Auckland, NZ Questions

[dswarthout]

I'm going to be touring New Zealand from Jan thru March 2004. I learned from Air New Zealand that you can only bring brand-new camp stoves on their flights. That means we will need to buy a stove as soon as we arrive Auckland.

That brings up two issues I can help use some with: a) bicycle friendly lodging for a night or two in Auckland that is relatively convenient to the airport, and b) a large camping/trekking supply store where a stove and a few other supplies can be purchased. Ideally this hotel/hostel would be able to provide a place to store our bike boxes until our return on March 15th, and not be overly expensive, maybe 100 NZ$.

Anybody have direct experience with Auckland who can help with these questions? Or know of a website that might be bicycle-oriented that covers the lodging issue? It would be especially nice to be able to store those boxes we spent so much time trying to find here in Alaska :>)

Another question I have pertains to the scope of these forums. I'm presuming these messages only get posted in the Touring and Recreational Cycling section of CyclingForums. Would it help me to try to post questions in more than one forum, for example, the Bike Cafe, which gets lots more use?

Thanks for your help,
Dave Swarthout
Homer, Alaska

 

[daveornee]

Originally posted by dswarthout
I'm going to be touring New Zealand from Jan thru March 2004. I learned from Air New Zealand that you can only bring brand-new camp stoves on their flights. That means we will need to buy a stove as soon as we arrive Auckland.

That brings up two issues I can help use some with: a) bicycle friendly lodging for a night or two in Auckland that is relatively convenient to the airport, and b) a large camping/trekking supply store where a stove and a few other supplies can be purchased. Ideally this hotel/hostel would be able to provide a place to store our bike boxes until our return on March 15th, and not be overly expensive, maybe 100 NZ$.

Anybody have direct experience with Auckland who can help with these questions? Or know of a website that might be bicycle-oriented that covers the lodging issue? It would be especially nice to be able to store those boxes we spent so much time trying to find here in Alaska :>)

Another question I have pertains to the scope of these forums. I'm presuming these messages only get posted in the Touring and Recreational Cycling section of CyclingForums. Would it help me to try to post questions in more than one forum, for example, the Bike Cafe, which gets lots more use?

Thanks for your help,
Dave Swarthout
Homer, Alaska

Dave,
I would start by google "Auckland New Zealand Lodging"
Once you find some places that meet your initial lodging criteria, you can contact them to find out about bike box storage.
There was at one time an organization known as:
Auckland Cycle Touring Association, Auckland, New Zealand
I don't know if they still exisit, but they would be worth contacting.
Also, you might try contacting:
http://www.pedaltours.co.nz/
http://www.adventurecycling.org/
An if you don't already have sufficient books to look through, visit Amazon.com at URL:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/002-7653815-3801619
I know it's a long shot, but you might try a call or visit to the REI in Anchorage. REI employees are encouraged to fulfill their interest in muscle powered outdoor pursuits. You may find some valuable networking contacts there.

 

[dswarthout]

David -
Thanks for the feedback. I located the Airport Skyway Lodge in Auckland that has storage for our boxes. They sound like nice folks and are reasonably convenient to the airport. Room rates are also affordable. We can mail our camp stoves to them as well. That means we won't have to buy new equipment either.