This year it’s more than the usual Christmas madness that might have you feeling overwhelmed. It’s been a tough time so we’ve put together a few tips to get you feeling the Kirihimete (Christmas) vibes.
Getting into the Spirit of Kirihimete
The Christmas Tree!
These two young entrepreneurs from Bike Pt Chev are offering local Christmas Tree delivery by bike! Delivery costs $10, trees cost extra. They also offer a $10 tree pickup in the New Year for people they’ve delivered to. “How many ten year olds do you know who can offer this good of a service?” asks Elliot. They built their cycling skills and confidence through Bike Pt Chev’s bike train programme. Their service is local to Point Chev only – but perhaps if we get safer streets across Tāmaki Makaurau this could become a Kiwi Kids Kirihimete tradition!
Contact Matt to arrange for the kids to get one to your home with no mess in your car and no pollution in the air: matt@bikeptchev.nz
Got some old bike parts lying around?
Getting creative is a great stress reliever – and can make things start to feel alive and exciting. Better yet, these ones keep materials out of the landfill too!
Do you happen to have a bike wheel that’s bent too far to repair? Turn it into a festive bike wheel wreath. Got some unusable bike chain or cassettes taking up space? Make these stylish xmas tree ornaments. Use these to decorate your home or give them away as awesome upcycled gifts!
Get dressed up!
For me, the key to Kirihimete Spirit is always to get dressed up in theme!
Check out these photos from this year’s Pōhutakawa Pedal for dress up inspiration:
Some radical gifts
The gift of creativity
Gift your kids a creative kit to decorate their helmets with!
This could include:
– Stickers
– Colourful permanent markers or paint markers
– Hot glue gun and glue sticks
– Decorations to stick on such as sparkly gems, fake hair, spikes, or cat ears.
The gift of a bike
If you don’t have one yet, the best gift is always a bike! Although we have many awesome bike shops across Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), getting something second hand can be more affordable, keeps bikes out of the landfill, and won’t produce any emissions to get here as they’re already in NZ!
You can get affordable second hand bikes for your loved ones from any of the Ecomatters bike hubs, from the Ōtara Bike Burb, or hit up your local bike hub to see if they are doing any bike giveaways.
Find your local bike hub on our Bike Auckland Discovery Map. You can also gift your old bikes to a bike hub to be fixed up and given away to someone who needs them.
This Friday is the last open day of the year for the Ōtara Bike Burb and they’re doing koha sales – so get in quick. Check out the awesome Christmas decorations at the Ōtara Kai Village while you’re there.
Register your new bikes
If you do get a new bike (or gift one!) this Christmas remember to register the bike to 529 Garage, the bike recovery site. Often police do recover stolen bikes but are unable to trace who the original owner was and are unable to return the bike. Registering your bike with 529 Garage gives you the best chance of getting your bike back, in the unlucky circumstance that it gets stolen.
Give the gift of peace of mind!
What do all people who ride bikes need? A decent bike lock! If you want to give your family peace of mind biking next year, a sturdy bike lock is a really thoughtful gift. It may not receive squeals of delight compared with the more exciting presents under the tree, but like a good book, it will give years of lasting rewards.
The most effective locks to buy are :
- Sold Secure silver or gold.
- ART two-star rating or higher.
- D-lock.
- Chain lock, 6mm or better.
- Folding lock.
Gift a Bike Auckland Membership
Support us and our kaupapa! We work to make Tāmaki Makaurau a better place to ride a bike! Gifting a Bike Auckland membership not only supports our mahi but also gives the lucky member:
- First drink free at each Bikes & Beers event
- Discounts at participating bike shops and more.
- The right to vote at our AGM
Our awesome Bike Auckland Merch would also make for a cute gift.
In the spirit of giving
Kirihimete is all about giving, and helping where you can. Here are some awesome initiatives you could support:
The Devonport Pump Track
This in-progress pumptrack in Woodall Park needs an extra $20,000 to get it finished! Once completed it will include a BMX track for younger children who are still learning, and sections with jumps for the older youths! Their goal is to provide a place for young people to socialise and stay active.
Help them through their Givealittle page, or join their Facebook group and volunteer at their next working bee.
Adapt MTB NZ
The team behind Adapt MTB NZ teach mountain bike event organisers how to make their events more inclusive. They encourage mountain bike parks to remove physical barriers for adaptive mountain bikers. And they support disabled people to gain access to adaptive bikes, and to experience mountain biking.
“For many with disabilities, mountain biking is either something they have never tried or something they have had to give up. We want to change this! With the advancements in e-bikes, trikes and hand-cycles, riding “off road” has become more achievable to the masses, rather than a lucky few. It’s our goal to organise opportunities for disabled people to give it a go and work with various foundations that support people with disabilities to make it happen.”
Support them to make cycling more accessible through their Givealittle page.
World Bicycle Relief
World Bicycle Relief gift life-changing bikes to rural communities around the world, enabling students, health care workers, and women to get out of transport poverty, and empowering their independence. They also train local bike mechanics to keep people moving once they have a bike! Their ‘Buffalo Bicycle’ is purpose-made for the challenges these communities are facing, and the environments they travel across. Give the gift of a bike to a stranger this Christmas, or join The Hub to provide ongoing support.
Give the Gift of Time
A bit of spare time can go a long way when put towards advocating for safer streets for Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), encouraging your community to get moving on bikes, and keeping ‘em moving by fixing their bikes at your local hub!
Volunteer at your local Bike Burb, at an Ecomatters Bike Hub or with our Bike Auckland ventures – you’ll be joining a fantastic community and are sure to have a bit of fun too!
The Gift of Experiences.
Life is about great experiences with the ones you love! So, why not make some time to go for a beautiful adventure this Kirihimete? You could…
- Decorate your bike with colourful lights, and take your friends on a night cruise around your local neighbourhood. See if you can spot houses that have been lit up for Kirihimete.
Check out this list here for great Central Tāmaki Makaurau Xmas displays – and this one for houses that have been beautifully decorated. - Take your kids on some of the awesome kids rides we have in Tāmaki Makaurau. They would love dressing up for it!
- Going away this Kirihimete? Check out what awesome places there are to explore on bikes in other parts of New Zealand
We would love to see photos of your awesome festive adventures.
Meri Kirihimete from our team at Bike Auckland!
Do you celebrate a cultural tradition other than Christmas? We would love to hear from you how you might celebrate your culture’s traditions by bike.
