New Zealand Heritage Tour

Since we use less touristic places for accommodation it means you get more opportunities to meet and mix with the locals in their favourite pub, or ‘watering hole’ where everything or anything can happen!
This tour is designed for all sorts of bike rider from cruisers to adventure bikes. Some days also offer alternative gravel routes for the more experienced back road riders, on suitable bikes.
The tour is a 19 day tour (17 riding days) in mid class quirky/historical accommodation.
Your luggage is transported by your guide in the support vehicle.
Riding days are in general between 200-300 km allowing time for visits photos and discoveries.
There are also 2 double stops/rest days for other activities or extra riding as an option, of course.

The following is a brief outline of the Heritage tour.

Leaving Auckland behind we head for the Waitomo District with twisty roads and hilly landscape.
Besides being a bikers’ paradise it also offers some cave experiences and nice native Flora.
The journey continues south on the western side of the North Island following old stock routes and river routes, some used by steam boats during pioneering times. Naturally, with meandering rivers the roads along-side them will be the same.

In Rotorua we have the opportunity to experience some Maori culture before heading to the eastern side of the north island, where Captain Cook first landed and to the world famous Art Deco town of Napier.
After Napier we continue to Wanganui, the second biggest Art Deco town in NZ, which was an important port and trading town for early European settlers. The town centre, with its grand buildings, is a fine example of Wanganui’s prosperous past
From Wanganui, the tour heads south to New Zealand’s Capital, Wellington.

Since the South Island had less population, more gold-fields and longer distances to travel by horse drawn coach, there are interesting old hotels and pubs along the way. Even today, many are still original and will add ‘spice’ to your NZ experience!
Once on the South Island, we head toward the north-west gold fields and remote west coast. These small villages are isolated and remind us of the tough lives people must have lived in the early pioneering and gold digging times.

Continuing south along Westland National Park we cross historical Haast Pass (first opened in 1965) which leads us inland to Central Otago where we spend a few days. The region is steeped in history and as a result, offers many quirky and charming hotels to stay in along with stunning scenery, gold-fields and fruit orchards to see.

From here, the tour continues to Invercargill on the southern tip of the south island. You can visit the Indian Museum and Burt Munroe exhibition and further up the east coast the towns of Dunedin and Oamaru known for wool export and some of the country’s best preserved architecture, built in late 1800’s, their ‘hay day’.
Lastly the tour ends with a ride along the large farm areas of Canterbury up to our final destination, Christchurch.

For more details please see Routemap NZ Heritage Tour.