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Friday 8 March 2024
Naked cyclists dare to bare
Last Sunday's Naked Bike Ride peloton was led by a recumbent couple on a tricycle made for two. Photo: Jo Richards. JO RICHARDS
The World Naked Bike Ride rode into town last weekend, pedalling its vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive society. Over two days, dozens of nude cyclists from around New Zealand and the world participated in group rides (including a night ride), a walk and swim at Milnthorpe Park, plus shared meals and entertainment. T h i s y e a r, t h e g l o b a l m o v e m e n t , headquartered in Vancouver, is celebrating its 20th anniversary – something shared by the Golden Bay ride, which was inaugurated in 2004 by Tukurua resident Victoria Davis. “I brought it to Golden Bay when the call was put out globally,” explained Victoria. “At that time, I was the Golden Bay cycling advocate.” Sunday afternoon’s official Naked Bike Ride (NBR) followed a familiar parcours, starting from Port Tarakohe where riders gathered from around 1pm. One of the first on the scene was long-term organiser Bryan Badger, who was highly complimentary of the community and
the local topography. “Golden Bay is a great place to run it – and it’s flat.” Responding to critics of the event, Bryan stressed it wasn’t “an exhibitionist thing”, although he did acknowledge that its purpose had evolved over the years. “It’s still to encourage people to use bikes more than vehicles, and make drivers aware of cyclists, but there’s also a message about body image – there’s nothing wrong with your body – so, ‘bare as you dare’.” Taking the motto to heart, former Bay resident John Calermbo, who took part in the inaugural Golden Bay ride, had travelled from the North Island. “It’s my first ride in about four years,” said John, who likened the event to “a fiesta on wheels”. He reminisced about one of the early rides; “There was a policeman there getting us to put our helmets on while trying hard to keep a straight face.” Andrew Cook, who organises the North Island NBR at Waihi Beach, had also made the journey south. “It’s my first time at Golden Bay; I came down specially for the 20th anniversary.”
After catching up and, in some cases, having body paint applied, the bare-backed riders, led by a recumbent couple on a tricycle made for two, set off snaking their way along the coast road towards Pōhara. En route, the pedallers paused in front of Chris Finlayson’s iconic “Watch out for Bikes” roadsign – a local landmark that materialised only after Victoria obtained the necessary funding. Having cycled through Pōhara, where spectators clapped and cheered them on, the riders took a break at the top of Selwyn Street. Some took the opportunity to skinny-dip in the briny before the 50-strong peloton regrouped and cruised along the shared path to the Kiwi Spirit Distillery for refreshment and the award of spot prizes. Later in the afternoon, the party biked up to Autumn Farm for the nowtraditional evening barbecue. Speaking on Monday, Bryan said he was “really pleased” with this year's get-together, “And we were very lucky with the weather”. More photos on page 2
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THE GB WEEKLY, FRIDAY 8 MARCH 2024
JO RICHARDS
Water has been released from the Waimea Dam reservoir to help alleviate the effects of a prolonged dry period. Although the $198 million dam is not yet fully commissioned, Waimea Water Ltd (WWL) – the organisation responsible for the construction and operation of the dam – began releasing water from the reservoir through the smaller of three permanent dispersing valves last Saturday. It was a day that irrigators had been looking forward to all summer according to Waimea Irrigators Ltd chairperson Murray King. “It is a great feeling to know that Waimea Water can now control the release of water from the reservoir, when it is needed, and it is certainly needed now. The current dry situation and water restrictions show how much the community needs the dam.” WWL CEO Mike Scott expects the two larger dispersing valves will be operational within the next two weeks and, once their performance verified, the dam can be fully commissioned. The water released over the weekend allowed restrictions placed on the majority of users of Council-managed reticulated water supplies to be lifted, something that was enthusiastically welcomed by Tasman District Council group manager, community infrastructure Richard Kirby. "This summer has required some flexibility in terms of our water use as we navigate the need to keep within our consented takes and the efforts of water users,” said Richard. "At times, this has meant some significant restrictions were implemented – however, we are grateful for everyone’s efforts to conserve water as much as possible.” The dam, he said, would help ensure the availability of water in the event of the dry period continuing. “The likelihood of meaningful rain in the coming weeks remains uncertain – however, the recent release of water and the imminent commissioning of the Waimea Dam means urban and commercial water users can be reassured of our ability to augment supplies as necessary.” Tasman mayor Tim King acknowledged the significant milestone. “It has been a quarter of a century in the making, but this weekend we have an operational dam to supply the region with much needed water supply for the next 100 years,” said Tim, adding that the Council was hoping that the release would stave off any further water restrictions. See photo on page 3
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