I just want to start out by saying this is a real feeler post, just want to get some feedback to see if this would be an feasible trip or not... Alright so I am getting a little tired with my day job... Im 25, not married, no kids, no house or car payments, and I want an Adventure. I have money saved up and I'm not afraid to blow it all on an adventure of a lifetime(do not tell my mom!). As of lately I have been really getting into fly fishing. I was thinking of places I might want to go to fish and motorcycle camp. New Zealand is a place I have always wanted to visit, Being a ENv and geography major is part of my reason for the fascination, but the shear beauty and remoteness of the islands themselves really draws me in. So I haven't done much research yet but Are any of you guys fly fishermen? How is the fishing? I did a quick google search and saw some pics of monsters!!! I am not one who goes for trophies at all, its more about being out on the water that makes me happy. That being said I would still like to catch a few haha. Along with that I guess I should ask when is the best time of year to get some fishing and good weather for riding/camping? How is the access to rivers via motorcycle? I was thinking of a small dualsport. The next thing me to think about is the money issue. I think the flight over will be the most expensive part. I hope to camp most of the time, unless any inmates have a spare room ofcourse! My plan was to bring most of the gear i needed with me and check it( i like living on the edge haha). Then buying a small reliable dualsport there. I was thinking something like an xr400/dr350 or equivalent. I dont need a speed demon or an ironbutt long distance pig. What is the used bike market like? is there any classified site that people usually use? I was hoping to get something for around $1500, does not need to be pretty! This is something I prob need to research more but if any of you work for the motor vehicles department, how hard is it for me to get a temp license to drive and temp registration? Like I said, this is a serious feeler!!! just looking for some input. I appreciate all your time and input if you have any. Pics for clicks! Here is a nice brown I got this weekend
Hi RRR. Fly fishing is quite popular down here in the Sth Island. As boxabits said Josh is the man to talk to. Re bikes try looking on Trademe But to be honest you'll be lucky to find something you'd be able to trust for under $3K. Being a pretty rural country all the cheap bikes are snapped up by those wanting a weekend trail bike. There have been a few tourists doing it on new chinese scooters - if you want to travel slowly :) There are a lot of accomodating people over here but Kiwibiker is a better website to find them. Good thing about you being an env major is you won't be crapping on our walking tracks like other tourists do
You'll never get to the good spots on a bike, you need a helicopter. Just kidding, the above spot is only a couple of hrs walk in from the road end. A small dualsport is probably the absolute best way to do some touring & trout fishing in NZ on a budget. Your US drivers licence is valid in NZ, vehicle registration etc is no big deal, you'll just need to borrow someone's NZ address. Like Padmei says, & as you will see browsing trademe, you won't get much for $1500 but $2.5-3K should get you something reliable & ready to go. Cheers Clint
This is some great info! thanks so much! So is it a common thing for fly fishers in NZ to own helicopters!?!?! that is awesome. can I find one of those for 3 grand? hahaha. I will def check out the forum and the trademe site.
NZ is definitely worth a visit if you're into fly fishing or any kind of fishing for that matter....we have a lot of coastline and rivers. It's not going to get much easier when you haven't got too many commitments (best to keep it that way!). We have a summer fishing season for fresh water fish from October to the end of April and you need to purchase a fishing licence for fresh water fishing which pays for fish restocking and management etc. There is winter fishing is some places but the weather isn't going to be as enjoyable especially if you want to ride and camp. There are a lot of access places you can get to the side of the road but a small DS bike would be ideal for direct access to rivers that you couldn't get a car into readily and likewise for camping spots. There are often small DOC run camp spots that you can pay a small fee for and has basic facilities or you can find places to park up in the bush or a beach somewhere. The South Island is much less populated and generally more extreme terrain (mountains, bush and rivers). A lot of lake and fishing areas are relatively easy to access with adjacent to roads and 4x4 tracks but a helicopter is a good way to get around and into some of the prime headwaters if you want to $pend the money. There are also often walking tracks that will get you into great spots as well, these can vary from easy river valleys to 'oh hell I'm going to die' type of terrain . But generally speaking there's so much good access you won't really need to but you may want to experience some NZ backcountry. In general the rivers tend to be fast flowing with difficult adjacent terrain features and access often so you can loose a lot of gear to the bush or the fish. Heavier line weights and rods etc and also a spinning option is useful if windy and or terrain difficulties.-There are big fish out there but getting to them is half the problem. I've watch many big cruisers holding prime position in some deep pool without anyway of even getting close to them apart from perhaps a sketchy abseil into a deep gorge. It's a beautiful thing. We also have sea run salmon, trout around the mouths of the big braided rivers. Trade me is the place to go look for bikes etc but as been stated above the small DS bikes are popular so still in the 3k mark. But some of the small road bikes could be worth a look (depends how 'proud' you need to be perhaps!). XR400's are sort after and or thrashed. Things like the DR250/350 could be a good buy. Yamaha Scorpios and similar could be cheaper options and it would be an 'adventure' that's for sure!?
Just to add.... You will be amazed at the ease of getting to some of the top rivers as many of them pass right by reasonable sized roads. Oh, and you will love the fishing. I can't remember the exact details but NZ has something like 3 of the 10 top rivers in the world for trout fishing. Combine this with the low cost of a season licence ($120?), ease of access, cheep camping you'll have a great time. Agree that you need to send $3000 on the bike... but you'll get that back when you leave. Have a look on www.trademe.co.nz
This is amazing info!!! very glad to hear about the easy access. I would most likely be travelling alone and getting super deep into the back country prob is not the wisest choice. Are the top 3 rivers you speak of on the north or south island?
