Faster, fitter future for little cyclists

Isabella Cochrane, Dylan Avison, Finn Reiher and Neve Reiher cut the ribbon. Photo/Michael Cunningham

A Whangarei police officer caused a bit of a traffic jam when he slowed to a stop at Otaika Valley School.

Constable Ian Anderson, along with school principal Terry Brock, led more than 100 kids on bikes, scooters and trikes around the school's new bike track when it was officially opened on Friday.

The 360m track, made of metal and topped with lime, has taken a year-and-a-half to come to fruition, Mr Brock said.

"It's part of Bikes in Schools. The whole concept is to get kids on bikes - it's about children riding every day," he said.

Otaika Valley is now one of four schools in the Whangarei district to have a bike track, along with Ruakaka, Raurimu and Onerahi Primary Schools.

Parents were an integral part in the construction of the track, the parent teacher group running fundraising events to get the money together, he said.

One grandfather of the school had used his digger to carve the path of the track, another had bought bikes and storage containers for the school, and one father had donned the hat of project manager, Mr Brock said.

The track will be used during physical education classes, with the goal of getting each of the school's 140 pupils fitter.