Hi Laura - As a Brit, I cannot help you precisely with the license issue, but take a trawl through these sorta NZTA web pages for some clues:

Getting a motorcycle licence

Information for visitors and new residents

.. or why not give them a call and ask for specific guidance on this issue? - trust me, they're a friendly and helpful bunch. Remember though, New Zealand is 18 hours ahead of your local time in Toronto, so allow for this if you do call direct.

As far as your concerns go about getting around as a lone female rider? My answer is: "No worries mate!" .. .. NZ is a highly organised western society, intermingled with some fascinating Maori culture. During my visits I have found the overwhelming majority of ordinary New Zealanders to be: very kind, courteous, honourable and hospitable beyond expectation. Such striking levels of warmth, politeness and consideration from ordinary Kiwi folk - just like their country - just never ceased to amaze me. You’ll have a great time. Looking forward to meeting you ‘down under’.

Cheers for now

KEITH (& ELLEN)

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Right Way Round ...

Hi Laura, a local company called Ventura make racks for a wide range of bikes, including most dual purpose machines sold here. Any NZ shop should be able to get one delivered & fitted in a matter of days.

Or if you get another DR650 (a great pick for touring NZ & they are common & cheap too!) here you could just unbolt whatever luggage setup you have on your own bike at home & bring it over for the trip.

Have fun, we might see you in Feb at the meeting, & if you're in Rotorua definitely get in touch & we'll show you around some of the awesome local MTB trails.


Attn Nigel: We are planning on coming down for the meeting & are waiting on more details... is it still on :confused1: Do we need to book anything:confused1:

Attn fellow travelers: we're planning to sail over on the morning of the 21st, head for the meeting, then make our way to Queenstown & surrounds for a few days, then the ADV meetup near Te Anau, then sail back north 1 March.

Cheers
Clint

Hi Clint

Not getting any responses from Nigel I called Wainui Heights directly and was told by 'Robyn' that the venue booking was cancelled back at the beginning of December.

She was told that the 'committee' had decided not to hold a residential meeting that weekend.

So I don't know if that means that the whole HU meeting is cancelled or just that venue.

Being a real novice in this forum I do not know if there is anyone else we can check with other than Nigel, do you?

Is Nigel ok?

Isn't it odd that he hasn't responded to postings for a while?



Safe riding
Lisa

Any suggestions on how much time and where would be the best place in NZ to acquire a bike? (Such as a DR650)

If I want to be in NZ for the meeting, I suppose it would be nice to have a bike prior to the meeting or would it be better/easier for me to get one at the time/after the meeting?

If it makes sense to get a bike prior to the meeting, should I try to negotiate one from the ‘trademe’ website here from Canada or should I fly to NZ first and then buy one? If I fly to NZ first, what town/city would be the best place to acquire a bike in? And what/where would be a good place to stay? (Wow, I have lots and lots of questions, don’t I?)


Thank you for the responses I have received so far!



Thank you in advance!

Laura

Good question. This is all very odd indeed.

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Laura - I would want to see and carefully inspect any bike before I bought it. A test ride would on my list of priorities too. Auckland is the main 'gateway' into NZ and 25% of the country's population lives in and around the City, so it's not a bad place - in fact, probably the best place - to start looking for a set of wheels. Plus, you can probably acquire all you want (parts & accessories) in Auckland to 'set-up' your bike the way you want it before commencing your tour.

If you think you're going to be in the Auckland region for at least a week, then consider stopping with Donna Pengelly (& Mum Val) at the Cockle Bay Heights B&B as one of your options; there's a discounted weekly rate on offer (or there was when I stayed there).

I stopped with the lovely Donna & Val for nearly a month all told a couple of years ago. Home from home bliss so-it-is, with more than a hint of luxury thrown into the bargain. Howick is a suburb of Auckland, and nestles in the southeast corner of the City. It has a 'village feel' about it, which is why I chose to stay in that particular region. I just got lucky with my choice of B&B. Although it's not 'down town' by any means, there is a decent bus service that picks-up/drops-off just a 5-minute stroll away from the B&B. The bus takes you right into the heart of the City.

pic - setting-off on my tour from the B&B:

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Right Way Round ...

Keith: Thanks for the advice, sounds like a perfect starting place!

Hope Nigel reappears!

I'm only making plans (without) Nigel... we only want what's best for him...

Laura

Hi Laura, if you find a bike on Trademe in the Rotorua area I could go & have a look at it for you, & if buying from a shop (most shops have all their used stock on trademe anyway) they should be honest about the mileage & condition, so organising something beforehand may be possible. Otherwise Keith is right, checking the bike out is a good idea & Auckland is the best place to start.

Cheers
Clint

Hi all, very sorry for the lack of communication, but until yesterday I was not sure if I could go ahead with the rally, due to some major health and business issues. Yesterday I got the best news for ages; the doc rang to tell me they are sure they have got all the cancer in the surgery back in December. Woohoo! I live to ride another day. That's the fourth operation (two for cancer) that I have had in the last year or two so the old body has had a recondition, and service.
It was not possible for me to be sure that I could do a full HU Meeting so I have scaled it back to a mini-meeting at our house. We will be doing the same as we have done five times previously, with a meal including spit-roasted lamb, and a keg of from a friend who has a boutique brewery. It will be a day affair on Saturday 21st of February so Sunday will be free for a ride out or another casual gathering.

New details as below:

Venue: 25 Rollin St, Heathcote Valley, Christchurch

Please email or PM me directly if you are coming, as there will be no enrollment form here. This will give us some idea of numbers.

There IS a registration form now to make life easier for Nigel! (edit by Grant)

Peter and Kay Forward will still be guests of honour, and will be speaking in the evening about their 12 year, 515,000km, 193 country journey.
There will be no accommodation available at the venue, so people will have to organise their own, around Christchurch. I will be looking out for camping areas close by and post here if I can locate any. Otherwise search the Net for backpackers etc.

Again, I'm very sorry for the delays and for the inconvenience to those who been planning their trip around the rally, but until I was sure of MY availability there was nothing I could do.

Kind regards

Nigel and Lee

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The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription

Keith: I’ve been in contact with Donna from Cockle Bay Heights and it brought a smile to her face when I cut and paste the picture of the three of you at the B&B… Thanks again for the advice and the name of the B&B; sounds like a great fit.

Clint: Thank you for the offer to go & have a look at a bike for sale in your area for me. I may just take you up on that and/or wouldn’t mind looking you up – if that’s okay with you and your partner, soon after I arrive in Auckland, hoping that I secure a bike well before the meeting on the 21st. Why are you sailing to the meeting versus riding? How easy/difficult is it to get from the North Island to the South Island?

Any one riding from the North Island to the South Island for the meeting? I would greatly appreciate a fellow traveler to join me.

Laura

Laura - I've sent you a PM.

Nigel - What can we say mate? Except that it's a HUGE relief to learn that your recent surgery was a total success, and that you're well on the road to a full recovery. No worries, under the circumstances, scaling back the rally to a mini-meeting is insignificant, compared to what you've just been through. In fact, it's commendable that you are prepared to go ahead with any sort of meeting at all!

I for one will attend the revised mini-meet at your home. Count me in .. .. and see you in 6½ weeks' time. [I'll send you a PM to confirm]

Cheers

KEITH

PS - I still might very well pop down to Akaroa, Banks Peninsular, just for a day or two after Nigel's mini-meet. It's such a nice little region to visit in any case.

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Right Way Round ...

Keith: Thanks again for the information, I would reply to your PM but since I have only “4 postings” I can’t.

Arne: Thank you as well for your PM… and again I would reply to your PM but since I have only “4 postings” I can’t. But I do have a few questions…

1. Re: “With your limited Canadian motorcycle license you may also have problems with insurance, and may be limited in NZ to riding bikes of 250cc or less.”

a)Being limited to a 250cc may be a blessing in disguise as although I have good sense of balance, I’ve lowered my DR650 and find that I’m still a little wary of handling it over challenging terrain because of the weight and the pain associated with landing after being thrown from the bike. Not exactly the same as a mountain bicycle experience, eh? I think a 250cc may not be as top heavy, better on gas and, unfortunately, I’m not a speed demon, so I think a 250cc may be the way to go. (Besides it would greatly improve my confidence to do trail riding which is something I’ve been meaning to do here in Canada.)

b)I’ve been talking to a friend who has relatives in Christchurch and am contemplating storing the bike with them until my return, which should be early 2011. Why buy the same bike twice?

c)I’ve read a few things about insurance on the HUBB, but I think it pertained to Australia (?) That the required insurance (3rd party?) comes with the registration process (??) and that other insurance is not required…guess I’m going to have to research that one more thoroughly…any feedback you may have would be greatly appreciated.

d) I'm waiting to hear back from the transport authority regarding my M2 licence (similar to a restricted schedule 6), they emailed me once asking me what "state" I live in. (In Canada we live in provinces or territories, so I thought it was kind of funny...) and I haven't heard back from them again since I mentioned I was in Ontario, Canada. Perhaps being from Ontario is a "no no" (ha ha).

2. Re: “Canadian couple renting two bikes instead”

I’m curious as to how much this will cost them. If I was only riding for two weeks or so it would make sense. But if I’m going to spend $2 700 Canadian on the airline ticket, I’m thinking of staying for ~3 months; I imagine that renting a bike for that period of time to be cost prohibitive!

3. “you cannot join or deal on TradeMe unless you live in NZ or Australia.”

Does this mean that when I’m actually in NZ I still cannot trade on TradeMe?

And/or when I arrive in NZ I could get someone who does live in NZ to help me negotiate a purchase?

Thank you in advance to Keith, Arne and everyone else that has further suggestions/instructions for an otherwise clueless rider wanting to travel by motorcycle in NZ!

Laura

Hi Laura

We are based in Auckland (20 mins from airport) and my partner (Hamish) is well used to buyin and fixing up bikes and between us we have a few in the garage!

I am a keen but infrequent rider on the roads, hopeless off road, but Hamish knows his stuff in this area so between us I am sure that we could sort you out.

Funnily enough we were in Toronto in September visiting relatives - what a small world.

If you want help with lifts from the airport, buying bikes, finding accomodation, maybe even the ride down to the mini-meet (all things being equal) contact me via email.

Kia ora
Lisa

Well done Nigel, it's wonderful news that you have triumphed over your chronic condition.

How great that you are also continuing with organising the mini-meeting. Thank you, we are completely new to the Hubb and are really looking forwards to meeting everyone and hearing the great stories and being inspired by Peter & Kay Forwood.

Kia ora Nigel, kia kaha
Lisa

Laura, you might receive more replies if you started a new thread with questions. Anyway, you now have 5 posts, so you might also be able to send personal messages.

The cheapest bike hires I could find were Waikato Car Rentals and Colemans Suzuki.
For a 6-week rental the Canadian couple were sure they wouldn't be stuck with a bike at the end of the trip that they couldn't sell. For longer periods and especially if you're returning to the country, purchasing a bike is probably a better option. There are also some bike dealers who will do a buy-back option if you want to be sure of selling the bike before leaving the country.

Insurance is not compulsory in NZ, but 3rd party insurance is usually cheap and is highly recommended. Included in the registration fee is a contribution to ACC, a compulsory accident compensation scheme for those who are injured in accidents. It does not cover any damage to property.

You could try contacting Star Insurance who have previously covered overseas riders in NZ, to hear what their prices and conditions are. Their email address is on the contact page.

The TradeMe Terms and Conditions for becoming a member has as the first condition:
"Becoming a Member: Becoming a member is free. You may only register as a member if you are resident in New Zealand or Australia and can form a legally binding contract that is enforceable against you. For example, you must be 18 years old. By registering as a member, you warrant that you can form a legally binding contract."

I know someone who lives overseas who has registered as a member, mainly to keep a watchlist of items of interest, but without the possibility of bidding on or buying auction items directly. You can certainly get someone in NZ with a TradeMe account to bid on your behalf.

In NZ anyone without a full motorcycle license is limited to bikes of 250cc or less. So it depends on how the authorities view your Canadian license. A 250cc with low seat height would be a good option for touring and for riding some of the gravel roads that are found in abundance. Unfortunately since all learner riders are limited to 250cc or less these bikes tend to be relatively expensive.

Keith: Donna from Cockle Bay Heights is attempting to email you and doesn't have a current email address.

I tried to send you an email on Skype, but being new at this I don't know if it worked.

Laura