What do an egg, chopper bikes and a sombrero have to do with cycle safety? All three props are used in the Coppers on Choppers tour, which parked up at Rotorua Primary School yesterday.
Constables Rob Gormley, Grant Kenny and Megan D'Oliveira are known as the Coppers on Choppers. Together they are cycling the length of the North Island visiting schools along the way and spreading their safety messages. Today they leave for Taupo and will stop in at Wairakei Primary School and Taupo Primary School.
"The reaction we've been getting is amazing," Mr Gormley said. "The kids have been remembering what we've told them and they've loved the presentation. We're all parents so this is dear to our hearts. We want to help as many kids as we can."
The trio left Cape Reinga on Thursday and are cycling up to 80km a day on their modified chopper bikes - the gears have been changed to suit the hilly terrain. Their 30-minute presentation revolves around wearing a bike helmet, bright clothing and watching out for "sneaky driveways". There's also a section on scooter safety - from 2007 to 2011 158 children were hospitalised with scooter-related injuries, including eight who had toes sliced open as they were barefoot, Mr Kenny told the students.
They used an egg surrounded in polystyrene and with a helmet secured to it to show how a helmet protects your head. There was also a competition between a student and teacher to get dressed in clothing for biking.
"The tour has exceeded our expectations so far," Mr Gormley said. "We hope these safety messages will flow on."