Cycling the streets of Whangārei: One man and his therapy dog Luna

Whangārei cycling duo Stephen Atkinson and his therapy dog Luna in Onerahi. Photo / Susan Botting

Taking in the sights on long bike rides is all part of the fun for Whangārei cyclist Stephen Atkinson and his little white dog Luna.

The keen cyclist and his canine companion regularly ride the streets of Whangārei and surrounds.

"She really enjoys getting out and about," Atkinson said of his cycling mate.

Luna is a therapy pet who visits Auckland's Starship Hospital and Whangārei rest homes with Whangārei Hospital trips under consideration.

The duo have been biking together for about three years, the bichon frise even accompanying Atkinson on some of the cycle races in which he participates.

She travels around on Atkinson's back in her purpose-made doggy backpack while he cycles Whangārei's hills and valleys training for his next race.

Atkinson and his wife Rachel, moved to Manganese Point, Whangārei Heads, from south Auckland six months ago, Whangārei's more cycle-friendly environment and slower pace of life among the reasons for their shift.

"We lived in Drury and we used to go into town to get to Auckland, but then Auckland grew out to us. It got too busy and stressful," Atkinson said.

The Whangārei Girls' High School commerce teacher takes his four-year-old dog cycling twice a week, regularly riding for an hour and a half at a time. Her 7kg weight isn't a problem.

His current cycling goal is participating for the fourth time in the annual K2 Coromandel cycle race in November, one of the major events of its type in New Zealand.

Luna's calm temperament means she's unflappable in her mesh doggy backpack, complete with space for her retractable lead should she and Atkinson stop somewhere en route around Whangārei.

Thursday last week saw the duo cycling a typical 35km round trip; this time from Manganese Point through Onerahi, Parihaka, Tikipunga, Kamo and back to Manganese Point – a journey of about 1.5 hours.

Atkinson's wife Rachel, a physiotherapist, is registered to take Luna on therapy pet visits, last week taking her to a rest home in Kamo.

The dog passed rigorous temperament checking by the SPCA and St John to become a therapy pet.

"She's got a lovely, calm temperament," Atkinson said of Luna.