Reuthers Harley-Davidson
Motorcycle Tours New Zealand
Highlights - 15 Days - Route
Route:
Auckland - Whitianga - Rotorua - Napier - Wellington -
Nelson - Greymouth - Franz Josef - Queenstown -
Te Anau - Invercargill - Dunedin - Christchurch
Sunday, Day 1
Auckland
Kia Ora to Auckland, the City of Sails. Be our guest at our traditional welcome drink and dinner. Getting to know each other is top of the list and your tour guide will give you further information on your upcoming New Zealand dream trip.
Monday, Day 2
Auckland - Whitianga
After breakfast and the briefing for the day we will pick up our motorcycles at the rental station. The last security tips (Keep Left!) and on the Pacific Coast Highway we will cruise today through the beautiful Coromandel area to Whitianga. We will spend the night right near the beach, where once Captain Cook raised the British flag.
Tuesday, Day 3
Whitianga - Rotorua
After a hearty breakfast "By Nina" and a wonderful stroll we will reach the Cathedral Cove with it's natural rock cathedral. Afterwards we will cruise along the coast to Rotorua. Right before the city the smell of sulfur and blubbering and roaring geysers await us. Pure New Zealand culture is what we have in the evening in the Tamaki Village in the form of Maori dances and songs as well as the following Hangi Dinner.
Wednesday, Day 4
Rotorua - Napier
What the story is all about concerning the geysers and the rare Kiwis, we will learn in Te Puia. Overwhelmed by these nature events, we continue our trip to Taupo where we will stop at the Lake Taupo, the largest inland water of New Zealand, and enjoy the lovely view of Mount Ruapehu and its height of 2797 m. Our destination today is Napier, after the great earthquake in 1931, it is a newly built city in the Art-Deco style. We will spend the night in an original Art-Deco hotel, directly at the beach promenade, the Marine Parade.
Thursday, Day 5
Napier - Wellington
With all the time in the world we will travel today to Wellington, the capitol of New Zealand.
Friday, Day 6
Wellington - Nelson
Before we leave the northern island to head south, we will visit the local Harley-Davidson dealer as well as New Zealands National Museum Te Papa. In the early afternoon we will then take the Interislander for the short transfer to Picton. From Picton we will travel along Tasman Bay directly to Nelson, New Zealands first city ever. By the way the area around Nelson has the highest amount of sunshine hours in New Zealand - ideal for motorcyclists, of whom around Nelson there should be way over 400 (!)...
Saturday, Day 7
Nelson
As a day tour, we will today undertake an excursion into the Abel Tasman National Park where we will be dropped off per water taxi at the beach and after a walk in the free wilderness simply be picked up again.
Sunday, Day 8
Nelson - Greymouth
Our motorcycle tour leads us southwest along the famous Buller Gorge Road to Cape Foulwind and south to the Pancake Rocks. Here we will get a close up view of the blowholes with the spraying seawater. We will spend the night in the coastal city Greymouth.
Monday, Day 9
Greymouth - Franz Josef
We will pass the old goldmining city Ross and enjoy the all uniting landscape with imposing mountains, green rain forest and the Tasman Sea to the right. In Franz Josef we will set up our sleeping quarters below the Franz Josef Glacier. Depending on the weather, there is the possibility for a helicopter flight with a landing on the famous glacier or weather independent to take a breathtaking quad tour in the rain forest.
Tuesday, Day 10
Franz Josef - Queenstown
Passing the Fox Glacier we will leave the Tasman Sea and cross the Haast Pass and reach Wanaka. A lonely mountain road leads us to the most exciting city of New Zealand, to Queenstown. After a breathtaking passage on the Lake Wakatipu we will have dinner in the Colonel's Homestead restaurant of the Walter Peak High Country Sheep farm and with a farm tour get a picture of the work on a New Zealand farm. The TSS Earnslaw, the oldest coal fueled steam ship of New Zealand, brings us afterwards back again to Queenstown.
Wednesday, Day 11
Queenstown - Te Anau
In the morning there is action and sights to see: Starting with the popular bungee jumping off the historic Kawarau Bridge, up to para sailing and jet boat riding. Of course you can also spend your time with an abundant shopping tour in Queenstown, as our trip to Te Anau continues on in the early afternoon.
Thursday, Day 12
Te Anau
Today a world wonder is on the program, one of the most famous symbols of New Zealand: the Milford Sound in the rain-laden zone of New Zealand. Here we will take a cruise on the 16 kilometer long fjord to the Tasmanian Sea and at the same time observe penguins, sea lions, dolphins, sometimes even whales, as well as the most spectacular waterfalls in New Zealand.
Friday, Day 13
Te Anau - Invercargill
Bright and early the next morning we will continue our New Zealand trip to the nature island Stewart Island in the far south of New Zealand. Here we can take a scooter tour where we can observe in untouched nature i.e. rare bird species. We have booked our overnight stay in Invercargill.
Saturday, Day 14
Invercargill - Dunedin
Surely most of you have heard of the cult film "The World's Fastest Indian" with Anthony Hopkins. We will have a close up view of Burt Monro's original motorcycle today. Afterwards we head through the Catlins on to Dunedin. In style we will spend the night in the only castle of New Zealand and the southern hemisphere, at Larnach Castle where we will spoil ourselves with a multi-course dinner. Exciting stories about the castle, its owners and the obligatory spooky ghosts will provide for an unforgettable evening.
Sunday, Day 15
Dunedin - Christchurch
After an abundant tour of Larnach Castle, we head toward Christchurch and return our motorcycles to the rental station. In the evening we will then have our traditional Farewell Dinner in which we can recap the adventures of our motorbike tour through New Zealand.
Optional: XtraPack from Christchurch back to Auckland in 3 days.
