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plans and where the tour will take everyone.
Familiarising oneself with the fleet of bikes on offer from Rumbling Adventures, day one sees a comfortable ride out of the city toward the south before cutting across toward the coast from a few kilometres of New Zealand’ s ubiquitous gravel. Yamaha Ténéré 700s, Husqvarna 701 and CF Moto MT450 are all available, the Japanese brand obviously the favourite.
Heading back inland the ride takes on a more adventurous feel. Narrow bridges, private tracks, and mountainside passes provide a playground that entices the rider into what New Zealand is about. The first night finishes in Fairlie, a simple abode that provides a warm shower and meal, and a greater chance to become friends with those riding companions.
The second day offers more. Riding west the sealed road soon gives way to more New Zealand gravel before reaching the shores of lakes with names such as Tekapo and Pukaki, offering glimpses of the famous alpine regions and New Zealand’ s highest peak Aoraki / Mount Cook, at over 3,700 metres. This region, with its fourteen peaks over 2,000 metres, has UNESCO World Heritage status, yet there’ s little time for sightseeing, the Five Days Of Dirt is about the riding.
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