Rotorua's new mountain bike safety patrol in the Whakarewarewa Forest is being kept busy with thousands of riders heading to Rotorua for their summer holidays.
The safety patrol, run by local company Peak Safety, began operating in the forest late December and has had more than 50 people use the service suffering injuries from minor cuts, scratches and bruises to spinal injuries and broken bones.
Last year there were 825 ACC claims for mountain biking injuries in the Rotorua district, costing more than $1.2 million. The claims prompted the Rotorua Mountain Bike Club, Mountain Bike Rotorua and St John to help fund and operate a first-response service for injured forest users.
The mountain bike club raised nearly $80,000, purchased a vehicle that can carry a stretcher and $12,000 worth of first-aid equipment and secured ACC funding to employ a professional bike patrol for six months, during weekends and peak holiday periods.
Mountain Bike Rotorua had been providing first response for injured riders on a voluntary basis and still works in conjunction with the new service.
Peak Safety co-director Mark Woods said his team worked closely with St John and were not there to replace the ambulance service, but to complement it and provide education and advice as well as a first-response first aid service.
"We've had a few days with no accidents and days where we have done five," Mr Woods said.
"I feel we are taking some pressure off the ambo guys, we don't need them out there unnecessarily, but work alongside them to make sure they are there when they are needed."
Mr Woods said the service operated from 11am to 7pm six days a week, with no Mondays.
"When we are not there Mountain Bike Rotorua steps in on a voluntary basis, which is really community-minded of them, so there's someone always available."
He said his team screened injured people, looked after them and got them to an ambulance in a timely fashion.
"We've done decades of ski patrols, so it's similar to that.
"The carpark here is full everyday with up to 1000 people in there riding.
"Injuries have been pretty normal, we have had a spine fractures, but no paralysis, a couple of people knocked out, collarbone fractures, legs and wrist fractures, and a few bad cuts."
Mr Woods said the safety service also offered advice to riders and would collect statistics about where and when crashes happened so they could plan for preventative measures in the future.
St John Ambulance Lakes area acting territory manager Liesa Tocknell said the 111 service should always be the first port of call, but the bike patrol was "definitely improving patient care outcomes".
"We work closely with the bike patrol and it's a wonderful benefit to the forest community.
"We are seeing the typical summer numbers of accidents in the forest, so that certainly hasn't dropped off."
Mountain Bike Rotorua co-owner Tak Mutu said the service was working well.
"The whole emergency response system has really lifted and now with Peak Safety, who are experts in the field, it's gone to another level.
"It's so busy out at the forest right now and this also adds to our manakitanga - looking after our visitors and locals - which is a very Rotorua-esque thing to do."