New Zealand 12 Day Explorer Tour™ - Guided Motorcycle Tour

Listed tour rates vary by motorcycle model type. To receive additional tour prices click "Book Tour" & request prices by calling our central reservation department at: 888-900-9901

Day 1 : Christchurch Arrival

We'll pick you up and take you back to our base. Here you can chill out, settle in, meet the other riders. After a few formalities we'll take you for a familiarization ride and show you around to give you a taste of the delights to come.This evening you're invited to a very special dinner complete with New Zealand cultural performance and wildlife night tour.Overnight: Christchurch (1 nights)

Day 2 : Christchurch - Mount Cook

Today we head south as we say goodbye to Canterbury and head towards the beautiful Southern Alps along the inland scenic route. You are immediately surrounded by awe-inspiring mountainous scenery riding on near traffic-free biking roads, over high narrow gorges, beside wide twisty rivers. Time to visit a typical Canterbury farming town before we head towards the glacial lakes in Mackenzie Country. We'll stop at the historic Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo before enjoying evening festivities. Recommended activities/attractions - Winter Park, star-gazing. Overnight: Tekapo Village (1 night)

Day 3 : Mount Cook - Dunedin

This morning we'll be be 5-star riding alongside the lakes right to the base of mighty Mount Cook. The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre tells us all about this area and how Aoraki Mount Cook was conquered. We then ride the historic gold-trails and past the dams that hold New Zealand's precious power supplies until we reach the Pacific Ocean and the Scottish-style City of Dunedin. Overnight in Dunedin (2 nights)

Day 4 : Dunedin

This is a great area for lovers of motorcycling and wildlife. A visit to Dunedin is not complete without a tour of the Otago Peninsula, where you can visit world-class nature conservation refuges and historic Lanarch Castle at the same time as riding the fantastic twisty peninsular road. So whether you're interested in the natural beauty of albatross and penguin, or the history of this lovely city, Dunedin is sure to provide you with heaps of pleasure. Overnight: Dunedin

Day 5 : Dunedin - Invercargill

Its a roller-coaster ride over hills and rivers as we head south. The beautiful Catlins and Southland Region are quite unspoilt, isolated, and the roads are just perfect for motorcycling. Long sweeping bends, and views to die for everywhere you look. At Invercargill we will visit Burt Munro's 'Indian Scout' motorcycle, now famous thanks to the film 'The World's Fastest Indian'. This evening, we sample the region's famous Bluff oysters! Overnight: Invercargill (1 night)

Day 6 : Invercargill - Milford Sound

We can’t describe the magic of ‘the Sounds’, no words do it justice and the Fiordland National Park will simply blow you away. Majestic bush clad mountains plunge miles deep into ice cold lakes. This truly is a "five-star" day if you appreciate isolation and unsurpassed natural beauty. And we’re not just talking about the scenery and wildlife, for this New Zealand motorcycle tour takes you along one of NZ's most scenic roads. Kea parrots, dolphin, seals, penguins, weird and wonderful under-water creatures and other unusual flora and fauna. And when the day-time visitors go, we are left behind to experience the real wonders of what Rudyard Kipling called 'The Eighth Wonder of the World' What a day and night to remember on one of the most scenically spectacular motorcycle tours in New Zealand.

Day 7 : Milford Sound - Queenstown

Another chance to ride in the amazing Fiordland National Park. We stop to see the famous 'Kingston Flyer' steam-train, then along the Lake Wakatipu until we reach Queenstown, nestled on it's wooded shore amongst the majestic Remarkable mountains. After visiting the world's first bungy jumping site bridge (watch or do!) we arrive in Queenstown NZ, the Adventure Capital of the World! Overnight: Queenstown (2 nights)

Day 8 : Queenstown

A well earned day off today for you to do your own thing in Queenstown. There is some great motorcycling to be had, but the mountains, lakes and rivers provide a feast of attractions and activities for you to enjoy at your leisure. Bungy jumping, white-water rafting, skydiving, and jet boating, to name but a few. Take the Skyline gondola to the mountain top and enjoy fabulous local cuisine whilst overlooking this wonderland, or visit the nearby village of Arrowtown and pan for gold!.

Day 9 : Queenstown - Franz Joseph

For riders it can’t get any better than this. The roads are spell-binding, near empty, sweeping and winding with perfect visibility. You’ll be passing huge waterfalls that fall into raging rivers, you’ll be travelling the highest mountain pass in New Zealand and over narrow gorges with the sheep below so tiny they look flakes of snow. Time to visit historic pubs, lakes, rivers, olde gold-mining settlements and Tasman sea views to die for before the gigantic mountains with their glaciers start towering overhead. Overnight: Franz Josef Glacer Village, West Coast (1 night)

Day 10 : Franz Joseph - Punakaiki

In the morning we get up close to Fox or Franz Joseph Glacier, huge slow-moving cascades of ice which tumble down to a few hundred metres above sea level, so close to the forest, and almost to your feet! If you want to get even closer, take an optional helicopter ride for guaranteed mind-blowing views of Mount Cook and the glaciers. Then we ride along the Pacific ocean along the rugged West Coast. Crashing waves on your left, rain-forest on your right, and one excellent ride ahead. You'll learn about deer hunting and the wild antics of the 'Coasters', the Maori pounamu greenstone trail, then more five-star riding to the amazing blow-holes of the 'pancake rocks' at Punakaiki. Overnight: Punakaiki, West Coast (1 night)

Day 11 : Punakaiki - Hanmer Springs

On this favourite motorcycle tours of the South Island of NZ we ride the famous Lewis Pass to the alpine spa resort of Hanmdr Springs. The ride offers superb variety in both roads and scenery with a mixture of mountain, native bush and forest. Long, sweeping bends and near traffic-free roads, the scenery is spectacular, and apart from the sheep on the hills, you may not see another sole in sight for many a mile. This is freedom at its very best. In the evening, soak any aches and pains away in the natural hot spa pools and reminisce on what a simply brilliant day we've all shared together. Overnight: Hanmer Springs Village (1 night)

Day 12 : Hanmer Springs - Christchurch

Time this morning to enjoy the Thermal Hot Pools and Spa, take a forest walk, do some bungy-jumping, jet-boating, white-water rafting, or some extreme 4X4'ing without getting dirty! We know all the best spots, so come Ride New Zealand and Live the Dream with us, South Pacific Motorcycle Tours New Zealand. It’s one more terrific roller-coaster ride back to Christchurch , before it's time to say our farewells back at the South Pacific base. The tour is sadly at an end. We will transfer you back to the airport or designated Christchurch destination.