Motorcycle Touring in New Zealand - The Basics

Traffic Laws

• Drive on the left hand side of the road.
• Maximum open road speed is usually 100 kph.  Many cities and towns have speed cameras, and radar traps are common, especially around the holidays.
• Helmets and seat belts are mandatory.
• Lane splitting seems to be technically illegal, although many riders do it.  From my discussions with other riders, it is tolerated if done safely, ie: in slow-moving traffic or at stop-lights.  You will probably be ticketed for splitting lanes in fast moving traffic.  Other drivers seem to be okay with lane-splitting at intersections, I've never had a problem.
• You do not need an international driver's license if your current license is in English.  You must hold a valid motorcycle license unless you are riding a scooter, in which case an automobile license is sufficient.  If you stay more than one year, you will have to write the road test and get a NZ license.  See the Land Transport Safety Authority site.
• This is a weird one:  Cars turning left at intersections have to give way to vehicles turning right in front of them.  This is extremely counter-intuitive to drivers from other countries, so be very very careful at intersections.  This law is probably going to be changed soon, so check with the NZAA, LTSA, or police upon arrival.  Expect mass confusion for the first while after the change-over.

The blue car must give way to the red car!!

Guidebook

Prices

Motorcycles

Motorcycles are reasonably priced in New Zealand, as the market is awash with used bikes imported from Japan.   If you wish to buy a motorcycle, ride it and then sell it back to the dealer, you should have no problem setting this up.   I recently purchased a Honda Africa Twin for use by my friend while he was here, and am having  the dealership sell it again now that he has gone back.

For used bikes, a good starting point is BikePoint, which lists both new and used motorcycles and links to dealer's home pages.  You can get a good idea of motorcycle prices here.  Red Baron in Auckland has a good listing of used bikes as well.

Rental bikes can be had.  Do a search on Google for the latest links.  In my experience, however, it is cheaper, (although obviously a bigger hassle), to buy a motorcycle and re-sell it if you are staying more than two weeks.

All motorcycles sold in New Zealand have to undergo a "Warrant of Fitness"  (WOF) inspection before they can be sold.  This cost is usually included in the sale price, (most prices quoted include the 12.5% GST and "on-road costs," meaning the WOF).  You do not need insurance to ride on New Zealand roads.  New Zealand has a no-fault insurance scheme which makes it impossible to sue another party for injury.  However, you are responsible for damage to other's property, so you should have third-party insurance at the least, and theft and collision insurance if you want real peace of mind.

Gasoline

Prices are reasonable, at about $NZ.95 per litre.  Only unleaded fuel is available.  Stations can be quite far apart in the South Island.

Food

Once again, fairly reasonable.  I would say you could get away with $NZ10 per day for lunch or breakfast, and double that for dinner.   Of course, you will inevitably spend more than this, but you could get by on this amount.  Food in the big cities is very good, but out in the countryside, expect some very grim coffees and dodgy meat pies.  It is not customary to tip in New Zealand.

Accommodations

Prices range from lows of $NZ12 a night for backpacker style dorms to sky's-the -limit.  Expect to pay about $NZ50 for a modest motel room in the countryside, about $NZ80 for a good B&B for one, and $NZ100 for two.  There are tons of sights on the net, so do a search on Google for New Zealand Accommodation Guide.
 

Routes

90 Mile Beach, in the North Island

When to Visit & Weather

Basically, summer in New Zealand is December to April.  The weather will be pleasant in most of the country, not too hot or too cold.  The further north you go, the hotter it gets.  Winters can be quite cold (and rainy), especially in the south where you will encounter snow.   Check here for weather.

There will be a lot of rain on the South Island West Coast.   On the south island, I would just check the weather forecast every morning.  If it looks sunny on the West Coast, head over there right away, it might not last long.

The only time that New Zealand roads get really crowded is around Christmas and New Years, as this also coincides with the summer school holidays.  Avoid this period if you can, accommodation will be easier to find and cheaper, and the roads will be much less crowded,  (and safer) if you do.
 

Safety

The NZAA, (New Zealand Automobile Association) recognizes most countries local AA, and offers benefits to them.  Check with your local AA to make sure your membership is valid in New Zealand.  If your card does not have an expiry date, it would be helpful to get a letter from your AA stating you are a member in good standing.  NZAA has come to my rescue here in NZ, and also during my trip to Australia, so it's well worth it.  You can also purchase visitor's membership in the NZAA if you don't have a valid membership from another country.

Road safety is a concern, please see the section below on Road Conditions.
 

International Vehicular Deaths (per 100,000 population)
India	34.6
South Korea	30.4
Portugal	28.1
Brazil	22.7
Hungary	22.7
Greece	22.0
Venezuela	20.7
Spain	20.5
Ecuador	20.0
New Zealand	19.5
Luxembourg	19.4
Poland	19.2
Belgium	18.4
United States	18.4
Sources: various, not all countries are included

Deaths per 100 million kilometres driven
Egypt	43.2		Bahrain	3.2
Kenya	36.0		New Zealand	2.2
South Korea	29.0		Israel	2.2
Turkey	22.0		Taiwan	2.0
Morocco	21.0		France	2.0
Yemen	12.4		Germany	1.9
Austria	10.7		Japan	1.7
South Africa	10.4		Switzerland	1.6
Bulgaria	9.9		Ireland	1.5
Portugal	9.0		Denmark	1.5
Hungary	8.0		Finland	1.4
Macedonia	7.8		Thailand	1.3
Poland	6.3		Netherlands	1.3
Czech Republic	5.9		Norway	1.2
Spain	5.9		United States	1.1
Hong Kong	4.8		Sweden	1.1
Belgium	3.3		United Kingdom	1.0
Source: IRF, NSC, ASIRT, Others (various years)

            Tables courtesy of Fielding's Danger Finder... Click here to see "What Danger Awaits the Weary Traveller".

Road Conditions

The bad news is that many of the roads are in very poor condition, or are poorly engineered with off-camber corners, surprise gravel sections, or one-lane bridges.   Very few roads are divided.

Most sealed roads are finished in "chip seal."  This is where a layer of tar is spread over a flattened, smoothed bed of rock, and then covered with a layer of rocks or gravel ("metal" in New Zealand speak).  The rocks are compressed into the tar by passing vehicles, which together  forms a very grippy and fairly durable surface.  This method is approximately ten times cheaper than covering a road with asphalt, (about $NZ3.50 per square meter compared to $NZ38 for asphalt.)  Although it offers excellent traction when in good condition, it has a few major drawbacks:

• After the gravel is spread on the tar, it takes weeks for all the gravel to get imbedded in the surface.  Thus it is very slippery and you run the risk of being hit with flying rocks from other vehicles during this time.
• It is often difficult to tell if a surface is old, (all the rocks are firmly embedded and the surface is stable), or if it is brand-new, (covered in slippery, unstable gravel).
• It is susceptible to "flushing."  This is when the tar rises to the surface, burying the gravel.  (This often happens in hot weather or under heavy traffic.)  The resulting surface is mirror-smooth and deadly slippery, especially in the rain.  Unfortunately, the maintenance department's answer to this is to often just spread some fresh gravel over it.
• It is too grippy, so that if you do go down, you can do some real damage to both yourself and the bike.
• Road markings don't show up well on the light-coloured surface.