Tūhourangi mountain bike club preparing the next world-class riders

More than 7000 mountain bike enthusiasts ride the bike trails of Tūhourangi in the Redwoods Forest and its surrounding forest each month.

By Te Ao Māori News

Tūhourangi has celebrated the launch of its mountain bike club, Te Kāhui Mana Whenua Mountain Biking Academy.

Led by Hana Tapiata and supported by Tūhourangi Tribal Authority, it has been a vision for the iwi for the past five years and became a reality on the sacred lands of their ancestors, Te Pūtake o Tawa, on Sunday.

“I am really elated we have come this far. Getting our people on bikes and on to their whenua is what we have always wanted,” Tapiata said.

Tūhourangi rider Tuhoto-Ariki Pene was recently crowned king of the Crankworx Global mountain bike festival in Canada after competing at all four stops of the international festivals in Rotorua, Cairns, Innsbruck in Austria, and Whistler in Canada.

Pene started riding BMX with his siblings in Rotorua at the age of 3 and all were outstanding national athletes, with their parents, Karen and Slim Pene, playing a major part in their success.

He then moved on to downhill mountain biking.

“Tuhoto-Ariki is an example for all of us that we Tūhourangi can make it to the world stage in mountain bike downhill racing and that’s what we want to do here is support our whānau on that journey,” Tapiata said.

Making the world stage

More than 60 descendants of Tūhourangi tribe registered for the first pool and trail of eight wānanga about to take place. Sunday’s wānanga was number one.

The club has a requirement for members - each child must have a parent register also so that not only the child learns and connects with their whenua, but also the parent, in the hope the stories and experiences will spread in the home and beyond.

Okiwi Logan Shipgood, along with his son, made the most of the day to learn about the stories of their whenua. Shipgood was also an artist of one of the many sculptures throughout the whenua.

“I did Hinemoa and Tutanekai that stand proudly at the entrance to the tracks here at Te Pūtake o Tawa, and this is about teaching whakapapa to my son, who is here with me,” Shipgood said.

And hapū māmā Olivia Gibbons was grateful her mum Ally was there with her son, to not only get fit but also bond and learn about the stories.

‘Land-rich history’

Olivia’s mum Ally said she was “super happy to be here with my moko and to have fun riding at the same time, it’s just made my day”.

More than 7000 mountain bike enthusiasts ride the bike trails of Tūhourangi in the Redwoods Forest and its surrounding forest each month.

Only a handful of Māori ride and Tapiata wanted to increase those numbers.

Tribal leader Rangitihi Pene reminded the club members at the wānanga about the importance of the kaupapa and wished them all the best.

“The more we can get on to this kaupapa, the more that will learn about the land-rich history. Our peaks, our valleys, our farms and islands hold strong stories that must be passed on to the next generation, and this initiative - whānau on bikes and connecting to the whenua and stories - is brilliant,” Pene said.

Tūhourangi Te Kāhui Mana Whenua Mountain Bike Academy will work towards participating in the Whaka100 marathon festival in October.