| The Tours and Transport Award for September goes to... |
| New Zealand Motorcycle Rentals |
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Going by previous winners of this category, it was beginning to look as if cycling was the only way to see New Zealand. This site should please those who would like to get all the fresh air and wonderful views, without so exerting so much effort.
Unlike many sites, the designers haven't got too carried away with the colour scheme, keeping it to a simple blue and purple - the same colours used in the company's logo. This works well for the graphics, including the nice duotone images of motorbikes and chromium "bits" (please forgive my ignorance of motorcycle parts) which are integrated into the page design. There's a strong impression that you will find what you are looking for very quickly on the site. As well as a seperate "site map" page, there's a very good overview of the contents on the site's main/entry page. The company's locations and email addresses are also listed here encouraging you to simply enquire about anything you want to know if you don't want to spend a long time exploring the site. Those who do venture into the site will be rewarded with very detailed information about the types of bikes, accessories and tour options which are available. There's also a "Bike Torque" page (about NZ riders' performances at international motorcycling events). This will, no doubt, interest the enthusiast and encourage repeat visits. There's only one major criticism. The site has an "insecure" form which requests credit card details. If you want to read the judges' thoughts on this, see this month's review of Bavarian Backpacker Lodge. Our judges also felt that the opening paragraph on the main page was a bit repetitive, mentioning "New Zealand" and "motorbike" several times in each sentence. It even crossed their minds that it might an attempt to gain higher search engine priority. More likely it was just a bit of badly worded copy that slipped in somewhere. I doubt such a good site would compromise legibility for a few extra hits. All in all, a very attractive and functional tourism website. |