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Maori Discovery Tour

Late Spring in New Zealand can be glorious, clear sunny days, fresh green landscapes, snow capped mountains and remarkable sounds filling the air courtesy of birds like the Tui and the Mynah. What better way to enjoy it all than on our 3-week motorcycle tour. The Maori Discovery is not only about summer, we take you on a motorcycle journey that showcases New Zealand's fascinating history. New Zealand is one of the world’s youngest countries but everywhere you go there will be a point of interest relating to either the cultural or natural history of this beautiful land, the motorcycling will be challenging and fun, the empty roads, a dream!

Highlights

• Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula
• Milford Sound
• Queenstown
• Fox / Franz Josef Glaciers
• West Coast rainforests
• Interislander ferry
• Maori concert and Hangi feast
• Bay of Islands
• Great Food
• Back-up/luggage vehicle
• Your tour guide

Itinerary

For 2011 the itinerary will run in reverse, Auckland – Christchurch.

DAY 1 Arrive Christchurch. We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to our tour hotel. If there’s time, pick up your bike, and take a ride to Akaroa or Little River. Both small towns are full of Maori history and folklore. Okains Bay Museum has one of the best collections of Maori artifacts.This really is a ride that will get you in the mood for the fun ahead. Big, never ending curves and twisting roads. Then visit the famous Botanical Gardens, the Antarctic Museum, or Hagley Park. Meet your fellow riders in the evening. Cotswold Inn.

DAY 2 Christchurch – Twizel (280 km). After breakfast and a briefing, we set of on our first day in the saddle, a leisurely ride, crossing the Canterbury Plains to Twizel, a small town at the foot of the Southern Alps. According to Maori legend, the Southern Alps were formed when Te Waka o Aoraki (the canoe of Aoraki) was stranded. The canoe then turned to stone, becoming the Southern Alps. The god Aoraki was sitting on the highest part of the waka, hence Aoraki (Mount Cook) is the highest mountain. Mackenzie Country Inn.

DAY 3 Twizel – Te Anau (550 km). Leaving Twizel, we take a small detour to visit Aoraki (Mt Cook) and have a coffee at the Hermitage. A great opportunity for photos of NZ’s highest mountains too! After coffee we head for Te Anau and our ride today takes us down the middle of the South Island to Fiordland, as we reach Te Anau, with its many mirror-like lakes reflecting snow-capped mountains, you will see why they call this one of the most scenic places on earth! Village Inn.

DAY 4 Te Anau - Milford Sound – Te Anau (240 km). An enjoyable morning’s ride takes us to the spectacular Milford Sound, where we take a bewitching cruise down the fjord and back. The ride today is one of the best, the journey is equally as good as the destination, stunning scenery all the way and riding along twisting roads is every bit a match for the cruise. Overall the southland Maori tribes considered the Fiorlands too cold to settle in but they were responsible for the Milford Sound walking track as it was a main route for the greenstone (pounamu) gatherers. Village Inn.

DAY 5 Te Anau - Queenstown (195 km). Today you can take the long way or the short way – you choose. If you want to get to Queenstown early and start doing some of the many activities there, then it's only a 2 hour ride. If you want a whole day riding then we head south to Invercargill and visit the Burt Munro Memorial, and get to sample the world’s best oysters from Foveaux Strait before we head north to the adventure playground of New Zealand, Queenstown. Lakeview Holiday Park.

DAY 6 Queenstown (free day). An opportunity to sample some of the many activities in the ‘playground of the South’, such as Jet boating on the Shotover River, tandem skydiving, fly fishing, a vintage steam cruise and of course bunjee jumping. And too many more to mention! Then it’s time to relax in the Gondola restaurant or the Motor Museum, or go for a ride to Arthur’s Point lookout and Coronet Peak. Lakeview Holiday Park.

DAY 7 Queenstown - Fox Glacier (330 km). Heading north out of Queenstown we ride through the subtropical rainforest of Haast Pass, and follow the rugged west coast to the spectacular Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers in the heart of Westland National Park. There’s time to walk on the glaciers, take a helicopter ride or a helihike. Lake Matheson Motel.

DAY 8 Fox Glacier - Punakaiki (260 km). Today is a day of side trips: A morning helicopter ride (weather permitting) and/or a walk up to the glacier. On the road, stop off at the sheepskin factory in Ross, visit Glow Worm Dell and the greenstone factory at Hokitika or try some gold panning at the reconstructed gold-mining shanty town near Greymouth. After that there’s still some serious riding to be done as we head north. For those wanting a longer ride, we can ride to Arthur’s Pass for lunch. There may be time to do what you missed yesterday, and to see some of the indigenous wildlife – seals, kias, kiwis, penguins, dolphins and the rare White Heron and the famous pancake rocks and blowholes in Punakaiki. Punakaiki Cottages.

DAY 9 Punakaiki - Nelson (260 km). Today our ride takes us past the Coaltown Museum in Westport and Tauranga Bay seal colonies. We turn inland on one of the most gorgeous roads you can imagine. Closer to Nelson you can stop in at vineyards for some wine to take with you or orchards for fresh fruit to snack on. Murchison has cafes that are perfect for lunch, and you are entering the region for arts and crafts so keep a look out for some great souvenirs to take home. For a longer ride you can go further inland to Lewis pass and stop for lunch at Springs Junction, which will suit those who want to experience both of the South Island’s exquisite passes on this tour. Aloha Lodge.

DAY 10 Nelson (free day). Today it’s a free day to ride and explore Nelson and surrounding areas. Golden Bay has some of the finest beaches in New Zealand and Nelson has more sunshine than any other part of the country. For those who like to continue riding, hop on your bike to discover Abel Tasman National Park, or take a 4-WD drive tour to Farewell Spit, the longest sand dune in New Zealand, and view a variety of sea birds and unique vegetation. And remember you are in one of New Zealand’s main wine producing area. Aloha Lodge.

DAY 11 Nelson – Wellington (ferry, 110 km). Our short ride to the ferry at Picton gives us time to stop at the tea rooms at Pelorus Bridge, wineries, a zoological park, the Old Whekenui Whaling Station and the Smith Memorial Museum in Picton. The Interislander offers spectacular views of the coastline so keep your camera ready and watch out for passing whales and albatross in the Cook Strait. Copthorne Hotel.

DAY 12 Wellington – Martinborough (335 km). Leaving Wellington, our first stop is Featherston Summit (555 m), with more spectacular views. Then we ride on to Southward, with its museum of cars, motorcycles and other machinery, and the impressive Manawatu Gorge. Farmstay.

Day 13 Martinborough – Gisborne (545 km). We ride north today, through rolling hills and farmland, passing numerous winding rivers and streams as we head to the wine country of Hawkes Bay. Just be sure to visit beautiful art deco Napier where there is a statue commemorating Pania of the Reef, a beautiful nymph from the sea who fell in love with the young warrior Karitoki. A lovely story with a tragic ending. There’s also Napier beach and the local wineries before we arrive in Gisborne. Whispering Sands Motel.

Day 14 Gisborne – Whakatane (225 or 400km). There is an option of an easy day today, riding Highway 2, the Waioeka Scenic Highway all the way to our destination along winding roads past scenic rivers, native forests and the Waioeka Gorge to Opotiki. From here it’s a short ride to Whakatane. Our main route takes us all the way on the winding East Cape coastal highway. You will pass cliffs, hidden coves, empty beaches, numerous small towns, Maori sites and settlements. You’re at New Zealand’s most easterly point and perhaps in another world. White Island Rendezvous.

DAY 15 Whakatane - Rotorua (90 – 250 km). It’s a short ride to Rotorua with several possible routes to take, the decision is yours. We are now in the midst of the North Island’s thermal area, so don’t miss Wairakei, Waiotapu and Whakarewarewa, or the chance to relax in one of Taupo’s thermal pools or visit the thundering Huka Falls. And do find the hidden valley of Orakei Korako. This evening it’s party time Maori style! You will be enthralled by the natural bush setting, with Maori warriors in traditional dress paddling a canoe down the river and a traditional Hangi feast. Bella Vista Hotel.

DAY 16 Rotorua – Coromandel (320 km). Rotorua is not only rich in Maori culture, it’s also a main natural home of the glow worm, and their displays are quite beautiful. Our ride today takes us up to Tauranga and then follows the coast through Coromandel Forest Park and round the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula. Some say this is Cornwall on a good day! Coromandel Court Motel.

DAY 17 Coromandel - Orewa (295 km). We leave Coromandel and ride through rainforest along excellent winding roads, before following the coast north past the Firth of Thams and sleepy Kawakawa Bay. We stop at Pipiroa for coffee at another diet shattering cafe, and then we skirt the hustle and bustle of Auckland and ride onward to Orewa. And if there's time, enjoy Waiwera’s thermal pools along the way. Waves Hotel.

DAY 18 Orewa - Paihia (230 km). A long gentle day with time to stop at the Matakohe Kauri Museum near Dargaville with its fine example of a 17m Maori canoe. The museum is built of bricks from mud that came as ballast from China. Also en route is the giant kauri tree “Tane Mahuta” in the Waipoua Kauri Forest, a nice spot for a short stroll or a rest. Beachcomber Hotel.

DAY 19 Paihia (free day). There’s plenty to do, with white sandy beaches and clear blue seas all the way. Visit Waitangi National Reserve and the Treaty House where the (in)famous treaty was signed, ride to Kerikeri, Awanui and Cape Reinga at New Zealand’s northernmost tip, where Maori legend says the spirits of the recently deceased climb down the twisted branches of the Pohutukawa trees and depart New Zealand for the spiritual homeland of the Maori, Hawaiki. Take a bus trip to Ninety Mile Beach, go sailing, scuba diving or deep sea fishing and visit the Captain Cook Memorial Museum in Russell. Beachcomber Hotel.

DAY 20 Paihia – Auckland (275 km). Our final day’s ride takes us to New Zealand’s largest city, where nearly one-third of the country’s population lives (now you know why the roads elsewhere are so empty!). Why not finish with a visit to Whangarei’s collection of over 400 clocks, to get you prepared for tomorrow’s long flight home. Barrycourt Hotel.

DAY 21 Depart Auckland. Sadly, it’s time to return the bikes, bid farewell, and head for home, with all those memories …Was it worth flying around the world for?! I think so!

Total distance  c. 4600 km

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Price includes: 20 nights tourist hotel/motel accommodation including 4 breakfasts, 3 dinners, Maori hangi and concert, Milford Sound cruise, interislander ferry, 19 days motorcycle hire including luggage and unlimited mileage, full motorcycle insurance, local guide, support/luggage vehicle, airport transfers, tour book, maps, tour gift.

Price excludes: Optional CDR insurance (see our rentals pages for details); flights to/from New Zealand, travel insurance, pre-/post-tour accommodation (all of these may be arranged through H-C Travel), petrol, meals not stated above, riding gear, personal items and expenses.

Please refer to our rental pages for more information on the motorcycles available

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 |Southern Moonlight | On the Beach | Mountain Kings | Maori Discovery | FAQs |
| Self-Guided Tours | Rentals | Guided Tours |

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