- New Zealand Te Waipounamu - February 27, 2026
- The Fast Stuff - February 15, 2026
- Held Spring Ride Gloves - January 5, 2026
This is my 7th motorcycle tour in New Zealand. It’s one of my favourite places in the world.
For this ride I am returning to the South Island (Te Waipounamu). The South arguably has the best scenery although personally I think the North Island is right up there and has more good motorcycle routes however both islands are superb riding destinations.
My last ride on the South Island I was caught out by a cold freeze in March which I was advised was the best month to ride. So this time I’m going February which (in theory) is still summer but I’ve brought my Merlin laminated riding gear as well some warm things.
The south island of New Zealand along with Patagonia are two of the most southerly places in the world. Both can have powerful cross winds and weather is highly variable so with that in mind I’ve booked a more fitting bike for this tour than the Suzuki Bandit I rode previously.
I’ll be riding a BMW R1250RT from the nice people at Te Waipounamu Motorcycle Tours, Christchurch. The RT offers good protection from the elements, heated grips and a heated seat.
Old stomping ground
On the way to NZ from far north Australia I spent a couple of days in my old home town Brisbane visiting some family and indulging in fantastic food. I do miss the dining options of a big city but prices now are so expensive I probably would not eat out frequently if I was living here.
Apart from food a city provides photography opportunities. I used to often walk around at night with a camera when I worked and lived in the CBD.
I was trying out some black mist filters when based in Japan. Above is a mist app. Not the same but still a bit of fun.
Even with a million dollars I would struggle to find an apartment here now so there is no way back but apart from the dining options (which I can always fly to here for, or even better, to Melbourne) I have zero desire to live in a big city again. Countryside Australia is soooo much friendlier.
Across the Ditch
Next I flew on Air New Zealand’s brand new 787 in premium economy which was a terrific experience and totally worth the upgrade even for this relatively short flight. Christchurch 9.00pm on a Saturday; I try beer/wine shop but no alcohol sales after 9.00pm and the restaurants were all closing. Sigh. Oh well with no distractions I turn my focus to the weather ahead and say oh crap…
My first ride day is showing as 11 degrees, ‘Real Feel’ 4-7 degrees and then just to see if I’m ‘game for a laugh’ the forecast is also heavy rain with wind. Lucky I brought my laminated gear but I still feel slightly under prepared. I brought my Held Gore-Tex gloves but this pair which I got last year so far are actually untested in rain. My experience previously with Held Gore-Tex gloves is the leather tends to wet out/become waterlogged after a few hours and then I’d have a problem in those temperatures.
With a spare day I decide to visit a motorcycle accessory shop. Conveniently they have a sale on the Belgium brand Richa who make well regarded gloves. I spot a 3 season model with Gore-Grip (which means laminated rain liner). I wanted to try another pair of laminated gloves after the Rev-it Contrast GTX gloves I purchased for my Norway tour fell apart so snapped them up.
I have a couple of base layer thermals with me but wandering around the city I end up in an outdoor store with base layer shirts on sale so grab another couple. Better to be over prepared and not need than other way round.
Lastly I foolishly removed my visor pinlock before this ride (of course (◔_◔) ) and didn’t think to bring anti-fog spray. Nothing at the bike shop which seemed odd but I found something at a chemist.
I will do a separate post on the gloves in the future.
The Route
This is my planned route riding clockwise for 9 days on what turned out to be a ride I revised many times. Mostly roads I have ridden before however days 4 and 5 will offer some new ones to me.
Already I think this may get changed looking at the long range forecasts.
Day One
I have all my gear prepared the night before but sit around until 9.30am as the weather is terrible so I already have decided to abandon first half of todays route out to Akaroa and kill time before riding directly to my motel.
The guys at the rental shop upon hearing I am in no hurry invite me to join them for coffee and a chat. About 10.30am having checked everything is set I take a deep breath and head out into the rain. I have plenty of rain experience from riding Japan and modern tyres are so good that riding in light rain doesn’t bother me however heavy rain is never a good thing.
I slosh it south on the main highway. Visibility is woeful in heavy rain plus vehicle spray. I keep my speed down to about 80-85kph, hunker down and just get on with it. Glad to be on the RT today. I see a couple of other riders on ADV bikes copping the rain full on and wearing those horrible PVC rain suits. I am reasonably shielded by the RT’s barn door screen and my all laminated gear is working well.
I’m on a 2022 model RT with the older dash and buttons setup which I prefer over the newer LCD screen and revised controls. Reminds me of the 2022 K1600GT I rode in Spain which had the same dash.
Besides being hopeful of finally riding around the lower part of the South island I have a secondary goal of enjoying some fine New Zealand meat pies this tour. And so it is I leave the highway at Ashburton and peer through my fogged visor for a bakery.
Today’s pie is Pepper Steak. Good taste, flaky top. Firm pie crust base. Pretty good! Rating 8/10.
After making sure I have good seal of my jacket at cuffs over gloves and around my neck where I use an inner water resistant gator as well as an outer waterproof neck gator I push on in heavy rain until it eases shortly before I arrive Timaru where I am staying tonight.
My rider gear has worked superbly. Zero leaks. I am totally dry!
I’m convinced now this laminated gear is the way to go. It breaths so you don’t get clammy like in a rain suit and it doesn’t ‘wet out’ (become waterlogged) like gear with zip in Gore-Tex liners. Dries quickly too.
Also my Merlin laminated pants didn’t fail in the bum area where regular Gore-Tex pants always tend to fail for me, so no wet bum today.
The new laminated gloves also pass the test. At the bakery I was wondering will they be clammy inside when putting them back on after a break (as I am sure you have experienced) but they were bone dry inside then and still bone dry inside after 4 hours of heavy rain. As well I turned the grip heaters on which can make regular Gore-Tex gloves fail but these were fine.
Previously in Japan I would carry 3 pairs of gloves for rain days because they would become waterlogged and clammy inside I would then swap to next pair. In the evening I would spend couple of hours in my hotel room with a hair dryer getting them dry.
My TCX boots (which are also laminated) I know already work well. Actually it was my previous TCX Explorer boots I had in Japan that got me thinking about laminated gear because I rode all day in rain there every season and still after 9 years they were totally waterproof while I struggled to keep a waterproof coating on the outer of my riding outfit to stop it wetting out and failing.
But I think gear is only as good as the seal in my experience. Pants must be long enough to sit low over boots and preferably snug, certainly not flapping. Boots obviously need to be at least mid height. Jacket needs to be cinched tight around your gloves which naturally need to be full length and not have ridiculously thick/oversized cuffs as I see on some gloves. Short gloves and short boots are obviously never going to work.
I pay careful attention to my collar. I use an under jacket water resistant neck gator to eliminate any gap between jacket and my neck/collar as well I wrap around an outer neck gator. This totally eliminates water entering at my neck.
One last wet ride thing I do. Besides having a rain cover over my bag on the rear seat (the bag is already supposedly waterproof but of course isn’t (◔_◔)) I placed my inner clothes bag inside a roll top waterproof bag (below) and shoes and other items in smaller roll top waterproof bag.
So looking at this map I just rode direct Christchurch to Timaru today.
Day 2
After some deliberation I have decided to ride my original route today which is a loop inland away from the coast via Twizel. The modelling on Windy suggests the rain will decrease and I could get some dry riding. But it’s a gamble.
The alternative is two hours of gusty wind and rain then trying to find a place to stop for two hours before I can check in to my motel and having achieved no good riding a second day.
Lets roll the dice.
Riding west the rain indeed does ease and for a short while the riding is not difficult at all. However approaching the mountains it picks up and becomes solid cold rain. I had one of my ‘what am I doing here riding a motorcycle in this’ moments. ‘Cars are nice and warm Warren and cheaper to rent’. Yeah but if driving I would not bother being here.
Then I see two people touring on bicycles in the same heavy rain and that cheers me up. Seeing bicycle tourers in the middle of nowhere in baking sun or cold rain always makes me say to myself ‘well I may be slightly crazy but least I am not a raving lunatic’.
The rain indeed eases and I can see some of the landscape but I do not bother to stop at the viewpoints for Lake Tepako and Lake Pukaki today, no point in these conditions and I have seen here in perfect conditions previously.
I see ahead a group of bikers on mid size ADV bikes hunched over. I feel sorry for them, ADV bikes lack any weather protection, but then note they foolishly are following a truck which is throwing up a huge amount of mist all over them. I sit way way back with the cruise control on. Nobody is going anywhere fast in these conditions so why tailgate.
So glad I paid the extra for the 1250RT. It deflects 90% of light rain as well the cold wind. I think this also assists my rider gear to work as well as it is because it is not being blasted by the rain like on an ADV bike.
Not much out this way so I detour into Twizler for lunch.
Today’s pie is steak and mushroom. Taste was average, top not flaky enough and meat way too chunky. 6.5/10.
Met a couple from Neverlands. Got to chatting, he is a rider and seems they are on a world tour. Hope to see them when they pass by Townsville.
Got to enjoy some dry roads for a couple of hours which did wonders to lift my spirits. The light was gloomy grey all washed out. I’ve done the best I can with the photos for you.
However by Dunoon I was back in rain. Similar weather I had last time I stopped at this place ‘The Valley of the Whales’.
This was all under the ocean long ago as New Zealand was volcanoes rising out of the sea. It is fascinating however as Jeff Lynne sang “The rain is falling” so alas I cannot stay here long.
Dry and warm in my motel room, my gear again all worked perfectly. I study the weather forecasts for where my tour takes me and I will need to make some changes. Tomorrow looks ok to continue south but beyond that there is rain blowing in to the southern region and the west coast.
I’ve posted before about how handy it is to carry clothing refresh spray with you on tour. I spray inside my boots, interior liner of my helmet, inside of jacket and pants every day to keep them fresh. Also when on cold rides like this I spray thermal liners or thermal base layers which are usually difficult to get washed and dry without access to a coin laundry.
However underwear and socks and my quick dry shirts I always try to wash daily if I can find a way to dry them. This is my latest trick, for motels that have these blower heaters in bathrooms. (like here in NZ) Tie a loop then hang items, turn on heater, close bathroom door and Bob’s your uncle :D.
Day 3
Setting off in the morning I was wondering if the weather had changed direction again as it was spitting rain for a couple of hours.
Today I am revisiting a couple of the best motorcycle routes I have ridden on the South island as well a remote pub known for it’s pies.
Weather eventually broke up and I enjoyed a car free ride up route 85 to the Otago highlands which I failed to photograph as having fun. These high plain roads of Central Otago are just the type I like now days. Sweeping curves and a wide landscape not closed in by trees.
I revisit Ranfury for it’s spotless public toilet then ride on to Waipiata, a town literally with just a pub. It survives because its on the amazing Otago rail trail. If you like mountain bikes or riding rail trails then here is possible the best in the world. It’s something I’d like to get into myself actually but nothing near where I live.
I was tipped off by a friend that the Waipiata pub had superb pies so that is why I am here and yes he was right.
Todays pie Butter Chicken. Excellent flaky top and firm crust base. Filling is very tasty. It took a long time to arrive at my table so perhaps the pie was not cooked fresh today however still hard to fault. 9/10. Worth the detour.
Next I am riding on route 87 which like route 85 is delightful. Sweeping corners, big dipper rolling hills and long views over high plains.
Stuff like this makes my spirit soar, but then I came upon a bad car accident.
It occurred just prior to my arrival and a couple of other cars have stopped and are on their phones to emergency services. A car coming up the hill seems to have not taken the bend and run head on into another car. There is coolant and oil and car parts all over the road. A guy returns from the site and tells me it’s very bad. I can see both cars are crumpled. (no photo out of respect)
We are not far from Dunedin and in a short time a rescue helicopter buzzes us and lands. Then more cars and vehicles including police and fire brigade arrive. Initially I held hope for the occupants as both cars are late model with safety a suite of features alas nobody removed from the vehicles is taken to the chopper and they are holding up blankets… Two cars travelling up to 100kph at impact of course means incredible G-forces and the brain can only survive a fairly modest level.
Riders don’t have airbags or crumple zones to reduce g-force in a sudden impact just helmets which I think are way overdue for some new technology. Currently they have two things, a foam liner, introduced by Bell around 1969 which doesn’t absorb much g-force. Then the helmet shell who’s task it is to deform as much as possible in an impact without breaking apart to absorb impact and thus reduce the g-force that is transferred to our skulls. Now here is the important thing – the harder the helmet shell the less it can deform and the greater amount of the impact will be transferred to you. So it is confusing to see many new helmets boasting multi laminate or carbon fibre shells which are not going to help in a sudden impact.
Eventually we are directed to move past on a small path cleared by the fire brigade. Reflective ride for me from there to Dunedin. I know there are risks to riding a motorcycle and I have aways accepted them. I think there are risks in everything in life, the biggest of all is putting off and never doing the things you are passionate about before it becomes too late.
I scrapped the rest of my planned route today and went to my motel.
Dunedin is a really nice city. The CBD is quite large and reminded me of Brisbane before all the glass skyscrapers.
Most impressive is Dunedin’s train station.
After a walking tour I decided I would spoil myself with dinner out instead of my usual microwave supermarket dinner when on tour (Just because that is easier when you are riding solo).
I went to the Dunedin Speights Brewery which is oldest brewery in New Zealand. Nice Hazy IPA (my preferred beer style) and delicious Lamb Shank and mash. Live a little Warren. Who knows what is around that next corner.
Day 4
I am convinced New Zealand clocks, like Spain, are set to about 2 hours daylight saving. Daybreak doesn’t today arrive until nearly 7.00am and the hottest part of the day is 5.00-6.00pm.
I was supposed to be riding south to Invercargill today however it was heavy rain overnight and there is much more coming. Then the west coast infamous for being wet is going to cop it on the following days when I was scheduled to ride there. I’m here to enjoy myself not prove anything so I said I’m a celebrity get me out of here I’m a biker get me out of here and turned my wheels North.
A final look over Dunedin from one of the viewpoints around this hilly city. Really nice place Dunedin. Then I visited the steepest street in the world which they now close to traffic so no way I was going to try walk up it. I know too well that photos simply can’t convey road gradient, even when it is 35% like Baldwin Street, so I never even tried to photo. You have to see it yourself!
The main highway 1 north is fairly boring so I am taking any roads that run parallel. Above a lovely ride even in overcast weather via Puketaraki.
I was unable to stop at the Puketaraki viewpoint due to the road being resealed and that section I was behind a pilot car with no way I could stop however I will make an exception and post an image from Google maps because this area is very scenic and you really should make a detour via here if riding north/south.
Photo credit Janine M.
I tried some further coast roads but the rain had caught me and then approaching Oamaru the coast road was closed due to landslip.
I stopped back in Oamaru for lunch. Todays pie is Potato top or Cottage Pie as we call this in Australia.
Size is huge and meat filling is rich and tasty but the base is too soft. Then the potato top could be a little more crunchy. The whole pie fell apart and became mush. Trade the size for a more firm pie and it would rate higher. 7/10.
Rain chased me all the way today. Every time I took a rest or stopped at road works it would be soon be spitting rain but I managed to keep in front all the way to the Mount Hutt region where I am staying tonight.
I was a little sad to have abandoned my ride south. I recall last time I went to Milford Sound was by car and I had to carry snow chains so bad was the weather (and it wasn’t winter). I also experienced how the west coast gets lashed by rain so know I did the sensible thing today.
About 20 years ago driving to Milford Sound; On top of Mt Cook (by chopper); Looking down on the Fox Glacier.
Day 5
Wonderful fine blue sky this morning and it is quite mild temperatures as well.
I’m continuing to ride north today as up the top of the island the forecast is nice.
Beautiful blue skies with nice views all morning riding north on the Inland Scenic route.
I met a biker from Australia who was on his first trip to New Zealand and was totally blown away by the scenery and riding. He said, like many Aussies, he mistakenly thought it would be more or less the similar to Australia but of course New Zealand is very different.
Bit of trivia he rented a RE Himalayan 450 initially and the engine went bang leaving him stranded. Glad nothing like that happened on my Bhutan ride as there were no back up bikes.
I was not going to have a pie today as did not want to overdo things but before I could pick up a salad roll I spotted this curry vegetable pie and had to try it.
Excellent pie. Firm case, not too soft or too dry, good flaky top. Very tasty. Real solid effort by the bakery at Culverden. 9/10. By the way that L&P ginger beer gives Bundaberg ginger beer a good run.
The inland route north of Waiau becomes a technical ride from the lower plains (above) you climb over Mt Lyford in an extended series of very tight corners. I put the R1250RT into Dynamic mode for this and it is amazing how much easier it corners in that mode. BMW are very good at getting these big bikes to handle much better than they probably should. The K1600GT I rode also transformed dramatically once in dynamic mode.
As usual wide angle lens flattens mountains. Still snow on Manakau which should tell you it’s much higher then my photo can convey.
Back down to the sea I visit the viewpoint at Kaikoura.
Helmet hair is better than office hair.
From here I am on highway 1 north and just set the cruise control and push on a bit. It’s a longer route today so I won’t detour off onto any of the coastal roads as I feel some fatigue setting in.
Staying in a old motel that has been tastefully renovated but retains many of its mid century features. I’m delighted as I love mid century architecture, the cosmic ranch homes and those space age styled motel signs.
Bing’s Motel Blenheim.
Day 6
I will stay in the north a couple of days now as it is raining everywhere else. I’ve ridden this region before but will try explore a couple of side roads to see something new.
Picton to Havelton is a scenic ride I did last time in very cold conditions but today it is warm and I already have my vents open and short gloves on. This road is actually too twisty for me, well at least on the R1250RT, perhaps on my former lightweight G310GS it would ride nicer but constant 30kph tight corners get old fast on this big bike.
I take a detour to explore the road out to Te Mahia. Unfortunately it’s torn up pretty bad with road repairs and very slow going.
With modest mileage I can take a break and do more of what I like, namely taking photos. I currently only have the DJI Osmo Action 5 and while I love it’s size and how quickly it can be moved from helmet to tripod via magnetic mount it clearly shows here it’s still just an action cam, likely still doing video frame grabs not proper photos. Even with 40MP once cropped to zoom in the image quality was low and I had to run it through Sharpen Ai.
I contemplate giving up on this road but decide to push on as I have nothing else much planned for today. It was a scenic detour if very slow.
Today’s pie is chicken, brie cheese and chives from the Havelton bakery. Excellent taste, good crust and flaky top. Another winner 9/10.
After lunch a road more my style. A nice ride over to Nelson. First sweepers then the excellent Whangamoa Saddle mountain pass where I got an almost car free run just one people mover that was easily dispatched.
Besides putting my Oppo navigation phone partly to use today, look to the left of it and you will see a remote control for my DJI Osmo Action 5 which I am testing along with a CPL filter for the cam. I will post my results separately.
I skipped another side road I was going to ride. I’ve ridden to Okiwi Bay before and it is nice but I lost so much time this morning I was ready to get to my motel.
Day 7
I came down with a touch of the flu or something last night. Runny nose bit of a fever etc. Since I am staying two nights in Richmond I can take a day off and while it’s a shame to park the bike on such a nice sunny day I decide I need to get some rest.
I wander down to the mall and after a lengthy interview and giving all my personal details to the pharmacist I obtain some proper cold and flu tablets. The original formula that will help me get back to riding fast unlike most cold and flu medicine sold these days which has had the active ingredient removed because some shitbirds figured out how to turn it them into speed or ice or something.
No pie today. I feel like something more medicinal and go for big bowl of Pho. Then back to bed where I promptly fell asleep.
Well this is the route I was going to ride today if you find yourself in Richmond for couple of nights. There is a fantastic ride waiting for you over the mountains to Takaka which I enjoyed previously but it will have to wait for another visit for me to ride again.
Day 8
I feel quite a bit better this morning. I have booked a motel at Hanmer Springs as there is rain coming and if need be I can ride from there back to Christchurch on a short route in rain or I can expand the route if not raining.
Todays ride is lots of sweepers on the excellent route 6 across west and south through some of the Buller Gorge then I turn east from Reefton and ride the also good route 7 and the Lewis Pass.
Nice roads but there is a lot of road works with stop/go traffic lights and so I fall into a pattern of just getting past a bunch of motorhomes (of which New Zealand has 1000’s like Norway) then come to a stop light with a fresh queue of these behemoths to get past.
Nice roads all day which I did not capture well but really enjoyed the riding on mostly easy flowing curves with scenic views.
Todays pie, chicken and mushroom from Nana-Ni’s at Reefton. Pretty good top but base was very soft. Excellent taste. 8/10.
This afternoon I had a ‘Fangio’ in a Hilux towing a pile of timber on a trailer trying to race me though a bunch of curves. You know the drill, you come up behind a vehicle and the driver says “I’m not letting that biker pass me” Then they floor it and almost roll their vehicle trying to out pace you.
I’ll always remember the craziest example of this was years ago riding out of Nimbin NSW I came up behind a guy towing a van and he did the ‘I’m racing a biker thing’ driving in middle of the road faster and faster until the van was swaying violently all over the road and nearly rolled. Ha-ha, idiots. 😀
Terrific ride this afternoon over the Lewis Pass to Hanmer Springs. Lots of sweepers and big scenic views.
Day 9
It looked a bit wet this morning but once on the road I could see it mostly was in the mountains not the coast so I decided to follow a route today which basically is a zig zag to check out a few new to me roads and fill in a few hours before I return the bike to Christchurch.
I stopped here on my last tour of the South island as I was freezing but this ride I have been toasty warm the whole time thanks to the right gear and right bike.
Today gave me a chance to ride Leader Road down to the coast a route that I think would be mostly bypassed. Terrific country road with lots of curves and it would be very scenic in better weather as well zero traffic.
Then I took a look at Gore Bay which again I probably would never have seen as it’s off Highway 1 which I will always avoid via the inland route. Another place that in fine weather would be very pretty.
The only traffic I encountered was of the fluffy type.
Then I rode via Scargill to Waikari for lunch at the End of the Line Cafe which I have visited before but had to skip a pie today for their homemade sausage rolls which are delicious.
Then it was just a cruise back to Christchurch to return the bike to Te Waipounamu Motorcycle Tours. Easy and professional rental from New Zealand’s largest operator. I mentioned I saw lots of their bikes on my ride and they said they have 50 rentals out at the moment (and I counted at least another ten BMW’s getting prepped in the shop) Do consider them for your own ride in NZ.
I’ve ridden the R1250RT a couple times now as well the GS in 1250 and 1300cc variants and while I am still not a boxer twin fanboy the engines are winning me over and they sure are fine motorcycles. I currently like the 1250 engine over the 1300 as it seems quieter and still has heaps of stomp. I find the older analogue dash and controls easier to see and use. I also think the twin halo round lights on this generation are very distinctive and nicer than the later model running lights which could belong to any brand of bike. This 2022 had 90,000km on it yet rode terrific. If I was shopping a tourer a well looked after one of these would have to be a strong contender.
And so wraps up another enjoyable New Zealand ride. I find myself weary of long haul air travel and whilst I have committed to doing couple more far flung rides this year I am glad that when the day arrives that I say no more of that I still have one of the best places for motorcycle touring just 3 hours away.
