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WORD Up - January 2024

Kia ora Koutou, and Happy New Year! I hope you all have had some good time off with family and friends, and are easing back into the swing of things.

I boosted up to Wellington for a week to spend Christmas with my family and reset for the New Year. A highlight for me was running the Taraura SK which is a 75-kilometre route in the Tararua mountain range just North of Wellington. The route traverses from the North end to the South end of the range, which is also my old stomping ground. It's been on my bucket list for a while and I was super stoked to tick it off. It may have put me in crutches for a couple of days over Christmas, but it's all worth it right? It's great to be back in Wānaka and enjoying the sunshine on the trails!

Our January holiday camps have been a smash hit, with a bunch of sold-out programmes, and fun adventure rides too!

Next week we've got 10 girls taking part in an overnight camp in Alexandra, keep an eye on our socials for a rundown on that.

It's been awesome seeing a bunch of you around town, on the trails, or at the supermarket, and I can't wait to kick into our Term programmes to see more of ya!

Read on for:
1: Term 1 programme bookings, lots of spaces still available.
2: WONDERS Video and wrap up.
3: Kirimoko Trails Spruce up THIS FRIDAY!
4: The bike upgrade you never knew you needed...

Ngā mihi,

Pete, Ash and the WORD Instructors

Term 1 2024 bookings are LIVE!

We are so excited about riding with your kids this term! For those of you who are new to WORD, you are just going to love it… we run for 7 weeks meeting once a week from 4.00-6.00pm. We split into groups based on abilities and head out for a ride focusing on a different skill each week with an incredible Instructor!

Check out How the Term Rolls for more information about the programme.

Cost: $235/term (7 sessions, 2 hours each session)

*NEW Option for payments- pay half now and half before the term starts! Just select this ticket on the bookings options.

Click the links below to find the Term schedules on our website!

Mondays - Rāhina.
7 - 9 yr old boys - 12th of February - 12 spots left

Tuesdays - Rātū
10 - 12 yr old boys - 13th of February - 7 spots left

Wednesdays - Rāapa
7 - 9 yr old girls - 14th of February - 6 spots left
10 - 12 yr old girls - 14th of February - 6 spots left

Thursdays - Rāpare
13 - 17 yr old girls - 15th of February - 8 spots left
13 - 17 yr old boys -  15th of February - 17 spots left
The WONDERS 🫶🏻

We. Only. Need. Dirt. Each other. Riding. And Snacks.

Thanks to inspiration from @laelwilcox and an amazing grant from @women_nz we were able to pilot this brand new programme in Wānaka!

The WONDERS aims to develop connection, grit, and the curiosity of what’s possible. The grand finale of this programme is a 2 day overnight bikepacking trip from school to an epic campground!

A group of year 8 girls came together to codesign their incredible programme. Sessions included bike mechanics with @jra_bicycleco , food and gear planning (and packing!), bike handling skills with WORD Founder @ashlikesbikes and long time WORD Instructor @blackfoxride, logo design with @the.perch.nz , team building, and of course, snacks!

Thanks to the @women_nz funding, we were able to offer The WONDERS free to all participants! This is super important to us as it helps reduce the barriers for young women and girls to participate in outdoor adventures on bikes! If you’re keen to see The WONDERS in your area , give us shout 🥰

We were able to run this programme totally free to all participants, thanks to the funding we received from @women_nz 

This is just the beginning… watch this space!

Kirimoko Trails Monthly Maintenance! 

Kirimoko Trails need you! Are you available to lend a hand this Friday evening and give Kirimoko Trails some much-needed love? 

We'd love to get a good WORD representation out there helping out, as it's a place we often ride at WORD sessions, and is in real need of some TLC!

Bring ya whānau, bring a WORD T-shirt and some gloves and we'll see ya there!
The bike upgrade you never knew you needed?

This photo is fresh off the press today from our holiday programmes. I didn't know I needed an exhaust pipe on my bike... but after seeing this young ripper boost his way to Jacks Spot, I think I'm convinced!