Random Bike Rides: Ōtāhuhu to Panmure

Manuia le tausaga fou/ Happy New Year! Hope it’s been an amazing 16 days already of 2024.

Tonight, our director, Louise Tu’u, rode on the Eastern Line train (the trains started back up again on Monday YAY!!!) from Ōtāhuhu to Panmure, snoozing as much as the 10 minute train ride would allow her. The forecasted rain did not appear but the muggy 26 degrees Celsius heat made it feel as if it had actually happened.

Louise was in Panmure for Auckland Transport’s first Bike Maintenance course of 2024, run by Bigfoot Adventures. Keen to learn more about how to be proactive in looking after her bike, Louise joined 15 other people, the majority of whom had e-bikes. These riders had said that Auckland Transport advertised it as a e-bike maintenance course. It didn’t matter, as Bigfoot’s Ben and Alex, were relaxed, experienced with both push and electric bikes and most of all, prepared.

This was a very practical and hands-on course for two hours, where the participants were split into two groups, with one, focussing on dealing with joys and complexities of punctures and the other group, learning more about caring for one’s bike. Useful acronyms like the the ABCD of bike care, practising taking off and putting on tyres, meeting and laughing with like-minded cyclists and info like AA roadside assistance extends to e-bikes and soon to regular bikes, in case you break down, made this FREE course fun, invaluable and really, really useful.

Muchas gracias/ Thank you to Ben and Alex for chucking us in the deep end, being patient and answering our questions.

If you’re keen to learn how to ride a bike, want to know about how to look after and care for your bike and go on guided rides, please book here: https://coursesandevents.at.govt.nz/?ref=cwadults

The job cuts that have been directed by Auckland Council means that these programmes might not happen again in the near future so come on and join in these amazing community-building and FREE courses now.

Louise then couldn’t be bothered waiting for the train home so rode home at a leisurely pace, sharing road life on Ireland Road (those judder bars are like a fake trail), Waipuna Road, Carbine Road which was thrilling to pass through with minimal traffic. She then turned right into Panama Road, then up Hillside Road, Walters Road, Meadow Street then Church Street in Ōtāhuhu, taking in new sights and sounds in 38 minutes. Make the most of the holidaymakers being away and ride a normally busy road today!