Motorbike Escape NZ

20/07/2025

Our cafe runs are back! We've had around 8ppl come along to the last couple of runs and we've spent an average of 2.5 hours chatting and catching up over breakfast. Not sure where all that time goes but we cover so many great topics, and not many of them bike related 🤷‍♀️👍Talk about a day trip! A couple of hours to get there. A couple of hours chatting and a couple of hours home again 🏍️🏍️
Today we went to the Ginger Crunch Cafe in Helensville, then discovered a new-to-me road up to South Head. 30kms each way on tarseal plus 5kms on hard packed dirt to get to the end of the road. Pics below are at Shelly Bay down a side road. Great day! If you aren't already there, join the Motorbikescape NZ Touring Group for notification of our next ride.

10/09/2024

We're heading for Ireland! On Saturday we picked up 3x hire motorbikes from Manchester. We've tripped across the Pennines and past Donington and Silverstone circuits, visited the Triumph factory, found some lovely roads through South Wales and now we're on the ferry heading to Ireland.
We've got a week in Ireland then back to enjoy more of what Wales has to offer. If anyone would like to catch up and talk bikes we'll be overnighting in Abergavenny on Tuesday 17th, and Rhayader on Wednesday 18th 😎🏍️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

16/08/2024

Winter riding in NZ? Yes!
🤩 12 days away, 9 days riding,
🤩 3,000kms
🤩 North and south islands
I've had some absolutely stunning days on the bike over the last two weeks! From amazing sunrises to the icy views across Mackenzie Country and the south island's West Coast in all its glory, I thoroughly recommend an outing.
Yes, I took (and wore, but not every day) thermals, waterproofs and extra windproof layers in addition to my heated grips and integrated sun visor.
Temperatures were mostly between 7 -12°C although I did see -2° the only morning I needed to leave early! There was some grit around, but mostly on the lesser used roads like Inland Kaikoura and Blackball.
There weren't many bikes out at all, let's fix that... Here are some of my photos for inspiration:

06/08/2024

Once again Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferries have earned a gold star for the experience crossing from Wellington to Picton.
- Seamless check in, only two motorbikes on the boat today so they knew my name before I'd even stopped at the check in kiosk
- Loaded straight onto the boat
- Crew member lined up a front wheel chock for me as I parked
- Helmet racks provided! (A very welcome detail!)
- Another crew member stopped by to check everything was ok with the strapping down process
- Cooked breakfast eaten and good barista coffee in hand before we left port
- Set sail 10 minutes early
Great experience and a beautiful, sunny, smooth crossing. Should be another good day riding ⭐🏍️😎

04/08/2024

Where are the best places to ride a motorbike? I'll give you a clue... Bunk-a-Biker World Wide have just updated their map of all of the people who will host motorcyclists for FREE overnight... We're on there, you are welcome to come and stay with us in New Zealand 🙂

It totally slipped my mind to make the post, but I approved a TON of new hosts onto our map in July! Thank you to every one of y’all for hosting for Bunk-a-Biker and supporting our vision of community. ❤️ So awesome!

Pic is of the Google downloadable map that is available to patrons. It’s updated!

July 11th:

Sosa in Algeria, Algeria
Pasquale Austria, Austria
Abdul Qadir Abid, Costa Rica
Esteban Paniagua, Costa Rica
Davidovich Ori, France
Mojo D. Gläß, Germany
Thomas Trojan, Germany
Jozsef C., Hungary
Neeraj India, India
Vilija in Lithuania, Lithuania
Žilvinas Preikša, Lithuania
Karolis L., Lithuania
Jari Weermeier, Netherlands
Kristin G, Norway
Steven Bjørn Søraa, Norway
James Carter, Portugal
Alin Apostolache, Romania
Cor Buissant des Amorie, Sweden
Marie Noren, Sweden
Malin Aspaas, Sweden
Markus Roskifte, Sweden
Ina Thor Jehrén, Sweden
Samantha Dawkins, Thailand

Guy and Bobbi-Jo Hewton, British Columbia
J. M. Bernier, Saskatchewan
Brendan Hughes, British Columbia
Karen Golec, Ontario
Daniel McMahon, Québec
Diana Feuerhelm, Alberta
Kevin W, Ontario
Sandy Ontario, Ontario
Randy Bilyea, Ontario
Karen Anderson, British Columbia
Judy Jardine, Alberta

Tom Clarke, Connecticut
William Hintz, Alaska
Kevin Lawrence, North Carolina
Carol Berg, Minnesota
Sheryl Concannon, Nebraska
Mark & Barb F, Michigan
Dan Peck, North Carolina
Bill and Janet M., Texas
Kurt Phillips, Tennessee
Klint Breeding, Idaho
Christine Jocose, Oregon
Skyler Shema, Pennsylvania
Cindy and John Payne
Shane J, Texas
Stacie Clifford Parsons, Iowa
Brent Norrod, Pennsylvania
Greg Denay, Michigan
Lora and Brian Maleska, Minnesota
James Brackeet, South Carolina
Joyce Shively, Kansas
Samantha Alaska, Alaska
G McMillan, Colorado
Jessica Przybylski, Wisconsin
Chad Hughes, Louisiana
Phil H, Illinois
Red Missouri, Missouri
Hank Harvey, Oklahoma

July 27th:

Justin Mironescu, Austria
Victor De Keyser, Belgium
Ragnar MC, Denmark
Nadine T, Germany
Yvonne Heijmen, Netherlands
Rune Engelsvold, Norway
P***e R Nørup, Norway
Martin H, Norway
Gry Nordheim, Norway
Carl Fredrik Boug, Norway
Tor Jonny Bakkan, Norway
Christian Harholt, Norway
Hilde Synnøve Husevold, Norway
Kati Kisfaludi, Norway
Brian Stuart, Poland
Kirsten in Sweden, Sweden
Roger Holm, Sweden
Tiziano Snozzi, Switzerland
Helens TakeOn, United Kingdom

Tom LeClair, Prince Edward Island
Dana Wilson, British Columbia
Angie & Ron Anshelm, Alberta
Terry Ramsay, Ontario
Monique AB, Alberta
Simon Périsse, Québec
Mark and Jen, Newfoundland and Labrador

Martin C, Florida
Leslie R Hladysz, South Dakota
Doug Geyer, Nebraska
Evan Queen, Arkansas
Grady Brooks, North Carolina
(Trainer) David l Ettenberg, Washington
Chad H, Louisianait
Bill & Margaret Dahlke, Wyoming
Michael McAnder, Wisconsin
Jason Webster, Alabama
Sharon K, Iowa
Jacqueline L, Illinois
Ashley & Tim V, Michigan
Dustin Evers, Oregon
Joe and Nicolette, Colorado

03/08/2024

Great day for a Cafe run to the Nikau Cave Cafe today. We beat the rush... Shortly after I took the below pic there were 22 bikes parked here! Not all of them with us, but thanks to everyone who joined us, despite the chilly start to the day. A birthday for my Transalp today... tripped over 100,000 miles and still going strong 😁

27/07/2024

We're back staying with Carolyn and Kel at Riders' Rest this weekend. Each time we stay, it just gets better! There are now three self contained accommodation options all with the fabulous view front and centre. Espresso in the mornings and takeaways on the deck in the evenings drinking in the last of the sun. Come and check them out 👍

25/05/2024

After a foggy and cold start, we got a treat of a view at Hahei for this month's cafe run. A good long natter with Steve who we haven't seen for a few years, then a drizzly run around the top of the Coromandel but still fabulous scenery!

21/04/2024

Nice day for a run to a local cafe! 6 of us left from our respective homes around Auckland / Waikato in varying degrees of rain and fog and were rewarded by a clear autumn day sitting outside overlooking the Waikato River. Chatting bikes and generally catching up. Good times! We'll be organising these runs most months, so if you want to get advance notice to be able to come along, join our group: Motorbikescape NZ Touring Group (you'll need to answer all of the joining questions)

20/04/2024

Change of season - adding Ventz to my touring jacket for the first day I'm leaving my airflow jacket at home. 🍂 Autumn is here, but who knows what the temperatures will climb to a little later...? 🌞
Buy yours here: https://www.motorbikescape.co.nz/shop/

23/03/2024

Final day of our trip started in the rain in Raglan. We had an epic breakfast for our group of 10 before heading up highway 22 and doing battle with the Auckland motorway in still more rain ☔. The sun was out by the time we passed through Waipu Cove in Northland for a mandatory ice cream stop 🍦😎. Then into Tutukaka. We ended the day with 10 people, albeit a different group to the one we started with, but that's exactly how we roll. Dinner overlooking the Tutukaka harbour was a great way to end the week. Sun is forecast for our ride home tomorrow so we'll make the most of our time in Northland before heading south. Such a fab week!
Motorbike Escape NZ on tour, stay tuned for the next one! 😎 🏍️🙂

22/03/2024

Six of us set out from Ohakune this morning. Brilliant blue skies and beautiful flowing roads again. We've ridden a lot with this particular group of guys over the last few years, just one newbie to the group and he fit in nicely as we wound our way through the Waikato's back roads. We paused for a cuppa at the Rhubarb Cafe and two more riders joined us there. So now Al is on his second bike of the trip, Andrew has two bikes on the run having loaned one out and we all landed in Raglan happy with another good day's riding. Dinner for 10 was booked and after a few beers and more yummy food it was suddenly time for an early night. We'll regroup for our last northbound day tomorrow heading for Northland. Love these days spent on the road!
Motorbike Escape NZ on tour 🏍️🏍️🏍️🏍️🏍️🏍️