Mystery man builds footpath, bus stop to keep kids safe

Kerikeri kids, from left, Isaac Sharp, 10, Ethan Sharp, 12, Lucas Sharp, 7, and Chloe Pulham, 10, are stoked with a Kapiro Rd bus stop made by an anonymous local resident. Photo / Peter de Graaf

A Good Samaritan worried about kids waiting for their school bus on a dangerous road has decided to fix the problem himself.

Every morning at least seven children catch a bus on Kapiro Rd, north of Kerikeri, on a section of road with no footpath.

A drainage ditch and dense bamboo next to the road meant the kids had to wait on the narrow shoulder, little more than a metre from cars flying by at 100km/h.

It was a tragedy waiting to happen so the children's parents were delighted when one day someone cleared hundreds of metres of bamboo and weeds and created a footpath along Kapiro Rd, between Orangewood Rd and Equestrian Dr.

Next a bridge appeared, so children didn't have to jump over the ditch, and then a bench for them to sit on. Earlier this week a patch of artificial turf appeared so the kids didn't have to stand around in the mud.

Kerikeri kids, from left, Isaac Sharp, 10, Ethan Sharp, 12, Lucas Sharp, 7, and Chloe Pulham, 10, are stoked with a Kapiro Rd bus stop made by an anonymous local resident. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Katy Jane Pulham, whose daughter Chloe, 10, uses the bus stop daily, said local parents had no idea at first who was behind the improvements.

The Good Samaritan, who is in his early 80s, was eventually identified thanks to social media and a bit of detective work.

''I think it's amazing. No one asked him to do it. He saw a problem and fixed it without asking for help or complaining. All the parents here are so grateful,'' Pulham said.

She was now organising a thank-you present which would include home baking and a card signed by all the schools involved.

Michelle Sharp, whose three boys use the bus stop, said children previously had to stand on the road with cars racing past at 100km/h.

''The only place for them to stand was on the shoulder, but that's narrow and it's where the bus pulls in. We were always on edge.''

An unexpected benefit of the mystery man's work was that it had brought local families together. Many of the parents had never met until their quest to find and thank him, Pulham said.

The man was determined to stay anonymous when the Advocate called around to see him.

''I just wanted to do it for the kids,'' he said.