Rotorua mountain bikers give back to community with forest ride

Professional enduro rider Keegan Wright organised a ride through the Whakarewarewa Forest for local children this week. Photo / Ben Fraser

A group of Rotorua mountain bikers have taken time out of their busy race schedules to do something special for the community that has always had their backs.

On Thursday evening Keegan Wright, Sam Shaw, Connor Hamilton, Louis Hamilton and Ashley Bond took a group of about 35 children on a ride through some of the Whakarewarewa Forest's basic trails.

Wright said he and his dad had been brainstorming about a way to give back to a city which had been good to him.

"We thought it would be cool to get some kids out for a group ride before Christmas and it all came together pretty quick and worked out well.

"We were stoked with the turnout and all the kids that came along seemed to have a real fun time, so it's something we might try and do on a more regular basis.

"I had messages from the parents afterwards saying the kids were fizzing and really excited, which is cool to see," Wright said.

He said it was also important to help grow the sport in Rotorua.

"There's a lot of older people out there riding at the moment, but when you go out there you don't see a lot of kids. It's good to get them all together, show them the trails and hopefully get them into it a bit more.

"If I was born somewhere else I don't think I'd even be close to riding like I am now. Rotorua has been massive and without the community we wouldn't have the trails and the system we have here. I think the next five or 10 years will be really good for Rotorua, it's only going to keep growing."

Tania Tarplett said her 6-year-old son Trey had been watching videos of Wright online ahead of the ride.

"It's awesome, it's good for these little ones to get out and learn a few skills along the way. They're all really good with the kids and it's good to see them wanting to give back to the community," Tarplett said.