Police name Matamata motorbike crash victim as 51-year-old Donna Gaye McCauley from Waipā

Donna McCauley was 51 when she died.

Police have named the motorbike rider who died following a crash near Matamata on Friday as 51-year-old Donna Gaye McCauley.

McCauley died after her motorbike collided with a vehicle on Te Poi Rd, close to the intersection with State Highway 29 near Matamata on May 17.

The accident happened around 1.20pm and forced the closure of the road until late evening.

A police spokesman confirmed the motorcycle rider, now named as McCauley, died at the scene.

“Despite the best efforts of emergency services, the motorbike rider passed away at the scene a short time later,” police said at the time.

In a Facebook post, her son Cameron said the family were “devastated, shocked and currently trying to navigate through this hard time”.

“Sadly, Donna McCauley passed away... doing what she loved,” he wrote.

“We love you, Mum xx. Ride in peace.”

Earlier this month, McCauley rode her Harley Davidson motorbike with 225 other female bikers in Cambridge to mark International Female Ride Day.

A Te Awamutu News report said McCauley “likes nothing more than feeling the wind in her hair and experiencing the adrenaline that comes from riding a Harley Davidson”.

Donna McCauley has died in a crash involving her motorbike and a vehicle last Friday.

Donna McCauley was 51 when she died.

McCauley started riding motorbikes 10 years ago and got her learner’s licence when she was 42, according to the report.

“I don’t know why I started. I’d never driven dirt bikes or anything, and I just saw all these females who had a bike licence and thought that was for me,” she was quoted as saying.

She bought a new Harley Davidson Low Rider 1690cc bike for $25,000 in 2016, sporting the licence plate MZHOG.

Her rider friends are planning a ride from Rotorua to her funeral service this Friday, May 24. The ride will be through Putāruru to Rhubarb Cafe, and then will continue on to Te Awamutu, where the service is being held.