High Achiever: Ronnie gets back on the bike at age

Ronnie gets back on the bike at age 72

There are a few wobbles when Ronnie Kelly’s feet first hit the bike pedals, but they quickly pass.

As a youngster Mr Kelly was an assured rider, but it has been 10, maybe 15, years since the grandfather of three was on a bike and he is still regaining his confidence.

“The reason I wear gloves isn’t because of the cold – it’s to protect my hands from gravel rash if I fall off,’’ the 72-year-old confides as he pulls on his gloves and fastens his helmet in readiness for a ride along the Coastal Pathway in Christchurch.

“I’m a bit wobbly when I first get going, but I get better. I bought a bike that is just a little bit too big for me. I’m ok once I’m on it and travelling along at a reasonable speed, but going really slowly or getting the bike started is still a little bit of a problem.’’

Mr Kelly, who originally hails from Scotland, is a diabetic and it is largely for health reasons that he has bought a bike and started going for short bike rides. He is determined to lose some weight and improve his fitness.

He is starting off small, going for short, gentle rides that allow him to build-up his cycling skills. But he plans to do more as the weather improves and his confidence grows.

A liking for things with two wheels

“I’ve always enjoyed biking, but I got out of the habit of it,’’ Mr Kelly says. “I like the pace of it and being able to look around. It’s quite a leisurely thing. I’m not out to go really quickly or anything like that. I just like the feeling of it. I did have a motorbike for a while so I guess I have a liking for things with two wheels on them.’’

Mr Kelly has taken a few rides along the Coastal Pathway and has also been on some of the city’s other off-road cycle ways. He feels safe on them as he doesn’t have to contend with other traffic and can take his time.

“Before there were cycle paths everywhere, I would have thought twice about buying another bike. But there are just so many opportunities for cycling now,’’ Mr Kelly says.

While he has only been biking for about a month, Mr Kelly believes it is already starting to make a difference to how he feels. He has lost some weight and his blood sugar levels have been improving.

Biking also help assuage some of the guilt that Mr Kelly feels when he takes his treasured Mustang GT out for a drive.

“It doesn’t balance it out, but I do feel little bit less guilty about taking the Mustang out for a drive now that I’m doing some cycling,’’ he says.

Maybe, one day, he might even love his bike more than he loves his Mustang?

“Not a chance,’’ he says with a chuck-

le.

The benefits of cycling

Christchurch City Council believes that getting more people cycling is key to creating healthier communities, reducing congestion, and addressing climate change.

That is why it is going to spend $242.8 million over the next 10 years on making the transport network safer for people who want to cycle.

“We want to make going places by bike a safe, convenient option for people of all ages,’’ says Lynette Ellis, the Council’s Acting Head of Transport.

Results from the Council’s Life in Christchurch 2020 survey show that 27 per cent of respondents aged between 65 and 79 are now travelling by bike at least once a month – up from 5 per cent in 2019.

Fifty-one per cent of the survey respondents aged over 65 say they find it easy or very easy to travel by bike in Christchurch.

“The network of major cycleways that we are building is changing how people move around the city. I particularly love it when I see young kids, or people who haven’t been on a bike for years, riding on the cycleways because it shows the investment is making a difference,’’ Ms Ellis says.

““Many older people will recall biking everywhere as children and young adults. It was the way people got around. That has changed though as cars have become cheaper to own and run.

“We want to see the pendulum start to swing back the other way so that biking again becomes a popular way for people to get around. People don’t need to make every journey by bike – just one or two a week could make a huge difference,’’ Ms Ellis says.

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A Winter beach walk south from Waitarere

Most of the coast of the Manawatu consists of sandy beaches with small settlements near the mouths of the many large and small rivers and streams.

The beaches are mostly fringed by pine forests used both to stabilise the sand dunes and as a source of timber.

Walking the coast offers the alternative of walking the beach or tracks in the forests.

A good example is the Waitarere Forest. This extends south from the mouth of the Manawatu River about 10km to the Waitarere settlement and then a further 6km on to the Hokio Beach settlement at the mouth of the Hokio Stream.

Starting from Waitarere there are satisfying walks to both the north and the south.

On the tramp described here we chose to go to the south…..

On Wednesday 8th September the grey dawn was greeted with enthusiasm as 35+ Manawatu Tramping and Skiing Club (MTSC) trampers readied themselves for their Wednesday outing. The heavily overcast sky confirmed the forecast of impending rain and possible thunder.

After 20+ days of lockdowns we were undaunted! On the way to our liaison at the Waitarere Beach By Bob HodgsonSurf Club car park, we travelled through extremely heavy and squally rain to, surprisingly, arrive in damp, cool but fine conditions.

As the wind-swept beach then had little immediate appeal, our leader chose to first tramp along the forest tracks towards Hokio. In the dense, flat, forest, the rolling, sandy tracks required careful navigation.

Fortunately two of us, Ewen and Anne had recently made a reconnaissance so were able to guide us through.

Sadly, after about forty minutes of tramping, one of us who we know to be an experienced and doughty tramper, had a nasty fall.

As she later wrote “Yesterday was a reminder as to how easily things can go wrong. After slipping on the track I now have a non-displaced fracture of my right ankle so am in another forced lock down complete with moon boot!” She also acknowledged her helpers and the sympathetic response from all.

Shortly after the accident, morning tea was taken in gloomy conditions

Above left: The site of the Hydrabad.

in the beach-fringing forest.

We then continued our meandering progress to Hokio. With a backdrop of unsuccessful white-baiters, one having only a large eel in his net, our lunch picnic was taken on the tables of the small stream-side park.

After our social lunch, most chose to return along the beach on a high but falling tide. With the wind at our backs and improving, and dry conditions, we tramped along the beach.

Excitement was provided for some by a dead cow and an inspection of a large blue post, the memorial to the 1878 wreck of the Hydrabad. Nearby: some of the wreck remains visible though most of it has been swallowed by the encroaching sand.

All in all, our near 14km walk over about four and a half hours, was a suitable return to tramping. On a day in which the clagged-in tops were best avoided, the combination of the damp pine forest and the invigorating beach was enjoyed by (almost all ) of us.

About a year ago the club made the alternative tramp from Waitarere to the mouth of the Manawatu River and back; this was also enjoyed but lacked the excitement of a dead cow and a ship wreck. Both are good generally safe winter walks.

We were then a most welcome seasonal rush at the Waitarere Store & Café where coffee and slices were enthusiastically consumed.

History of the Hydrabad

The Hydrabad was an iron ship built in Glasgow in 1865, which operated as a cargo vessel principally between England, Australia and India. It had ten successful voyages before being wrecked on the Horowhenua Coast in June 1878.

At the time of the vessel’s loss, the Hydrabad was carrying a cargo of railway locomotives and components rendered surplus in New Zealand by the national standardisation of railway infrastructure, and destined for use in South Australia.

The vessel and cargo were insured separately, and the conflicting priorities of saving one over the other confounded attempts to salvage either. This was exacerbated by unobliging weather and a string of bad luck which dogged four major salvage attempts between 1878 and 1881.

Salvage of the vessel in one piece was abandoned in February 1881 after the vessel was gutted by fire, with the intense heat warping the hull plates and destroying salvage equipment. Moreover, by the time the cargo finally arrived in South Australia in 1880, two years after the wreck event, it had been rendered practically unusable.

The remains of the Hydrabad are located on Waitarere Beach 600 metres to the south of the Waitarere township, near Levin. For many years the Hydrabad was an iconic landmark for the Horowhenua Coast and has contributed significantly to the identity of the township at Waitarere Beach.

In 1978, one hundred years after the wreck event, the Hydrabad was the focus of a public centennial and formally recognised by NZHPT with the erection of a commemorative memorial plaque.

The wreck site is now almost completely buried beneath the advancing dune sand, but still attracts numerous visitors and a prominent marker has recently been erected at the site to continue to indicate its location as it disappears from view.

Above right: Morning tea in the gloomy forest. Below right: Lunch at Hokio with the pine forest as the background.