As I was in NZ for a wedding in January, I decided to splash out on hiring a bike for a few days to see some of the incredible scenery and try out the roads - said to be bikers heaven. I haven't owned a bike for many years, but have hired a Harley a couple of times recently and thought the opportunity was just too good to miss.

Thunderbikes in Nelson (http://www.thunderbike.co.nz/) did a friend and I a reasonable deal on a a couple of BMWs (Harley's were way too expensive) I opted for an F800GS and my friend took an R1200.

The bikes were both 2009 models and in excellent condition. They also hired all the gear (helmets, jackets, gloves etc - everything you need except boots) and it was all good quality stuff.

Worth pointing out that the insurance had a very high excess of $4000 dollars with no option to reduce - unfortunately for me that was too prove very expensive.

All kitted out we headed towards the Abel Tasman and the Takaka hills. The roads were mostly in good condition and best of all they drive on the right side (ie on the left). The climb up the Takaka hill and view from the top was stunning, and the descent was an absolute joy. Traffic was very light and as seems to be the way in NZ, rather than hold you up, drivers will pull over to let you get past.

The scenery through Golden Bay and out to Farewell Spit was incredible (running out of superlatives now) and with no traffic on the road, you could ride for 20 Km or more without seeing another vehicle, just the odd eagle circling overhead.

Day 2, we rode South towards the Nelson Lakes and then across to Marlborough and up through the wine country till we got to the Marlborough Sounds. The roads that wound through the Marlborough Sounds were just a succession of bends where you barely got the bike upright before flicking it over and into the next bend. The F800 absolutely excelled at this. With very quick steering, it was a joy to ride on this type of road easily flicked through mile after mile of S bends as the roads hugged the hills around the coast and out into the Sounds. Just needed to watch out for the odd patches of gravel where the roads had been repaired - no warning signs of course.

Day 3 and I was on my own, and decided to take explore more of the Marlborough Sounds and see how the F800 fared on unsealed tracks. The plan was to ride to the outer edge of the Sounds at French's Pass. This would have included about 60 Km of dirt road. Unfortunately the weather which up to then had been warm and sunny, decided to cloud over and the wind got up to such an extent that at the higher parts of the pass, the road was in the cloud and I was getting blown around too much for my liking. After about 20 Km of this, and with not a lot between me and the sheer drops at the side of the track, I decided to call it a day and return to Nelson.

Arriving slightly earlier than planned and not wanting to stop too early on my last day with the bike, I decided to take another dirt road up to the Matai dam. It was certainly worth it for the view, but the final stage was very steep and although fine on the way up, it was to prove my undoing on the way down. Just rounding a corner I managed to loose the front end and before I knew what had happened I was on the ground. No damage to me and only superficial damage to the Beemer, but because of the insurance excess, very damaging to the wallet, with a hefty repair bill of $1300 (about £550) - or more than double the cost of hiring the bike and gear.

Put a bit of a damper on the whole trip, but I would do it all again if the opportunity arises again (except the last bit), and I would certainly recommend getting out on a bike in NZ - stunning scenery, fantastic empty roads and really friendly people. What more could you ask for.

It has also got me into thinking about getting a bike again now I am back in the UK. Previous thoughts were to get a Harley (bit predictable for someone of my age, I know), but now I am not so sure, and I would certainly be tempted by an F800 or similar adventure bike.