Kel and Carolyn Rood have set up their home at “Riders’ Rest in Ruakākā” for motorcyclists to enjoy. Together they designed their house in 2020 to provide original tailored accommodation for motorcyclists on an adventure.

The idea for Riders’ Rest came during an adventure in the South of France, when they often toured simply from point to point recommended by their hosts each night and looking for accommodation which catered for their travelling needs and which provided security for the bike.

Kel, an experienced Tug Master has been a rider for 50 years and is an avowed gravel junkie; loves the stuff, can’t get enough of it, and he has had a wealth of two-wheeled adventures throughout the length of New Zealand and internationally - encompassing Asia, navigating an XRV Africa Twin to Alaska, ridden to what was then the ‘highest motorable road in the world’ in the Himalayas and they have done several trips 2up through the South of France, European Alps, Northern Spain and 10 other countries in Europe.

Carolyn, with an extensive background in Education prefers being a pillion, especially on their beloved Moto Guzzi V85TT, and these days much of her time is taken up with organising overseas motorcycling tours, spending time with their grandchildren and more recently working on their latest venture which they launched in November 2024 where they have further developed the idea of “motorcycle-friendly accommodation” by establishing a nation-wide travel platform specialising in “motorcycle-friendly” with “motorcycle-friendly hosts”.

This website is for anyone but they have developed it with motorcyclists in mind. Check it out at www.motorcycleaccommodation.nz. They are also always keen to hear from potential hosts.