But a group of leather-clad motorcycling enthusiasts from a town near Switzerland's largest city is challenging that stereotype while they travel in Otago this week on large touring bikes.
The Mawi Bike Gang comprises 11 men and three women, several of them farmers.
Yesterday, the Swiss farmers rode from Dunedin to Milton, where they were shown a typical New Zealand dairying operation.
Today, the gang will visit Moeraki before travelling to Twizel.
The group of friends, who live about 40km from Zurich, flew into Auckland and rented 10 motorcycles before heading south on February 18.
They stopped at Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, Picton, Blenheim, Nelson, Punakaiki, Greymouth, Fox Glacier, Haast, Wanaka, Queenstown, Milford Sound and Wedderburn before reaching Dunedin.
Mt Cook is on the itinerary for their route to Christchurch, from where they will leave New Zealand on Thursday.
In 2006, the group travelled Route 66 in the United States and in 2009 completed a second international motorcycle tour through Australia.
