Moped travel NZ

[TownDiver]

Hey all,

So as the title states looking into mopeds in NZ. If you want to read the full story it's below, however, if not my question stands. Can we find relatively cheap mopeds to travel the entirety of NZ starting in Christchurch end of december and returning mid February?
So as the story goes, over the course of a few more beers than I care to admit, my two friends and I have started toying with the idea of traveling New Zealand from late December to mid February....on mopeds(please stifle the laughter until the end). Originally we had decided to take our time and try to walk the length south to north, but due to me being the only one who won't need to be back until march (since I'll be the only one who graduates uni in december) we've started looking at other means of transport. We'd like to keep our freedom, but also don't like the idea of relying on public transport, and won't be around long enough to warrant buying a car. We thought about grabbing a van rental, but quickly decided against that. It's going to be a fairly simple trip, we might do some light mountaineering, but we'll most likely just do a tour if we do so I don't need to bring all my gear for a few days of fun. If you all have any recommendations I'm all ears!

Thanks in advance and I know this is weird, but I think that's what we look for.

 

[Clintnz]

Short answer: No

- if the criteria is that 2 mopeds will be cheaper than a car.

Have a look on our online trading site, trademe You'll find that pretty much any road legal moped/scooter will be $500+, something actually usable if you want to carry some gear & have a chance of it lasting the distance will be $1000+ You can get a reasonable car for $1000-$1500 & it's easy to do for tourists.

If you are set on the moped idea you won't find many actual mopeds in NZ. Best bet for something small but useful would be the Honda CT110 farm bike / postie bike but they don't come cheap. The Suzuki GN125 would be another one to look for.

If you want to do some hiking there's lots of great places to see & having a car makes it much easier. The flipside is that NZ has awesome motorcycling roads too...

Cheers
Clint

 

[Dusty-NZ]

Moped on state hwy 1 ??

suicide !

NZ drivers are generally not forgiving of slow 2 wheeled traffic.

Your rights as a cyclist / motorcyclist are superseded by your right to die first , when you are sucked under the wheels of a logging truck.

Good luck with your trip

 

[Billhilly]

I've got to agree with Clint and Dusty. I can't think of anywhere I'd want to be wobbling around on a moped, while 44-50 tons fly by inch's from your handle bars! SH1, down the West Coast, motorways up North, I'm just not feeling good about it! We don't have a good relationship between four wheels, and slow two wheels down here... You've got to picture LOTS of narrow, single lane (one each way), twisty, hilly roads. Add in holiday traffic in the touristy areas and I don't think you'd have a great time. Check out TradeMe. Buy a crappy Toyota van. Pile your gear in. Have a fantastic time!
Don't get me wrong, anything is doable, but. If you have your heart set on two wheels, buy something that can do 100k (open road speed limit). Not cheaper, but feasible. PM me if you make it down. I'll buy you's a brew. We've had a variety of travelers through here.

Bill.

 

[TownDiver]

Haha well this is exactly how I thought this would go. I've lived in both Ireland and Australia and figured the roads would be in-between the two. I'm currently looking at larger bikes for the moment, but I do have a softspot for the toyota van. Thanks for all your replies! I'll probably keep this thread open as a means of any other questions I have. Right now we're looking at flying into Christchurch heading south and working our way north and finishing in a large loop back to Christchurch.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Clintnz]

Hi Mate, you only need a 250 to have some fun actually riding, not just surviving, on NZ roads. However if the budget will stretch to something a bit bigger with some offroad capacity you'll have even more fun. Something like a Suzuki DR650 would be a good pick & they are a common bike in NZ.

Cheers
Clint

 

[Hj61 12ht]

Moped probably not a good idea, at the corner of upper queen street and west street (Auckland) there are backpackers vans for sale every Saturday morning. They usually have mattress and camping gear, and will be dirt cheap.

 

[hmmar]

Well, i had at once in my life visited with my best friend for enjoying travel point of view Auckland. Its a realy best and beautiful destination in the New Zealand. I will try to explore again in my life but in next time I will try to go with my fiance.