Fifty bikes donated to Tauranga school

WHEELY GOOD: Fatui Tonga, 9, helps pump up the tyres of the donated bikes to Gate Pa school. PHOTO/Andrew Warner.

Gate Pa School is up to their ears in pedals and tyres, after 50 bikes of all sizes were donated to excited children ready to ride.

The school was donated bikes of all different sizes for the pupils to take for a spin on their new bike track, with a second track in the works.

Bikes in Schools Charitable Trust donated $10,000 and Rotary donated $4,000 said principal Richard Inder, who said the bikes would mean a lot to the students.

"The majority don't have bikes," he said.

"It'll mean they'll be fitter and healthier, and we'll have 50 kids biking around," Mr Inder said.

The children would also benefit from learning road safety skills, and bike maintenance like changing a tyre and adjusting brakes.

Fatui Tonga, 9, said he was looking forward to taking one of the new bikes for a spin on the school's bike track.

"I'm going to race my friends," he said.

Jackson Nathan, 10, said he thought the bikes would be good for the students.

"It's amazing, just choice," he said.

The school had also received support through Higgins Community Partnership, and
NZL who donated a shipping container to store the bikes.