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Regional | Te Arawa

Santa arrives early to dish out new bikes to Rotorua whānau

A group of rangatahi and their parents who are close to completing a programme called, “Share The Ride” got a big surprise today when All Black great Richie McCaw arrived in Te Arawa to distribute free bikes to them. Each mountain bike is valued at $1,500.

Takurua Mutu, the director of this Māori-led initiative, hopes this programme will help families learn new bike skills from changing a tire to learning to take turns in the mountain bike terrains of Whakarewarewa forest,  and get families out of their home and into the first-class world mountain bike forests that sit on their own backdoor steps.

Takurua Mutu who is co-owner of Mountain Bike Rotorua with his brother Tu Mutu, was just as surprised as the kids when McCaw arrived.

“My girlfriend picked up on it and said, ‘oh Richie is going to come and visit you at the office at some stage’ and I was like, oh really?” Mutu said.

‘Share the Ride’ has been established for seven years, with 70 families taking part.

Riding fun

Mutu had the idea and Pink Bike agreed to fund the bikes two years in.

“We find 10 kids who are disadvantaged out in the community and we take them for 10 sessions where we teach them bike skills bike maintenance skills, get them comfortable and familiar with the forest and at the end of the programme and they complete 80% of it they can have their bikes,” Mutu said.

Manaia Gorman from Ngāti Awa said, “I got to overcome my fears of actually riding mountain bikes”.

And Kase Rangitutia from Ngāti Raukawa told Te Ao Mārama it was fun to “ride around the bends and stuff”.

The New Zealand Tourism ambassador, Richie McCaw, was visiting tourism ventures in Rotorua that were successful at this year's Qualmark Awards 2021 but he took the time to ride the Whakarewarewa forest with whānau on the programme.

“The work that they have done especially through the tough times, what has been happening over the past 18 months to carry on a programme like this, yes I take my hat off to them. The smile on these guys' faces is just amazing.”

'Good bonding'

Terry Rangitutia and Irene Mosses were parents who did the programme with their children.

“It is a good bonding for us and my young fella gets a primo bike out of it,” Rangitutia says.

Mosses was thankful to have first-class forests for riding in, “And I think that we are very lucky that we have this right at our doorstep but sometimes we don't take full advantage of what we have right here”.

Rotorua forests have been a Cranworxs (mountain bike festival) playground since 2015 and have produced many New Zealand greats such as local Tuhoto- Aariki Pene of Te Arawa descent.

Now the bikes, helmets, and gloves have been dished out, it's time for this next generation to shine.

Mutu is adamant this is not about just finishing the 10 sessions or when they get their bikes. Rather it is about carrying on afterwards. He says the dream scenario is these kids will become hooked and addicted to mountain biking in Whakarewarewa forest.