Berryman-Kamp said riders on 25 motorbikes and four motor trikes rode to the hospital and parked the bikes near the children’s ward.
Staff, children and their families came out to meet them and staff took the toys inside to distribute the toys.
Forty club members attended, including some from Ulysses clubs in Taupō, Tauranga and Whakatāne, he said.
Berryman-Kamp said the children’s ward was “stocked up” with presents.
“If there’s kids from now through until Christmas, at least the ward’s got some gifts they can give them.”
Berryman-Kamp said it was the first time the club had done a toy run and it was “highly likely” it would continue it as an annual event.
He said members were “really enthusiastic” about it and it got a “good response” from the hospital.
‘Much-needed excitement’
In a statement, the clinical nurse manager of Rotorua Hospital children’s unit Michelle Robinson said “a big thank you” to the Ulysses Motorcycle Club “for their kindness in giving back to our community”.
“Unfortunately, there are always some children in hospital over the festive season and it’s lovely to see the joy in their eyes when these types of events happen.
“The gifts/toys are definitely a bonus, particularly as it can be a hard time of year for many families and all children love presents - it makes being in hospital at Christmas so much better.”
Robinson said the motorbikes rode past the newly refurbished unit which provided some “much-needed excitement” for children and staff.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
