Hidden costs?
 

Hi All,
I will be flying to Australia from the UK in August where I intend to buy a trail bike and travel for 3 months before shipping the bike to New Zealand for another 3 months of fun. At the end of my stay I plan on selling the bike for whatever I can get. Sounds like a cunning plan to me! However, Have I missed anything? Are there any extra charges I should think about other than the shipping costs? Will I have to pay any duty on the bike on its arrival in NZ? Also will I have trouble finding reasonably priced insurance cover for these short periods of stay? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
Paul

Geezer,

the good news is that there´s no tax on motorbikes ( or cars anymore ) in NZ , but if it is a permanent import you might have to pay GST ( our VAT ) which is 12.5% . How they fix the value of a second hand vehicle I wish I knew .

NZ is a bit paranoid of importing diseases and pests , so if you don´t want to pay fumigation costs steam clean the bike before taking it in .

I don´t know if you can drive on Aussie registration in NZ , except as a temporary import , so if you have to register the bike in NZ you will be up for around 300 NZD , I would say .

And if you are planning to take a NZ bike to Aus see the information I gave someone else some months ago ( basically its harder ) .

Minimum Aussie insurance is included in the price of petrol ( AFAIK ) , and insurance is not needed in NZ . In fact , we have a cool scheme called ACC , so you never have to worry about getting sued .

Alright Geezer!
Thanks for the info. It appears that everything will be relatively straightforward. You guys seem to have a very liberal attitude towards motor insurance, but I like liberal so we should get on just fine!

Just one more question. I've also been looking into bike rental as an alternative and wonder if you have any knowledge of the company New Zealand Motorcycle Rentals? They get a mention in the Lonely Planet New Zealand book and seem to offer a good deal.

Their web address is http://www.nzbike.com

Anyone else had experience of this company?

Cheers,
Paul


[This message has been edited by paul_t (edited 14 June 2002).]

Sorry , can´t help you on that one .

But if you know your way around a second hand bike , then you can pick up a mostly decent bike for 1000NZD and a pretty good one for double that , but more if you go via a dealer .

Maybe see you there !

Once again thanks for the info and hopefully we will get the chance meet while I'm in NZ.

I'm sure to be posting some questions on routes and tracks to explore in New Zealand so I hope you'll be able to give me some assistance there as well.

Cheers,
Paul

No wuckers Sport :-)

I can already tell you that pretty any tar road will be near perfect for biking . Think Wales ! But without so much traffic .

Dirt roads are normally surfaced with "metal" , or sharp little pieces of broken rock . I couldn`t recommend any particular ones sorry .

And the other thing any biker needs to know in NZ is that the laws on speeding have been tightened up incredibly . If you get caught doing 150km or more in a 100 area you could (will) lose your bike to the old bill .

So , don`t get caught :-)

Everything I've read so far leads me to believe New Zealand is a biking heaven. Can't wait to get out there!

As for speeding, I wouldn't do that sort of thing............honest guv!

er.......almost forgot....... what the hell does "no wuckers sport" mean? Do I need to go on a language course before visiting NZ?

It`s short for no wucking forries , cobber. I can`t explain anymore without being rude !

Hello,
We have just landed back in the UK after touring Oz for 4 months, so maybe we can supply you with some up-to-date info. Where are you landing in Oz? I know of a bike for sale in Brisbane, and in Melbourne and an excellent hire shop in Sydney.

As to your question on insurance. The bike rego gives you basic insurance, it is nearly impossible as a visitor to buy any additional insurance. You will also need an address in Oz to be able to register the bike in your name. Any question ask away.

Hi pil,
Thanks for the offer of help.

I've got the bike side of things organised now, which was always going to be the main planning concern of the trip. However I'm about to post a new question on the HUBB concerning Motoring Organisations and would be interested in your opinion on this.

Cheers,
Paul

Hi Paul....i too am now thinking of buying a bike in Oz and heading to NZ.....possibly Aug/Sept, originally i was to ride there ,however with the troubles in India/Pakistan and an illness in the family my plans have had to change.There is a top book "great escapes...motorcycling touring in nz" that i have ....you can get it on amazon.com.....all the best.
Roland

that's a great book - and if you go to our books pages first - via the link on the left - and click through to Amazon we'll make a buck or two to help support the site!

Thanks!

Hi Roland,
Thanks for the book tip but do you have the authors name as I can't find it on the Amazon site.

I'm in the middle of route planning for the Australian part of my trip at the moment but it sounds like this book will be great for the NZ leg of the journey.

As for the bike, I've now decided to organise buy-back deals in both Australia and New Zealand, and to forget about shipping for this trip at least.

I'm flying to Melbourne mid-August so let me know when you make it to OZ and perhaps we could meet up.

Cheers,
Paul

See our books pages: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/books/books2.shtml#N

Grant

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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I think Grant may have directed you already....anyway his name is Peter Mitchell.......Could you enllighten me on the "buy back deals " you have struck up!

Roland

Hi Grant
Not sure how I missed it the first time I went to the book pages.........couldn't see the wood for the trees I guess http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

Anyway I've just purchased the book through Amazon via this website, so I hope it helps the cause!

Cheers,
Paul

Hi Roland,
Thanks for the speedy reply, as you can see from my message to Grant, I have now ordered the book.

As for the bike buy-back, I have been dealing with a company called Car Connection Australia who are based near Melbourne. Their website is www.carconnection.com.au

I discovered them from the Lonely Planet Australia book but their bike tours company also gets a mention on this site. The address for the tours company is www.biketours.com.au

Although it's a buy-back scheme in name it's effectively a long-term rental agreement but with you being solely responsible for the bike during the period of usage. They have been in business for 20 years now, so they must be doing something right, and the dealings I've had with them so far have been very professional. Alternatively if you are flying to Melbourne anyway you can organise a true buy-back deal with one of the shops on Elizabeth Street. If you walk down this street and trip-over you'll probably fall into a motorcycle shop! Also I can highly recommend the hostel Toad Hall on the same street so everything is nicely in walking distance.

I haven't arranged anything for New Zealand yet as I'm still not sure how long I will spend in Oz. However I can point you in the direction of the company New Zealand Motorcycle Rentals, website www.nzbike.com , who seem to be a good outfit (also mentioned in Lonely Planet New Zealand and on this website I think). See the article "Pure Fun" in June's Trail Bike & Enduro Magazine - TBM, NZ Motorcycle Rentals supplied the bikes. This article alone will get you in the mood for the NZ leg of your trip.

If you have anymore questions feel free to contact me directly by email via the link on this page.

Cheers,
Paul

thanks Paul, every little bit helps!

for future ref - at the top of every page - search the site or HUBB - it's a great search engine, very good results, sorted by relevance, all sorts of options available.

------------------
Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------

One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Hi guys. I know this is late and may be out of date, but a friend of mine, Oliver Kams has just gone thru the process of registering his bike in NZ after riding from Germany to here. The cost was close to NZ$450 but it depends a lot on the GST (Goods & Services Tax) which is 12.5% of the value of the bike including shipping from the last port to NZ. The inspection fee and registration fee is around NZ$330. This gives you six months registration which also includes the ACC personal accident insurance levy (not the bike insurance which is not compulsary).
There have been others I know who have used the buy-back schemes. Most of the bigger dealers will arrange this for you and will be much cheaper than hiring a bike but you will have to come up with more money up front and be prepared to foot any repair bills. It is YOUR bike while you ride it after all.
As a rule of thumb, allow 1/3 of your time in the North Island and 2/3 in the South (unless you are here in the height of winter which makes parts of the south uncomfortable unless you have really good riding gear) and also make sure you drop by and see us. We are near Christchurch in the South Island and have hosted many motorcycle travellers including The Bike Brothers and the Ratays.

Kind regards

Nigel & Kitty

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Hi Nigel
Thanks for the information on costs. The advice I've received from various sources leads me to believe that my decision to arrange buy-back deals in both countries was the right one.

I'm fortunate that I have no real time restrictions to my trip so I can enjoy bike shopping without any pressure to buy quickly.

It's the easy life for me from now on http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

Cheers
Paul