Tour de Kiwi

[Kwacky]

Great ongoing postcards from what looks like an amazing trip.

Love the photos.

Thanks for sharing this.

[kiwikrasher]

You are going to have to wait for day 11 and the wrap up, I'm pooped!

[kiwikrasher]

Great ongoing postcards from what looks like an amazing trip.

Love the photos.

Thanks for sharing this.

No dramas. Just has been harder doing the up dates than I expected as I'm busy being social-able each night! Fly out tomorrow so I can finish it off from the Qantas lounge

[kingfixer]

IMO these are the type of trips the multi was made for, i need to arrange for something next year on mine, i think my brother wants to go round the Normandy landings etc at some as he is ex military so thats one thing to look forward to.
I've had the clutch sorted on mine now and new tyres and it feels like a new bike.

Brilliant updates by the way

[kiwikrasher]

It's a top bike Kingfixer, I freaking love it!

[Blade]

Wow wow wow. What can I say but a genuinely epic trip I'm sure you will remember for a long time. Great roads, great bike and great memories what more can you want from biking.

Pleased it was such a success and would love to do a big trip like this.

[D6]

IOm not sure I am happy to read these posts anymore. Especially as I am reading them at my desk at work!!!

Looks like you've had a great time.

What are the penalties for speeding in NZ?

[Rossgo]

This is why the forum was created for sharing such epicness [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

Loved your day by day diary safe travels back home fella [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

[kiwikrasher]

What are the penalties for speeding in NZ?

I had a rough idea but I'm glad I didn't read this till after!! From the NZ transport authority site.

SPEEDING.
Speeding fines increase progressively from $30 for speeds less than 10km/h over the limit, to $630 for speeds up to 50km/h over the limit. In addition to a fine, you will also incur demerit points. See the Demerit points section for more information.

If your speed is more than 40km/h above the speed limit you can get a 28 day licence suspension, and at more than 50km/h over the limit you can also be charged with careless, dangerous or reckless driving.

[Monty]

Cracking thread Paul, the stuff dreams are made of. Well my dreams at any rate.

[Mac]

Once again my friend, I'm excited for you and your adventure. Sounds like a fantastic time!

[kiwikrasher]

From the qantas lounge and a few gins later....

DAY 11 - Final day

I wake to the sound of rain. Crap I think, but this ride is just to get back to Auckland and drop the bike off, so I reflect that I can be glad I had amazingly great weather over the last 10 days bar 1, and yesterday's Peninsula run was outstanding. Pack up the luggage for the last time and wet weather gear donned. Pissed down for the first hour and a bit but then the weather cleared or more probable I cleared it. The run to Auckland isn't overly exciting, but still some good corners as has most NZ roads. I took it reasonably easy as I wasn't keen on coping a ticket this late in the piece. had lunch at a Boutique Brewery I'd been recommended, top feed and a tasty beer, would've had more if I didn't have to get back on the bike.

Got back to the drop off. Covered a total off 3,237 kms in 11 days, although two days only totalled 54 km. I didn't pick the bike up from here as the owner had other things on so had arranged for pick up at a bike shop he deals with. Turns out this is only his side business. He ended up with a few bike between him and his wife and was leading bike rideouts for a local club, and thought he could do a bussiness around it. That's why he has good bikes, he buys what he likes and a lot of them have been bought in the US, used for a bike holiday and shipped back, as was the Pikes Peak I had. He's an ex RAF Aircraft Tech (I was the same trade in the kiwi Air Force) and now is an Engineering consultant in NZ, running the tours and bike rental on the side. Really nice bloke and surprisingly was stoked I brought the bike back with so much tyre wear. He said it's good to see the bike had been ridden the way it was intended. He reckons it makes him sad when the bike comes back and you can tell it's been tootled about on.
So check out his garage

And then I found his track bike in his lounge

He also provided me accomodation at a cut price rate, self contained apartment under his house. If anyone on here wants to do a NZ trip on a great bike, let me know and I'll give you his details, top bloke, top service and great bikes.

So I'm sitting in the Qantas lounge waiting to board my flight back home. I had a great time and great riding on a top class bike. Couldn't ask for more. I needed this as I'm about to negotiate a complete shit storm in the next few months and I probably won't be in a position to do this again for a long time. If anyone is in the mind to do something like this, all I say is life is short, live it while you can. This trip has taught me that, I'm pretty bad for following that advice, but I'm hoping that will change from now.

This thread isn't done, once home I'll post up videos as I get them sorted... So keep an eye out

[kiwikrasher]

The completed tour map. Hope you can make sense of it. day 3 and 7 don't feature as they were just little trips to visit people locally, so didn't make the map.

[Kwacky]

That's some mileage, kudos.

Looks like he's a fan of European bikes.

[rocket]

Thanks very much for posting this up kiwirasher I have really enjoyed reading it looks like you have had a great time.

[Blade]

What Rocket said. Really appreciate the effort to post up a diary which is not easy when you have had all day in the saddle.

Great reviews of a great trip, really glad you enjoyed it so much and what a top guy who runs the hire bike company.

[kiwikrasher]

That's some mileage, kudos.

Looks like he's a fan of European bikes.

You know Kwacky, it was easy on that bike. I found myself wishing I'd planned in more. The only day I was happy to get off the bike and had cut my run short was the day I hit that massive storm.

[kiwikrasher]

Thanks very much for posting this up kiwirasher I have really enjoyed reading it looks like you have had a great time.

I did thanks Rocket, and I'm glad the read was OK. I was worried I'd be boring you all to tears !

[kiwikrasher]

Well I tried to do some editing in iMovie on the Mac and it shit me to tears, so I just uploaded the raw video to YouTube and that took long enough!

This is from the Coromandel Peninsula (Day 10) travelling over the hills between west and east coasts. Got more footage from this day to show you but bloomin' heck this video caper is time consuming!!

The weird little detour at the top of a hill is me trying to capture the view... Bit of a fail!

[video]https://youtu.be/_CXAUT5JD9M[/video]

[Perkles]

Epic thread ,sounds like you had a ball well done