AMM New Zealand Tour – Feb 2015 – Paradise Motorcycle Tours

THE SOUTH ISLAND IS WAITING FOR YOU

HIAMO!

 

All right, you asked for it! We have had many requests for tours compiled and guided by us, and we can finally pull the covers off the first full-on Australian Motorcyclist Tour, to be run by the fabulous Paradise Motorcycle Tours NZ. It should be no surprise that it goes to the South Island of New Zealand. Accompanied by Stuart, who has been shuttling to and fro between Australia and New Zealand for motorcycle launches, you will find some of the best riding in the Land of the Long Winding Road – and therefore the best in the world.

You can see some of the other trips we’re preparing for you in Top Tours in this issue (page 69). They include trips from Edelweiss, Route 66 Tours and Malaysian Motorcycle Tours and we hope to also offer you one of the wonderful Beaches’ Tours. 

But that’s in the future. You can book the Australian Motorcyclist Magazine HIAMO! Tour right now. Hiamo? It’s Maori for “excitement”, and Stuart promises that it will be exactly that.

 

 

HIAMO! Tour

Fast Facts

Book through: Paradise Motorcycle Tours NZ, Ph: +64 9 473 9404 or at www.paradisemotorcycletours.co.nz.

Dates: Sunday February 1^st to Tuesday February 10^th 2015

Travel Time: 9 days/10 nights

Departs and ends: Christchurch

Difficulty: Moderate + some hairpins

Rest Day: Queenstown

A fantastic 9-Day Southern Highlights motorcycle tour riding with Australian Motorcyclist Magazine Editor Stuart Woodbury. We loop and cross the Southern Alps, view Mt Cook Aoraki, explore Glacier Country and cruise on Milford Sound. This guided motorcycle tour offers a complete overview of the South Island with amazing riding and spectacular views Experience Southern hospitality and meet some of the local wildlife too! Spend time in Christchurch exploring New Zealand’s colonial past, get pumped up in Queenstown – the world’s adrenaline capital, and ride some of the most scenic roads that Aotearoa –The Land of the Long White Cloud, has to offer.

 

Here’s where we go

 

Day Zero (February 1^st)

Arrive Christchurch – you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel

Overnight: Copthorne Commodore Hotel

 

Day One

Christchurch to Tekapo 320Km/163 miles 4.5 hours

Start off from Christchurch via the lush green Canterbury plains and Mt Hutt then through Burkes Pass and to the crystal clear Lake Tekapo, the largest of the three McKenzie basin lakes with fantastic views of the tallest mountain in New Zealand, Mount Cook.

The lake’s turquoise colour is due to the minute particles of ground rock suspended in the glacial water.

Overnight: Peppers Bluewater Resort

 

Day Two

Tekapo to Dunedin Distance –387km/258 miles–5 hours

Your next adventure is riding the famous Lindis Pass, a curvaceous, undulating ride through the rolling hills to central Otago. Stunningly carpeted in golden tussock, where you’ll see many native falcons. A great twisty ride alongside the 50-mile-long Lake Dunstan hemmed in by dramatic steep hillsides to Cromwell – the fruit growing area of New Zealand

Arrive at the very Scottish New Zealand city of Dunedin where Victorian architecture and the lovely Otago Peninsula makes this a very attractive place to visit.

Overnight: Scenic Dunedin City Hotel

 

Day Three

Dunedin to Te Anau Distance – 362km/225 miles – 5.5 hours

Head toward Te Anau in Fiordland today. We stop off in Invercargill to see the Burt Munro display of the ‘World’s Fastest Indian’ famous for setting an under-1,000 cc world record, at Bonneville, 26 August 1967.This record still stands today. Munro was 68 and was riding a 47-year-old machine when he set his last record.

Fiordland is one of the few places on the planet of untouched wilderness. Waterfalls tumble hundreds of metres into pristine forested valleys

This is where the word ‘silence’ takes on a different meaning. A great trip is the Te Anau glow worm caves, accessible by boat, if you wish.

Overnight: Distinction Hotel and Villas Te Anau

 

Day Four

Milford Sound 110km/68 miles each way 2.5 hours each way

The famous road to Milford Sound is a once in a lifetime ride – swoop along the shores of Lake Te Anau then experience sweeping roads through beech forests. The incredible Homer tunnel – carved out of the rock by hand in the 1930’s opens up to a massive valley of hairpin bends!

Keep an eye out for the cheeky, very intelligent Kea Alpine parrots. Milford Sound cruise. (included on your tour) cruise is 2 hours.

Overnight: Distinction Hotel and Villas Ta Anau

 

Day Five

Te Anau to Queenstown Distance – 173 km/105 miles 3 hours

 

A short but stunning ride today to Queenstown the ‘adventure playground of the world’.

The road around Lake Wakatipu is magic, hugging the lakeside with tight bends and stupendous views.

Queenstown nestles above Lake Wakatipu with stunning views across the lake to the Remarkables. This is one of the most scenic places on earth.

Stay in Queenstown for 2 nights at The Rees.

 

Day Six

Free day to explore Queenstown – Rest or Ride

Explore and experience the delights of this fantastic spot. There is so much to do here – paraglide, jet boat ride, bungee jump, white water rafting, to name but a few.

If it’s more riding you want, take the road to the old Gold mining town of Arrowtown and the fabulous road to Glenorchy alongside Lake Wakatipu.

Have lunch at the Gibson Valley winery, just down the road from the A J Hacket Bridge Bungee. Eat at The Skyline restaurant at the top of Bob’s Peak It has been voted ‘Number one restaurant with a view in the world’ World’s Top Restaurants with a View – (ABC News). The restaurant is reached by gondola cable car – you can look over Queenstown and watch the sun set over the mountains.

Or join Stuart as he rides the Crown Range Road  – possibly the world’s best bike road.

 

Day Seven

Queenstown to Franz Joseph Glacier 355km/219 miles – 5.5 hours A spectacular ride across the Crown Range, the highest sealed road in New Zealand (again, but you won’t mind). Stop at the Famous Cadrona Hotel for a coffee, then on perfect roads to Wanaka, famous for its glorious views across the lake and the ‘War Birds over Wanaka’ air displays.

Ride through river plains, alongside clear blue lakes with a backdrop of the snow capped Southern Alps through Mount Aspiring National park and on through Haast Pass.

Nowhere else in the world at this latitude have glaciers advanced so close to the coast. These majestic, awe inspiring spectacles are amazing seen from the ground, and even more stunning seen from above. You can fly by helicopter over the Southern Alps and land on the glacier, a trip you’ll never forget.

Overnight: Scenic Hotel/58 on Cron Motel

 

Day Eight

Franz Josef to Punakaiki 216km/134 miles. 4 hours

Reputably ‘The best motorcycling in the world’ is your next experience on the West Coast Road, designed by the grandfather of famous motorcycle designer John Britten. A curvy route through beautiful native forests and lakes leading to the wild and rocky west coast.

The pancake rocks began forming 30 million years ago when limestone was overlaid with softer mudstone in a succession of layers. Over years, the elements have eroded the rock, leaving a pancake effect. When the sea is rough, the sound of the blowholes can be heard for miles.

Overnight: Punakaiki Resort

 

Day Nine (February 10^th)

Punakaiki To Christchurch 284km/176 4.5 hours

Today you take the forest fringed winding route down the West Coast and then head east as road climbs steeply to 921m to the main divide – dramatic Arthurs Pass in the heart of the Southern Alps.

Carry on through the foot hills of the majestic Southern Alps and through the Waimakariri River valley with long straights and sweeping bends. Head across the Canterbury plains to Christchurch. The tour ends with a farewell dinner in Christchurch.

Overnight: Copthorne Commodore Hotel

 

HIAMO! 9 Day South Island Luxury Tour

Please Note: All tour prices are PER PERSON in New Zealand dollars and include GST (government service tax).

All bookings are direct with the operator, Paradise Motorcycle Tours NZ, please, on +64 9 473 9404 or at www.paradisemotorcycletours.co.nz.

Paradise Motorcycle Tours NZ is an Official Partner of BMW Motorrad. All bikes are BMWs.

 

Prices (per person)

 

9 day/10 night HIAMO! Luxury Tour

	Bike/s up to 800cc	Bike/s over 800cc	Bike/s over 1200cc
Couple, 1 bike, share double	NZ$5480	NZ$5970	NZ$6100
Rider, own room	NZ$8500	NZ$9400	NZ$9680
2 riders, 2 bikes, share twin	NZ$6800	NZ$7500	NZ$7700

 

9 day/10 night HIAMO! Kia Ora Kiwi Tour

	Bike/s up to 800cc	Bike/s over 800cc	Bike/s over 1200cc
Couple, 1 bike, share double	NZ$3385	NZ$3710	NZ$3845
Rider, own room	NZ$5880	NZ$6600	NZ$6735
2 riders, 2 bikes, share twin	NZ$4195	NZ$4915	NZ$5185

 

So if you’re happy to share a room and ride a 650cc bike (which is what I would do), you can do this fantastic tour for as little as NZ$4195 (plus plane fare). That works out as a ground price of A$428 a day. A lot of money? Yes, although when you look at what you get (including Stuart!) it is amazingly good value.

 

Why two tours?

This is the tour of a lifetime, make no mistake about it. Nine days of the best riding you will find anywhere in the world, led by our rather quick Editor. So some people will want to enjoy it in luxury, while others will want to focus entirely on other things. This way, you get the choice. Oh, and the two tours are actually just one: they run together, ride the same roads and enjoy the same staggering scenery. Please note that prices do not include air fares to/from Christchurch. You should be able to get pretty good deals, though.

 

What’s included in the Luxury Tour?

BMW Motorcycle of your choice

Fuel

Airport transfers

10 nights 4-5* Hotel/lodge accommodation – superior deluxe rooms – if there’s a view, you’ll have it!

10 breakfasts

9 Evening A la Carte meals in restaurants – (you’re free to dine independently on the rest day)

Guide on a motorcycle

Daily briefing

Luxury support vehicle with 2nd guide

Satellite phone

Tour booklet and maps

Activity booking service

Milford Sound cruise

Visit to Burt Munro’s Fastest Indian display in Invercargill

Paradise Motorcycle Tours cap to take home

Exclusive Australian Motorcyclist Magazine HIAMO! t-shirt to take home

 

What’s included in the Kia Ora Kiwi Tour?

BMW Motorcycle of your choice

Airport transfers

10 nights 4-5* hotels, standard rooms

A welcome dinner and a farewell dinner

Guide on a motorcycle

Daily briefing

Luxury support with 2nd guide

Satellite phone

Tour booklet and maps

Activity booking service

Milford Sound cruise

Visit to Burt Munro’s Fastest Indian display in Invercargill

Paradise Motorcycle Tours cap to take home

Exclusive Australian Motorcyclist Magazine HIAMO! t-shirt to take home