Waikanae Mobility Scooter Club's first birthday. Photo / David Haxton
One of the more striking looking mobility scooters in the Kāpiti community belongs to Steve Rogers.
He has got a three-wheeled mobility scooter which looks like a motortrike, especially from the front.
His scooter is in the next price bracket but he was happy to pay a bit extra.
"It's a lot more comfortable because I'm 6ft tall and nearly 100kg."
Steve, from Waikanae, needs a mobility scooter because he's losing the use of his legs.
"I get no feeling in my legs after two minutes of standing.
"I went to all the best neurologists in Australia, when I was living there, and they couldn't figure it out.
"I'm already losing feeling in my feet and it's just working its way up."
His mobility scooter includes a strong front light, indicators, back lights, hazard lights, top speed of 15km/h, and a battery pack which can power it for 50km.
His biggest beef was people parking their car on a footpath.
"You see them coming, they do a U-turn and park on the footpath, and you have to go out on the road."
He rides his mobility scooter most days, whether it's to Paraparaumu along the shared pathway by the expressway, to one of his fishing spots.
"For the freedom you get it's just so good."
Steve is a member of the Waikanae Mobility Scooter Club which has celebrated its first birthday.
The club meets on the third Wednesday of every month in the Waikanae Chartered Club's Cardiff Room from 1pm to 3pm.
Beverley Jay started the group as the Waikanae area didn't have a mobility scooter club and she "had an urge to entertain people".
The meetings are about having fun with various co-operative games played.
"They never know what's going to happen when they turn up but they know they're going to have fun."
Kapiti News was invited to the anniversary and asked the group, whose minds are sharp, what challenges they faced with riding their mobility scooters in the community.
People parking on the foothpath, greenery encroaching on to the footpath, wheelie bins in the middle of footpaths, people walking slowly, broken glass on the footpath and running out of power were the main issues.
Some of the good things about being on a mobility scooter included talking to people, a sense of freedom and independence.
