After a quick lunch stop in Puhoi, many of Northland's female riders will be joined by over 150 women motorcyclists rolling out of Hampton Downs towards Taupo at 2pm today. Over 300 women had registered across New Zealand.
Opua's Kerry Payne will be one of the women lining up atop her 2013 model, 865cc Triumph Speedster in this morning's fleet of riders. The 55-year-old, who moved to New Zealand from England in 2001, recently returned to the motorcycle life alongside her husband Phil.
Like many riders, Payne had a gruelling motorcycle crash story. At age 20, she was hit by a car which broke three bones in her right leg around the time she was taking her motorcycle licence tests. However, that didn't dissuade Payne, who couldn't walk for a year afterwards, as she rebuilt her damaged Honda CG125 and was back riding soon after.
Now, after taking a break to have children and settle down in New Zealand, Payne was ready to hit the roads.
"I just enjoy the freedom of it," Payne said.
"When you're out there, you're focusing in the road and what you're doing and it gives your brain a chance to breathe."
While she believed Northland roads were among the most beautiful she had seen, Payne was aware of the high number of accidents in the region and said it was important to stay vigilant at all times.
Payne, who works at the Opua general store, said a great option for returning riders was the ACC programme Ride Forever, which offered a range of courses for riders of different levels.
"The trouble is a lot of these people seem to think that they know everything because they've done it all before," she said.
"These refresher courses are a really good way to catch up on some of the road rules and some of the things they may have forgotten."
Some of the courses were free of charge and those who took part could be eligible for a $200 cashback on their annual motorcycle registration.
Payne said she was excited to be involved in an initiative which was all about raising awareness of the experience for women interested in motorcycling. She remembered a number times when being a female rider had its complications.
"You go into a bike shop for some gear or to ask somebody their advice and they are looking behind you for the man they should be talking to about the motorbike.
"I may be female but I do actually know one end of the engine to the other and I know how to maintain and look after the bike so you don't need to talk to my husband about what kind of spark plugs I need, thank you very much."
Payne hoped this initiative would improve the current difficulties in getting gear which fitted and suited women.
"It's about raising awareness for suppliers and manufacturers to say that there are a lot of women out here and we want bikes for us, we want to be able to buy the gear that we need and suits our style."
