
Adv Racer
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: ID
Posts: 38
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
New Zealand tour 2006
I have been to NZ once and had an awesome time hiking and climbing. I was only there for 1 month and was so jealous of a family touring the country. I thought that it would be a great way to see the interior and take it slow enough to enjoy the pace of life there.
Questions:
Getting gear, biking stuff, supplies down there? ship it, buy used stuff there and sell it off again?
Routes not to take?
I remeber some routes that I traveled the lanes were windy mountain passes with barely enough room for two cars let alone a boney cyclist and two cars.
Any kiwis with some suggestions?
Anyone want to join?
Questions:
Getting gear, biking stuff, supplies down there? ship it, buy used stuff there and sell it off again?
Routes not to take?
I remeber some routes that I traveled the lanes were windy mountain passes with barely enough room for two cars let alone a boney cyclist and two cars.
Any kiwis with some suggestions?
Anyone want to join?
07-15-05, 09:12 PM
#2
cyclotourist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: calgary, canada
Posts: 1,470
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 443 Post(s)
Liked 205 Times
in
130 Posts
I cycled there 20 years ago and had a great time.
You should take your own stuff that you are used to. I don't know how it is now, I expect it is better, but when I was there, there just wasn't the choice or decent prices on bicycles and cycling gear.
They did have a lot of good home-grown camping gear, but it wasn't any cheaper than stuff you could get in North America.
I tried to sell my bike at the end of the trip, but I couldn't get a decent price for it and ended up shipping it back to Canada by sea, while I continued on to Australia.
I don't remember riding any roads that I would not recommend. Away from the major cities and the big tourist areas (Rotorua comes to mind), there wasn't a lot of traffic to contend with. There are a lot of steep hills and I can remember some nasty winds, especially around Wellington. There were a couple of good cycling guides that had recommended routes.
You'll enjoy it!
You should take your own stuff that you are used to. I don't know how it is now, I expect it is better, but when I was there, there just wasn't the choice or decent prices on bicycles and cycling gear.
They did have a lot of good home-grown camping gear, but it wasn't any cheaper than stuff you could get in North America.
I tried to sell my bike at the end of the trip, but I couldn't get a decent price for it and ended up shipping it back to Canada by sea, while I continued on to Australia.
I don't remember riding any roads that I would not recommend. Away from the major cities and the big tourist areas (Rotorua comes to mind), there wasn't a lot of traffic to contend with. There are a lot of steep hills and I can remember some nasty winds, especially around Wellington. There were a couple of good cycling guides that had recommended routes.
You'll enjoy it!
Last edited by skookum; 07-15-05 at 09:14 PM. Reason: greater clarity
07-16-05, 03:20 AM
#3
Shoot Your Car
Take your own gear and bike, If you fly into Christchurch, one of the YHA Hostel has a Bike storage shed , I have used this three times and have left my bike box there until I flew out.
The best book to get is Pedallers Paradise by Nigel Rushton https://www.paradise-press.co.nz./ (one for each Island), it has route profiles and all the information on each town along the route regarding distances,supplies and accommodation options.
I found the best time of year to go was late summer( Feb,Mar) as the holiday traffic has vanished, the weather is the most stable and almost everything is still open.
The best book to get is Pedallers Paradise by Nigel Rushton https://www.paradise-press.co.nz./ (one for each Island), it has route profiles and all the information on each town along the route regarding distances,supplies and accommodation options.
I found the best time of year to go was late summer( Feb,Mar) as the holiday traffic has vanished, the weather is the most stable and almost everything is still open.
07-16-05, 06:38 AM
#4
MaNiC!
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Hamilton, New Zealand
Posts: 1,600
Bikes: 2004 Cervelo Soloist 105, 2005 Apollo Apex, 2006 SCOTT Speedster S30
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Make friends with as many kiwi forum members as possible 
07-17-05, 12:29 AM
#5
aspiring wannabe
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: timaru/oamaru, new zealand
Posts: 288
Bikes: trek 520, thorn nomad, giant yukon, avanti aggressor, bauer racing bike, couple of other projects ...
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Originally Posted by rhputt
I have been to NZ once and had an awesome time hiking and climbing. I was only there for 1 month and was so jealous of a family touring the country. I thought that it would be a great way to see the interior and take it slow enough to enjoy the pace of life there.
Questions:
Getting gear, biking stuff, supplies down there? ship it, buy used stuff there and sell it off again?
Routes not to take?
I remeber some routes that I traveled the lanes were windy mountain passes with barely enough room for two cars let alone a boney cyclist and two cars.
Any kiwis with some suggestions?
Anyone want to join?
Questions:
Getting gear, biking stuff, supplies down there? ship it, buy used stuff there and sell it off again?
Routes not to take?
I remeber some routes that I traveled the lanes were windy mountain passes with barely enough room for two cars let alone a boney cyclist and two cars.
Any kiwis with some suggestions?
Anyone want to join?
bring your own bike if you have a touring bike, they are hard to find here ... one store in christchurch and one in auckland are the only reliable ones i know of that sell anything close to touring bikes ...
otherwise if you are going to use a MTB, then there are sh*tloads available new and secondhand ...
i would recommend bring your own camping gear too ... buy it awhile before hand, use it and get to know it and become comfortable with it ... if you can't find what you want here, you risk the chance of having a disapponting tour ... in the past i have had to help a few other campers who are trying to put up their tent for the first time in a camping ground ...
routes not to take??? Mmmm, stay off the busy routes like SH1, get out of auckland as fast as you can, spend more time in the south island ...
when are you planning on coming over?
check out my touringNZ webpage for more hints and tips ... or email me mail[AT]hoogie[DOT]co[DOT]nz
