2025 New Zealand trip report
Riding a motorcycle in New Zealand has always been on Phil’s Bucket List. Reports we’ve read from others claim the country has more sheep than people, with miles of pristine asphalt waiting to be explored. Sounds great! Australia is way so close; he could check off two bucket list boxes on one trip. An additional aspect got included in this trip. Both of us had ridden BMW motorcycles in 49 US states, lacking only Hawaii. If we stopped in Honolulu on our way to New Zealand and rented BMWs for a day, we could complete that challenge as well. That was our overall plan which took many months to implement. Here’s how it played out.
Friday 27 Dec 2024, – HSV to Honolulu
The alarm rang at 0345{L} and thus started another vacation adventure. Our trusty neighbor who generously volunteered to chauffeur us. Our scheduled 0615 flight was delayed out of Huntsville, causing us to run to make our connection in Houston. Then it was an uncomfortable (economy class) 9-hour flight to Honolulu; not only the seats but also our stomachs. We were fed a cheap breakfast early in the flight and then nothing else for the remaining 8.5 hours. We had neglected to bring food with us and didn’t have time to buy anything in Dallas. The early start, long flight, abnormal meal schedule, and time changes messed with our bodies, which made the excessively long wait for our reserved Budget rental car even that much more frustrating.
We finally made it to the Ramada hotel and managed to get a real meal – some good seafood nearby at the Harbor Pub beside the Waikiki harbor – and we later stopped for one beer at the Waikiki Brewing Company; Karen really just wanted to get some sleep! We crawled into bed around 8PM and stayed there nearly 12 hours. Although we didn’t sleep the entire time, the rest refreshed us for our big M/C rental adventure.
Saturday 28 Dec, our Hawaiian Ride-2-Eat day
Phil made arrangements for the BMW bikes via Riders Share, since no dealers rent BMWs in Hawaii anymore. And these were the only BMWs to be had on Oahu; nor were they co-located. P rented a giant R1800B with “ape-hanger bars” from Waikiki Jeep Rentals just a modest walk from the Ramada. Then we rode southwest of town where a young guy had a C400GT scooter available. Unbelievably, we had to stop for gas as the R18’s low-fuel light came on. We were told the R1800’s tank was likely full, but we didn’t take the time to check…
P wanted to take pictures of us and the bikes at a couple of locations. He knew where he wanted to go but didn’t have a GPS on the R18. He lost track of where we were and had to stop several times to dig his GPS out of his jacket. Getting lost, circling the block along crooked city streets and stopping to check the GPS became the theme of the day. On our way back to town, it actually fell out of his pocket at a stop light and landed under the bike. It took a minute to retrieve it and by that time, our slow lane had missed the green light…
We persevered and made it to a park near historic Diamond Head Park. After taking pictures we had a difficult time exiting the parking lot due to a street fair with many pedestrians and cops. Back on the road again, we headed southeast to the end of the island for a view back toward the Honolulu. The Koko Kai Beach Mini Park was in a residential area with light traffic, which made it easier to navigate.
With that task completed, we then headed to lunch at the Ono Steaks and Shrimp Shack on the east side of the island near Bellows AFS [which we want to visit someday with Phil’s AF & college buddies]. It would have been a nice ride but for the horrid beach traffic (being Saturday). Smaller bikes just bypassed the cars on the shoulder, but our bikes were a little too big and sluggish. Lunch was good though, and the traffic was much lighter heading west on HI-72. However, it was now much warmer. We were tired of getting lost, so we limited our sightseeing and returned both BMWs early. This allowed us more time for walking around Waikiki near our hotel. We took a long circular route to the outdoor bar at the Hale Koa Hotel. It is a lovely location to relax with a drink, listen to some local musicians and watch the sun set; open to all Active Duty & retired veterans. We then set out to find dinner using Apple Maps. We tried three restaurants near the resort complex, but couldn’t find two of them and the third was having a private party. Having been walking for nearly an hour Karen said “Stop” in front of the Kayak Café. We ate there, but it wasn’t actually a
good choice – service was slow and the food cool, but at least it was food & a beverage.
good choice – service was slow and the food cool, but at least it was food & a beverage.
29-30 December 2024, – Honolulu to Auckland, NZ!
While making coffee at the hotel, P remembered that he lek his well-traveled, steel coffee cup in the rental BMW’s saddle bag. We’d be on the plane by the ‘me they opened, so he was outta luck. We made good ‘me through the airport check-in and security…. un’l the TSA screener found P’s Swiss Army knife in his backpack. We chose to combine our carry-on bags and he took it back to the Air NZ ‘cket counter (escorted out by TSA) to “check it” as another bag with only the knife inside. Fortunately, that was our only drama with boarding or the flight. Business class [LeF] was oh so nice for the 8+ hour flight to Auckland on Air New Zealand. We eventually arrived Monday akernoon, 30 Dec, New Zealand ‘me. Auckland airport was incredibly efficient at gejng us through passport control and customs {since we’d goGen our tourists’ Visa via NZeTA} – a long walk but s’ll very liqle wai’ng in line. The m/c rental place had arranged our shuqle to the President Hotel, we simply had to find the group of picker-uppers behind a barrier, except they weren’t that obvious for us as we entered the terminal from customs. He waited pa’ently while Phil bought a SIM card and a 30-day data plan for his old iPhone for use in NZ. It came in handy more than once calling our hotels. This was great customer service provided by Nan Miao at Te Waipounamu Motorcycle Tours! We decided to share a light supper of baked brie on small toasted bread slices at the nearby Queen’s Ferry English Pub {aFer our hearty Business Class cuisine} to complete our first evening in Auckland .
Tuesday 31 Dec 2024, Auckland
After a good night’s sleep we set out to explore Auckland.
Many shops didn’t open until 9:00 so it took us a while to find some breakfast in an upscale hotel [Not McDonalds]. We later visited an underground grocery store (for instant coffee, to-go sandwiches & some snacks for our picnic), and a Starbucks for a New steel coffee mug.
Many shops didn’t open until 9:00 so it took us a while to find some breakfast in an upscale hotel [Not McDonalds]. We later visited an underground grocery store (for instant coffee, to-go sandwiches & some snacks for our picnic), and a Starbucks for a New steel coffee mug.
Down by the harbor we found a scenic & quiet spot for lunch. Afterwards, while wandering across the entire harbor front, we saw a splendid pedestrian draw bridge [Left] in action and got a great view of the Auckland national highway Harbor Bridge which we’d shortly cross over to begin our BMW journey.
Even though there was partying in the street in front of our hotel, we didn’t pay any attention to it. We just wished each other a Happy New Year and had another good night’s sleep.
Thursday 2 Jan, Auckland
Arizona State played Texas in the Peach Bowl at 7AM NZ time, so we were able to watch the first half while finishing our packing. Our shuttle to the m/c shop was due at 10, so we headed to the lobby a little before that to check out. The front desk informed us that we weren’t scheduled to check out until the next day. Philip called the m/c place to confirm – Yes, we had one more day in Auckland. Oops. Fortunately, that meant we got to see the end of the ASU-Texas game. It was truly exciting, but ASU lost in the 2nd overtime.
Again, we had trouble finding food. Many restaurants were closed from 21 Dec through 5 Jan for a long holiday. This is a rather long break by US standards.
Several of the ones that were open were still charging a “holiday” surcharge. We found lunch at The Shakespeare, [Right] billed as NZ’s oldest brew pub (1898). At the start, we were actually seated outside on the balcony, before the rains came. It showered off and on as we wandered around town before heading back to the hotel to watch darts and cricket – sports we don’t get to see at home.
After dinner downtown, we revisited a city square which we had seen before, and then up a long, steep hill [which we had not yet visited – Below] to the most beautiful part of the city with statues and lovely flower gardens in bloom. It seemed to be part of the campus of University of Auckland. This was a precious gem that we just happened upon! Fortunately, we were already packed for our Friday m/c pick-up and departure.
Several of the ones that were open were still charging a “holiday” surcharge. We found lunch at The Shakespeare, [Right] billed as NZ’s oldest brew pub (1898). At the start, we were actually seated outside on the balcony, before the rains came. It showered off and on as we wandered around town before heading back to the hotel to watch darts and cricket – sports we don’t get to see at home.
After dinner downtown, we revisited a city square which we had seen before, and then up a long, steep hill [which we had not yet visited – Below] to the most beautiful part of the city with statues and lovely flower gardens in bloom. It seemed to be part of the campus of University of Auckland. This was a precious gem that we just happened upon! Fortunately, we were already packed for our Friday m/c pick-up and departure.
Friday 3 Jan, Auckland to Paihia
At the motorcycle shop we signed the usual rental paperwork; then K tried out her F750GS. It was way too tall. The rental guys switched to a lower seat, but it was still tall. Fortunately, the shop had an older F700GS available which proved much more suitable! We were delayed a bit while they replaced both tires and checked the bike to ensure it was road-worthy.
We also were renting m/c jackets and pants (to save luggage space in our many transits through airports}. They found items for P that were a bit large, but acceptable. The items they had for Karen were way too large. Her hands didn’t reach beyond the jacket sleeves (mens’ small) and the knee pads were at her shins (size 50). Since
they didn’t have anything smaller, their solution was to drive to a nearby m/c shop and buy a brand-new jacket
and pants. The new items fit well enough and were certainly better for Karen than what they’d originally offered! To document the start of this adventure, P set up his camera and tripod in the driveway. While he was in the garage and not watching, the wind blew the tripod over and broke the camera lens function.
Drat, another expensive lesson learned…
After we were fully outfitted and got going around noon, we quickly discovered that their GPS unit with pre-loaded routes & waypoints had lost power. We headed back to the rental shop and caught Aidan just as he was leaving in his car. His solution was to lead us to the motorway and hope the GPS would recharge on the highway to guide us the rest of the way (about 3.5 hours). That didn’t work out; Phil was ready with Plan-B! We ended up stopping at a large highway rest stop, and installing our new GPS unit that he had loaded with all 18 hotels on our itinerary. We encountered only one bad traffic tie-up in Wellsford, but the day was very windy and rather chilly! Following other cars made it easier to get used to driving on the left side of the road and going clockwise around traffic circles.
they didn’t have anything smaller, their solution was to drive to a nearby m/c shop and buy a brand-new jacket
and pants. The new items fit well enough and were certainly better for Karen than what they’d originally offered! To document the start of this adventure, P set up his camera and tripod in the driveway. While he was in the garage and not watching, the wind blew the tripod over and broke the camera lens function.
Drat, another expensive lesson learned…
After we were fully outfitted and got going around noon, we quickly discovered that their GPS unit with pre-loaded routes & waypoints had lost power. We headed back to the rental shop and caught Aidan just as he was leaving in his car. His solution was to lead us to the motorway and hope the GPS would recharge on the highway to guide us the rest of the way (about 3.5 hours). That didn’t work out; Phil was ready with Plan-B! We ended up stopping at a large highway rest stop, and installing our new GPS unit that he had loaded with all 18 hotels on our itinerary. We encountered only one bad traffic tie-up in Wellsford, but the day was very windy and rather chilly! Following other cars made it easier to get used to driving on the left side of the road and going clockwise around traffic circles.
Due to our late start, we didn’t bother to stop for lunch. When we arrived in Paihia, we needed a snack. We were surprised that restaurants were still closed due to the “holiday”, however, the Blue Door on the waterfront was open and gladly served us beer, wine and crispy cauliflower bites, along with a little bit of sunshine and sea breezes as we sat on the veranda beside the sidewalk.
Our hotel offered a simple dinner buffet which featured pavlova for dessert, which Phil had never had before.
Our hotel offered a simple dinner buffet which featured pavlova for dessert, which Phil had never had before.
Saturday 4 Jan, Paihia
This was billed as a “rest day” which simply means you don’t have to travel anywhere if you don’t want to. However, P wanted to ride to the western side of the island for lunch, so he created a round trip of about 4 hours, plus stops. It was pretty chilly in the AM so we delayed leaving the hotel. When we eventually left, it was still a strong chilly wind and then it started to rain for a good spell. We often had to endure passing showers, after all it’s a small island in a big ocean.
Traveling west on some country roads (Rte 11 & 1), it was very windy and not summer-like with periods of rain. We kept reminding ourselves that it was the height of summer in NZ. Part of this route was incredibly twisty through the mountains, the kind of road P relishes. He had a fabulous time.
The west coast of NZ borders the Tasman Sea. Here, it was dry but still windy. We stopped for pictures at the beach and then lunch at the North Drif t Eatery [Right]. The burger was tasty, and the catsup had an interesting hint of cloves. The return trip took us north on Hwys 10 & 11 along the coast. Most of the ride was very rural – grass-covered hills with sheep or cows grazing along with some vineyards and tall hops vines.
The west coast of NZ borders the Tasman Sea. Here, it was dry but still windy. We stopped for pictures at the beach and then lunch at the North Drif t Eatery [Right]. The burger was tasty, and the catsup had an interesting hint of cloves. The return trip took us north on Hwys 10 & 11 along the coast. Most of the ride was very rural – grass-covered hills with sheep or cows grazing along with some vineyards and tall hops vines.
Sunday 5 Jan, Paihia to Warkworth
Another challenging weather day. We had periods of rain, and the winds picked up mightily as we crossed to the west side of the island following Rte 12 the long way to our next hotel.
Heading south we traversed the Waipoua Forest which preserves the mightiest of the remaining Kauri trees (National Tree of NZ and as large as Sequoia Trees). We didn’t stop to hike and see the trees up close, but it was quite the riding experience. We enjoyed this special route through the jungle, although the road was too curvy to focus very much of the scenery until….
We got stuck behind a very slow tour bus for several km. There was a long line of cars stacked up behind the bus on this massively curvy road with no opportunities to pass. We, just two slender motorcyclists, finally managed to get around the bus and sped off at our usual pace [note that most Kiwi’s follow the speed limits].
We stopped in Dargaville for gas and lunch. Since it was Sunday, we again had few options for open restaurants, but found a welcoming Supahn Thai Restaurant.
Our destination for the night was the old Warkworth Lodge. It was a small room but with a patio and large common area to compensate. It even had an old-fashioned pull rope to flush the toilet. We walked into town for dinner at the Warkworth Hotel, where we finally had some quality sun, sitting on the patio for happy hour.
Heading south we traversed the Waipoua Forest which preserves the mightiest of the remaining Kauri trees (National Tree of NZ and as large as Sequoia Trees). We didn’t stop to hike and see the trees up close, but it was quite the riding experience. We enjoyed this special route through the jungle, although the road was too curvy to focus very much of the scenery until….
We got stuck behind a very slow tour bus for several km. There was a long line of cars stacked up behind the bus on this massively curvy road with no opportunities to pass. We, just two slender motorcyclists, finally managed to get around the bus and sped off at our usual pace [note that most Kiwi’s follow the speed limits].
We stopped in Dargaville for gas and lunch. Since it was Sunday, we again had few options for open restaurants, but found a welcoming Supahn Thai Restaurant.
Our destination for the night was the old Warkworth Lodge. It was a small room but with a patio and large common area to compensate. It even had an old-fashioned pull rope to flush the toilet. We walked into town for dinner at the Warkworth Hotel, where we finally had some quality sun, sitting on the patio for happy hour.
Monday 6 Jan, Warkworth to Coromandel Town
While in town for brekkie, P bought a small replacement Sony camera. It came with a charging cable but not a cable to connect it to the computer. Thus started a multi-day search for the proper data cable.
With nary a cloud in the sky, we were hoping for a warmer day. We loaded up and headed south on Rte 1 motorway through Auckland. This was a hectic ride, as reportedly 1/3 of the entire population of NZ lives in Auckland, and more people live in Auckland than on the entire South Island! Traffic was calmer after we got past the city. However, by then the clouds were thick and it was chilly. Eventually we turned east on Rte 2 toward the coast then north on Rte 25, heading for the Coromandel Peninsula, where many rich Aucklanders have summer homes.
The road was narrow, twisty and hugged the shoreline most of the way up the
peninsula. Half way up the coast we stopped at the Royal Oak Hotel Pub for a large plate of fish & chips and loaded potato wedges. No one left hungry. From there a relatively short ride north and inland across the mountains brought us to Coromandel Town and the Anchor Lodge. It was mostly sunny when we arrived. We walked about 1km back into town to window shop and of course try a brewpub. We bought a chicken Caesar salad and snacks at a grocers and shared it for dinner back at the room. Phil wandered across a nearby field to investigate a potentially colorful sunset.
The road was narrow, twisty and hugged the shoreline most of the way up the
peninsula. Half way up the coast we stopped at the Royal Oak Hotel Pub for a large plate of fish & chips and loaded potato wedges. No one left hungry. From there a relatively short ride north and inland across the mountains brought us to Coromandel Town and the Anchor Lodge. It was mostly sunny when we arrived. We walked about 1km back into town to window shop and of course try a brewpub. We bought a chicken Caesar salad and snacks at a grocers and shared it for dinner back at the room. Phil wandered across a nearby field to investigate a potentially colorful sunset.
