Motorcycle rental in New Zealand (Auckland? Christchurch?)
 

Hi there,

this question has probably been asked 100s of times but I am going to throw it here again for the sake of having up-to-date information in the forum :mchappy:

I am a Spaniard living in Melbourne and would like to make a ~3 week motorcycle trip in New Zealand on December2017/January2018.

Was wondering whether anyone here has any advice on where would be a good place to rent a motorcycle in NZ (Auckland? Christchurch?). I am after a 650DR or something along the lines. I had a look to some touring agencies' websites and the prices are a bit higher than I expected initially (130+ NZD/day).

Wondering whether anyone knows of any local shop in a big city where I could find lower rates?

Thanks in advance!
Angel

hi Angel
Unfortunately that price is average & you would probably be restricted by the insurance to let you explore our dirt & gravel back roads.
Consider buying a bike, arranging a buy-back deal with the shop or, ask some of the forums if anyone is willing to loan their bike to you.
I once offered to hire my bike to a visiting Brit but it turned out she wanted to ride it for 2 months free of charge & I can't afford to do that. My 250 is a bit sick at the moment & wouldn't be powerful enough for your 3 week trip, otherwise, I'd offer the same deal.

You only need a NZ address to buy a bike & insure it, no need for residency :)

RemoteMoto - RemoteMoto is a fantastic resource for finding off-road trails
and
Adventure Riding NZ | New Zealand's Adventure Riding community, free GPS track downloads, forums, and more! & https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz are good places to ask around for a loan bike.

Dec & Jan will be busy and I hope the weather will be kind for you, although no matter what the weather does you'll encounter fab scenery. Have fun and ride safe! :)

Thanks Phoenix for the info! Will have a look to those links.

About the weather, do you think there are better times in the year to go to NZ?

Thanks!

My personal recommendation is to visit mid-Feb to end-March / Easter.
This is because school and university holidays are over so most people have returned to work making the roads quieter & finding accommodation easier (and often cheaper).

The weather is a big topic. Usually good from Dec - April but not guaranteed. NZ has pockets of microclimates which means it could be wet in one location but glorious in another. As an island affected by southerly & northerly winds, anything goes :)

I see. Thanks for the info. I will probably have to stick to December/January for this visit. Hope it does not get too crazy on the roads :)

Hi Hebbo,

I have hired a bike for North Island and shipped my own DR 650 to South island in the last year.

My advice is similar to the above re accommodation. School holidays mean many NZers travel but you can camp and use tourist parks. Buy a local SIM for a mobile phone and call ahead to tourist parks or national parks. I prefer (and have done so by choice ) traveled in Feb/March (2016 and 2017) because of advice on accommodation. Accom is not impossible but schools go back first week in Feburary.

I hired a bike from Auckland Motorbike Hire, NZ's top motorcycle rental and guided tour company | Auckland Motorbike Hire. They are at Maraetai not far out of Auckland and easy starting point for travels. I hired a DL650 but they have a DR 650. Very good service, can pick you up at airport and take you yo local B&B and you collect the bike down the road. I had a great month in North Island and had no issues regarding rental. Bike was covered with road assist so this was good.

Hope this helps.

mal c

Hebbo, I've sent you a PM that may be helpful (or not).

Hey mate, I don't seem to have received any...

Thanks a lot for the advice. Auckland is a bit out of the plan for the moment, but had a look to their website and the price for the DR650 is the best I have seen so far.

I will be flying to/from Christchurch from Melbourne, so I will be looking to hire a bike in CHC. Let's see what I can find.

I finally will be around NZ from 16th Dec to 1Jan. Prob not the best time of the year to travel over there but work does not leave much freedom to choose :)

Hi again, I was browsing for motorcycle insurance & came across an advert for
Kiwi Motorcycle Rentals New Zealand
They will hire an XT660 & a DL650 for $120 per day and a F700 for $140 per day (both, only if over 15 days). Those deals seem a reasonable, for NZ ;)

A big plus is that the FAQ states they're happy for you to ride on gravel or shingle roads, prices include GST, the bike comes with panniers and they'll pick you up from the CHC airport or hotel

I know the owner of this company, and he's a top bloke. His son borrowed a scooter from me a few years back for one day, had a problem with it, and Clive returned it with a rebuilt engine!

His prices are good, and Clive hopes people get out there and explore the back country!

https://www.facebook.com/circlenz/posts/229151354278357
CIRCLENZ.co.nz - New Zealand Motorcycle hire, adventure tours and rentals.

They are based very near Christchurch too.

Cheers

Nigel in NZ

Thanks Nigel. The price for the V-Strom is not bad at all. 115 NZD/day including transfer from the airport.

BTW, glad your son got his scooter back in good shape! :D

Good price indeed! One of the few shops I have seen that are happy with getting the bikes a bit dusty away from tarmac :)

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated!

I had a great experience with Motorent - Motorcycle Rentals & Tours NZ out of Christchurch (they have locations elsewhere). Kept my CB500X on the tarmac though, except for that one detour in the Caitlins where the bridge had washed out...

Nice to know the web actually works!! The OP did book a motorcycle from us (three actually), you can read his reviews on google. Cheers, Clive
CircleNZ Motorcycle Hire & Rentals