Kāhu ki Rotorua: Tour de Koutu has whanau on the go

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See below for English translation

E kaha akiaki ana te iwi ki a tū ki te korikori

Kia whakataukingia nei e ahau, Tour De Koutu – koia nā te tino tangi e rere takiwā kau ana i ngā whenua o Te Koutu. Ka tika hoki! Koia kai a koe e te kaupoai o Te Koutu, te manu taikō o te pā kaiahi kai te Poutokomanawa e Josh Te Kowhai, ka nui te aroha atu ki a koe.

E kaha akiaki ana te iwi ki a tū ki te korikori. Ko te māuiui korona anō te take i whakaarongia tēnei kaupapa e Josh.

"Nō te wā o te rāhui tēnei whakaaro", e ai ki a Josh.

"He rautaki whakakorikori ngā mema o te karapū o Waikite me ngā toa otīā te hāpori whānui o Te Koutu – ae e mau tonu ana i a mātau i ngā ture mo te manaaki tangata nō te wā o te māuiui nā reira i tahuri mai te whānau – engari anō ko te kake pahikara me te ārai waha – e hika, te uaua hoki".

He kaupapa whakaharahara a Tour De Koutu e taea ai e te hunga o te hāpori ki te puta i ō rātou kāinga ki te whakapakari tinana.

"Ae ko te oroko whakaaro ki te whakaparawai tonutia ngā toa o te karapu kātahi ka puta te whakaaro ki ngā hoa tata, nā wai rā ki ngā whāmere kātahi nā ki te hāpori nui o Te Koutu.

Ko te omaoma, te mā raro i te ara haere he mea nā mātau i whakaarohia nō te taenga ki te kaupapa TDK tuarua, tērā anō te tini o te hunga kāore kau o rātau pahikara, rānei e mataku ana ētehi ki te pahikara'.

E ai ki a Josh ko te wā pahikara he wā pai ki te haupuaroaro, ā, nōna e pahikara ana ka taka mai tēnei whakaaro ki a ia.

"E pahikara ana ahau ka taka mai tēnei kaupapa a Tour De Koutu me te whakaaro ake ka hia ngā huringa o Te Koutu i ngā haora e rua?"

Wheoi anō he karanga tēnei ki te iti, ki te nui, ki te rahi me te marea. Nau mai. "Ka nui ngā painga o TDK. Ki te tahuri mai he kotahi anake te tangata, kua mana te whakaaro – he rahi noa atu ngā painga o tēnei kaupapa atu i te whakapakari.

Ko te whakahoahoa tētehi, ko te whakakōrero i ngā hoa e kaha anō ai te hinengaro". Tērā ētehi toki ka tino ū ki te kaupapa engari anō ētehi ka Māori noa iho mai.

"He kaupapa ngāwari noa tēnei kaupapa. Ki te tutuki i a koe he kotahi te huringa he rima tekau huringa rānei – hai aha i a koe!" ko te mea nui ki a Josh, ko te whakawhanaungatanga, he kaupapa whakaharikoa tangata.

"Engari he kaupapa whakakaha hoki te hunga e kainui ana i ēnei momo whakataetae kia kāua e hiamoe ngā pona me ngā turi o te tinana me ngā pahikara hoki".

He kaupapa e taea ai e te whānau, ko ngā matua wāhine me ngā matua tāne e haere ngātahi ana me ngā tamariki.

It's a whanau affair, from kohungahunga to koeke getting active around the streets of Koutu.

"He kaupapa tiaki hoki ngā kaumātua nā te mea pea ko te hunga mā raro me te hunga pahikara te hunga parahutihuti ana ka hipa rātau i te hunga tataku ka āhua ono pea o ngā taima i a rātau e haere ana". Ko te pae tawhiti mō tēnei kaupapa a TDK, kia ora ake ia mō ngā tau e hia kē.

"E hoki ana ngā maumaharatanga ki te TDK tuatahi, ā, ka whakarewangia tēnei kaupapa ki roto o Tokoroa, Maunganui me ētehi atu kokonga o Rotorua".

Ko te painga o te wāhanga rāhui, kāre kau ana he motukā i ngā rori nā reira i ora pai katoa ai te hunga whakataetae. I waimarie hoki mātau i ngā pākihi whai aroha ki tā mātau kaupapa pēnei me te toa whutupōro, Hunting and Fishing Rotorua, The Ruck n Maul me te karapū hahau pōro o Hamurana.

Ka nui te whakamihi hoki āna ki ngā toa katoa i uru mai i tahuri mai ki tēnei kaupapa. "Tērā ētehi taniwha e hoa mā, kua puta rātau i te TDK nā kua hau atu ki ētehi kaupapa rangatira ko Damian Hawe tētehu tupua. I te aukatinga o tā mātau kaupapa i tahuri noa a Damian ki te Ultra Marathon nā ka oti i a ia te oma i te kotahi rau kiromita, koia te taniwha oreore o Te Koutu e hoa mā".

Ko Bonny Papuni hoki anō tētehi tupua ka oti i a ia te pahikara i ngā kiromita kotahi rau e waru tekau i te korenga o te whakataetae Ironman NZ.

Ko Ian Rangitutia hoki tētehi hautupua ki a ia te rekiota mō te toa oma parahutihuti katoa i te whakataetae nei – wheoi anō kai te paunga o te rā e hoki ana ki te kōrero, tangata tū, tangata ora!"

—Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori.

Tour de Koutu has a certain ring to it and it certainly resonates around the Metropolis of Koutu.

And so it should.

Congratulations Josh Te Kowhai for motivating the whanau to get up and get moving. The Covid pandemic and lockdowns were the catalyst for the TDK.

"It was created in 2020 as a lockdown event," said Josh.

"It was to keep our Waikite Gym members, triathletes and our Koutu community active where we could still maintain our social distancing but with a social aspect of still having a training together.

"Cycling with masks wasn't easy." Tour de Koutu was created to get the triathletes out cycling while staying close to home.

"That then extended to their families and our Koutu community.

"Walking/running the course was added when we did our second TDK mainly because not everyone had access to bikes or some didn't feel safe on a bike with traffic around."

Josh says cycling is one of those sports where you get a lot of thinking time. And that's when he came up with the idea.

"Tour de Koutu was one of those crazy ideas thought up while I was out on a ride and wondered how many laps I could do in two hours. Everyone and anyone who wants to exercise is welcome to take part.

"TDK is there to benefit everyone who comes along. Even if we inspire one of the locals to join in then our job is done.

"The benefits are not just in terms of fitness but the social aspect also."

Josh said some people do train for TDK while others show up and wing it on the day.

"It's a zero-pressure event. So whether you do one lap or fifty that is totally up to you."Josh has simple goals.

It's a whanau affair, from kohungahunga to koeke getting active around the streets of Koutu.

In the short term, it is to make every TDK event fun.

"It is also a training tool for our more serious athletes and a chance to dust the cobwebs off the bikes for our casual riders."

The events were also an opportunity for Mums and Dads to take babies for a walk.

"For our kaumatua it is a chance to join an event where riders and runners can keep a constant eye on each other.

"Because walkers/cyclist go in opposite directions our quicker bikers will pass the walkers at least six times on their loop."

The long term goal is to keep running TDK without incident. Josh likes to call TDK local.

"However during lockdown, in the 1st TDK we had people join us by doing their Tour around Tokoroa, Mt Maunganui and others in their suburbs of Rotorua."

The best part of the lockdowns was the lack of traffic which made the TDK safe for participants.

Josh said TDK has been really lucky to have some very generous businesses who have sponsored prizes in the past. They were most notably The Rugby Shop, Hunting and Fishing Rotorua, The Ruck n Maul Sports bar and Hamurana Golf course.

He is also impressed by the participants and proud of the achievements made.

"Since starting TDK we have some people who have achieved some massive milestones.
"During our last event Damian Hawe ran 100km when the Tarawera Ultra Marathon was cancelled. That was 20 laps starting around our 5km block leaves him as the local legend.

"Bonny Papuni also rode 180km (36 laps) around as Ironman NZ also got postponed.

"Ian Rangitutia a Rotorua Ironman legend has scorched around with the fastest laps recorded on strava.

"End of the day everyone who gets off the couch and rides, runs or walks a loop is winning."