A self-guided motorcycle tour of New Zealand takes one to four weeks: 7 days for the North Island, 14 for the South Island, 21 for both islands and 28 for the length of the country. By bike or by car, the rule of thumb is the same: about two weeks for one island, three weeks or more for both.
How many days you need in New Zealand
Aotearoa New Zealand is two main islands, Te Ika-a-Māui, the North Island, and Te Waipounamu, the South Island, with Cook Strait between them. A week covers the heart of one island. Two weeks lets you ride one island without hurrying. Three weeks takes in both, with time to stop, and four weeks runs from the top of the North Island to Fiordland.
On a motorcycle, the days count for more than they do in a car. Four to six hours in the saddle is a full day, and you’ll want time off the bike as well, so every journey has at least one rest day built in, and the longer journeys more.
| Journey | Days | Islands | Start and finish | Distance | Average riding day | Rest days | Up to, per bike |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Island | 7 | North Island | Auckland and back | 1,637 km | 273 km | 1 | NZ$14,999 |
| South Island | 14 | South Island | Christchurch and back | 2,591 km | 216 km | 2 (and 3 low-km days) | NZ$26,999 |
| Ultimate NZ | 21 | Both | Auckland to Christchurch | 4,041 km | 253 km | 5 (and 2 low-km days) | NZ$35,999 |
| Aotearoa Odyssey | 28 | Both | Auckland to Christchurch | 5,377 km | 256 km | 7 (and 2 low-km days) | NZ$47,999 |
The average riding day leaves out the rest days. Prices are in NZ$, per bike: “Up to” is the prime-season price on a big bike, the highest; other dates and the smaller bikes cost less. Pillions (passengers) ride free. All prices include GST. No card surcharges, and nothing is added to your journey price later, apart from any activities you add.
One week: a taste of the North Island
The North Island journey is 7 days from Auckland and back, about 1,637 km. It rides the black-sand west coast at Piha, the Coromandel Loop, the geothermal country around Rotorua, the Forgotten World Highway and the volcanic plateau of Tongariro National Park, with one rest day at Taupō, on the lake.
As a North Island itinerary, it fits a lot into a week: its average riding day, 273 km, is the longest of the four. What it leaves out is Northland, Wellington and the South Island. It is also the one journey that can run in winter (June to August), by arrangement; the seasons guide has more.
Two weeks: one island, properly
If you’re planning a two-week New Zealand itinerary, spend it on one island. The South Island journey is 14 days from Christchurch and back, about 2,591 km, over the Lewis, Lindis, Haast and Arthur’s passes. It follows the Kaikōura coast north, rides Queen Charlotte Drive above the Marlborough Sounds, crosses the high country to Lake Tekapo and Aoraki / Mount Cook, and comes back up the West Coast past the glaciers.
As a South Island itinerary, it has the shortest average riding day of the four, 216 km, with two rest days, in Nelson and Greymouth, and three low-km days. It is the only journey that rides the Crown Range Road down to Arrowtown. It leaves out the North Island, and Fiordland: Milford Sound is on the Aotearoa Odyssey only.
Three weeks: both islands
A three-week New Zealand itinerary is enough for both islands. Ultimate NZ is 21 days from Auckland to Christchurch, about 4,041 km, with five rest days. The North Island half rides the Coromandel Loop, Rotorua, the Forgotten World Highway and Taupō, then the Desert Road south to Wellington. After the Cook Strait ferry come Queen Charlotte Drive, the Lewis Pass, Lake Tekapo and Aoraki / Mount Cook, Queenstown, the Haast Pass and the West Coast, and the last ride over Arthur’s Pass.
It leaves out four things the other journeys ride: Northland and Fiordland, on the Aotearoa Odyssey; and the Kaikōura coast road and the Crown Range Road, on the South Island journey. Kaikōura is still within reach: whale watching there is a rest-day option.
Four weeks: the length of the country
The Aotearoa Odyssey is 28 days from Auckland to Christchurch, about 5,377 km: the roads of Ultimate NZ, and two regions more. It starts by heading north to the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga, at the top of the North Island, then crosses the Hokianga Harbour and rides through Waipoua Forest, past Tāne Mahuta, New Zealand’s largest known kauri. In the south it adds Fiordland: Te Anau, and the Milford Road to Milford Sound.
Its seven rest days are the most of the four. The small Northland harbour ferries on the way, at Hokianga and to Russell, aren’t included: each is a small fare, paid on the spot.
One island or both: the Cook Strait crossing
Ultimate NZ and the Aotearoa Odyssey both spend a rest day in Wellington, with time for Te Papa, the national museum, then take the Cook Strait ferry (Interislander or Bluebridge) to Picton the next day: about 3.5 hours, with the bike on board. The tickets for the bike, you and any pillion are included. From Picton the day carries on along Queen Charlotte Drive into the mountains.
The day in Wellington and the crossing take two days of the journey, which is why our shortest journey across both islands is 21 days. If you have two weeks or less, one island gives you more riding and less time in transit. Sailings can be cancelled in bad weather, so travel insurance that covers travel disruption is essential. The Cook Strait ferry guide covers boarding with the bike.
A day in the saddle, and the rest days
Most days are four to six hours in the saddle, with stops. Some run a little longer or shorter, depending on detours and where the night’s stay is. The average riding day is 216 km on the South Island journey and 273 km on the North Island journey, and the longest day on any journey is 380 km.
Every journey includes at least one planned rest day, and the longer journeys more, for exploring a town, doing something off the bike or simply resting. Some also have light days, a short ride with the afternoon free. Our guide to how a self-guided journey works lists the longest day on each journey.
Days at either end
Allow at least one full day of rest after your flight before you ride, and plan a hotel night before and after the journey. Those nights aren’t part of the journey, and nor are airport transfers or luggage storage; if you start and end at the same hotel, it will often hold your bags while you ride. As a guide, allow two or three days more than the journey itself, plus the flights.
The North Island and South Island journeys start and finish in the same city. Ultimate NZ and the Aotearoa Odyssey start in Auckland and finish in Christchurch, so book your flight in to Auckland and home from Christchurch.
When none of the four fits
Each journey’s route is our base route, the starting point. We shape it around what you’d like to see and where there’s room to stay, and we always confirm a change with you first. Rotorua, for example, is the place to add a night if you want more time there.
If your dates or interests don’t fit any of the four, we can build a journey around you, with a route or a theme of your own, and a different start or finish may be possible. Book a discovery call to talk it through, or read the FAQ.
The four journeys
- North Island: 7 days, from Auckland and back, about 1,637 km. Up to NZ$14,999 per bike, including GST.
- South Island: 14 days, from Christchurch and back, about 2,591 km. Up to NZ$26,999 per bike, including GST.
- Ultimate NZ: 21 days, Auckland to Christchurch, about 4,041 km. Up to NZ$35,999 per bike, including GST.
- Aotearoa Odyssey: 28 days, Auckland to Christchurch, about 5,377 km. Up to NZ$47,999 per bike, including GST.
