[JPOnion]

Got a quick question for those who have been in NZ long enough to know what the weather is like down there.

I'm looking into doing my first reccy, but I'd love to do it on a rented motorcycle (as strange as it sounds, I'm honestly not comfortable driving cars). I'd like to come down when it's not too cold, rainy or snowy, but a bit of bad weather isn't completely out of the question.

Anyway, I'd like to do this in March. That's when I finally have enough time off to take around 2 weeks (it only took a year of work :wah ) and I've found some decent flights (<$1kUSD). Is March still ok for something like this? Only reason I ask is because I've never been to NZ so don't know the weather, nor have I been south of the equator so the season switch is messing with my head.

Another idea is to wait until spring. However, I'd like to take the opportunity to do a couple interviews if I can and I seem to recall hearing that spring / summer isn't the best time to look for jobs in NZ for some reason. Something about companies not really looking to hire around this time frame. Is this true? If it helps, I'm a software engineer.

I'm probably going to be sticking to the north island with a bit of exploration of the south island. Wellington is where I'd like to end up, so that's where I'd like to explore, but I'll probably first start in Auckland. I'd love to ride down to Milford Sound if I could, but that'll probably have to wait for another time.

...

Completely off topic, but that yellow dancing banana in the Smilies section has suddenly stopped dancing and is staring at me. The blue banana is still dancing, though. Seriously...it's freaking me out :laugh

[JPOnion]

Wow, after all the research done so far I can't believe I just now thought to look at the drop off points for the rentals. Apparently the places I've been looking at are in Auckland, Christchurch and one in Nelson. Maybe I'll have to switch to the south island and have Wellington be my northern visit instead. That does, though, mean I'd be further south and I'm even more curious about the weather...

In case you can't tell, I've never lived anywhere where winter doesn't mean, for the most part, at least a few months where you're lucky to ride, so forgive me if this is a silly question... :)

[tea drinker]

My yellow nana is still dancing:raebanana

[Wonderbob]

NZ's climate is moderate, so not too cold, or too hot for that matter. Feb/March would be the two best months for M/C touring, either in the North or South Islands, as everyone is back at work and the weather is most settled. I wouldn't recomend spring however, late summer early autumn is better. I've done a couple of M/C tours myself of the South Island, it is bliss on a M/C, fantastic roads and scenery, and very little traffic. You'll have a blast!

Cheers
Bob

[colandros]

Why look at different drop offs? couldnt you do a loop?
march weather both north and south island should still be good.
you might get some rain and if so you will have to be carefull as the roads get very slippery when its been hot for a while and then it rains.
give yourself plenty of time to get from A to B each day. NZ roads are NOT great for high speed travel,
they are very windy which is great on a bike but adds time to you journey.
The limit is 100kmh and most stick pretty close to it.
Police are VERY keen on speed limits and there are plenty of unmarked cars around but an overseas licence might be enough to scare em away from a ticket.
Look up the stupid left turn give way rule as it takes a while to get it fixed in your head. (if a car is waiting in the road to turn right he has right of way if you want to turn left )
check the cost of the north south ferry as it aint cheap.
a lot of kiwi drivers dont like being overtaken so be prepared for them to speed up when you try to pass at the passing lanes then slow again when it gets back to single lane.
have your wits about you all the time as i cannot overstate how poor kiwi driving standards are

[victoria24]

i had a funny visual reading your post. as a motorcycle rider myself and the sods law that is wearing waterproofs/cold weather clothing. as NZ is often classed as 4 seasons in 1 day, i had visions of you putting on your gear as it looked like its gonna rain to be sweating in sun in 5 mins and conversely thinking "it looks lovely" and receiving a downpour as soon as you set off with light summer gear on!!!

[veronica]

the weather here is as unpredictable as can be. take a look at the variables for christchurch over this month on Metservice.co.nz
so much depends on the way the wind is blowing, from points north its a warm wind but in a day it can swing to coming from the south and thats straight of the antarctic and feels like it. best thing is to take layers and be prepared for anything and everything. keep an eye on metservice page and it will give you an insight into it.

[JPOnion]

Thanks guys :) I've got to push it back to late march - early/mid april now due to a critical release date which is pushing me even closer to winter :uhoh

colandros: Yeah, I could do a loop, but I've only got 2 weeks off. Count in the time to fly down (saturday afternoon -> monday morning), time to pick up the bike, time taking it slow due to jet lag, and time to return the bike and fly home...it doesn't leave an entire 2 weeks to tour. I'd love to do a loop of the entire country, but I'll have to do it in chunks. Choosing a particular pickup / dropoff is a good way to choose. There's a couple companies in Nelson and ChristChurch and I think (after a few mins on google maps) I could do a nice loop of the south island, hitting Nelson, west coast, ChristChurch, Wellington and Milford Sound.

victoria24: Thankfully I've got 4 seasons gear, just have to remove a liner and I'm good to go from freezing rain to desert heat :D

[WANZLittles]

My moto is "as long as there is not snow or ice on the road I will ride." I carry rain slickers with me in my saddle bags, and my leathers insulated. I do need to get some heated grips though

[JPOnion]

My moto is "as long as there is not snow or ice on the road I will ride."

Damn right! :nice1 My last tour ended up being in the middle of a sudden cold snap. At one point I had to turn around and race south because a solid sheet of white (blizzard) was coming my way, and then later on rode a few hours thru a hail storm. And that's not even counting the heavy rain, heavy wind (Tacoma Narrows bridge on a windy day :exit) and snow flurries. Bad weather can be fun. The only reason I'm asking about the weather right now is because I'd like to be as prepared as I can, that and I tend to fret about the unknowns when planning for a trip. Plus, while I'm fine riding in anything other than snow / ice, I'd like to avoid it if possible, especially if it's going to close some mountain roads.

But hey, if I do actually get down there and the weather is bad, I'll still have a blast!