I’d first thought about this trip a few years ago – I think it was around 2006. Back then, however, the cost put a stop to it. Having already travelled twice in recent years with Feelgood Reisen (to Norway and Ireland) and had thoroughly positive experiences, we decided in autumn 2013 to set off on this ‘dream tour’ of New Zealand as soon as possible.
We chose the three-week tour from the travel company’s range and also asked them to book our flights – after making the arrangements, 1 February 2014 quickly emerged as a possible date. Here, once again, a word of praise for the friendly staff – all our questions were answered straight away. The flight was booked straight away (Emirates) and the remaining key details were sorted out. This meant we could simply take our luggage with us as normal and then, upon arrival, repack it into the panniers of our hire motorbikes (Suzuki V-Strom 600). Our panniers were then transported to our departure point.
It’s important to have a valid passport and a power adapter (not the one for England). A GPS and sun cream won’t go amiss either. 🙂 Little by little, our travel documents arrived – along with a voucher booklet for accommodation, road maps and an excellent ‘roadbook’.
Right on time on 1 February 2014, the first leg of the journey set off from Munich Airport (early afternoon). The first stopover was Dubai (approx. 6 hours’ flight time) – unfortunately, we had a long lay-over there (arrival at 11.30 pm) as our connecting flight didn’t depart until around 9 am. That flight went to Bangkok – from there on to Sydney and finally to Christchurch. We arrived there in the afternoon, completely knackered but in glorious weather – luckily, our taxi (company: Super Shuttle) was already waiting, so we could set off for the motel straight away. Unlike in Europe, there’s hardly any accommodation that includes breakfast – most of these motels have a fully equipped kitchen, so you can cater for yourself. We were already expected and given a warm welcome, and were able to move straight into our spacious rooms. That day, however, we just about managed to pop into a pub for a meal before sinking into a deep sleep at around 7 pm.
Accommodation:
Marivale Manor Hotel
122 Papanui Road
Christchurch
Tips:
– only take the bare minimum of cash with you – you can pay for almost everything by credit card in New Zealand and the exchange rates there are better
– a valid passport
– do not leave the transit area in Dubai
– always fill up with petrol once you’ve driven about 200 km – you never know when the next petrol station will be
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