Mission: Aucks

It happened again. The planets aligned and I got a day off to ride my bike! But this time around things were going to be different. I had a BMX. Auckland has a cool pump track at ABD in Waipuna - you can see it in the satellite photo here.

So it was that two mums took two little bikes on the back of the family wagon while the kids were in school (and daycare) and the dads were at work, and drove to Auckland for a play.
And it rained. Then it rained a bit more. The forecast was for light drizzle. Yeah, whatever. We arrived to a sodden pump track that was quite slippery in the corners and even on the straights (aye Megan?! ;) ). After a couple of minor loss of control incidents we retired to the car, donned gloves, and Megan put on her grippy shoes and mopped up the blood from her knee after she had used it to determine just how hard the ground was under the mush.

We rolled back to the track and after another couple of slow cautious laps we noticed the sign stating: "Warning: read before you ride." And upon reading the fine print we discovered we were not to ride the track in the wet because it would get damaged. We coasted down to the Avanti retail store and sheepishly wandered inside. After a cursory lap of the floor to peruse the fine wares, we inquired about other places to ride. Being newbies and heading south, we were pointed in the direction of the Papakura BMX track.

After more driving and a bit of lunch we made it. The skies cleared and the sun even shone. We spent almost two hours there doing laps, pumping through the rollers, practising our bunny hops, and getting a bit of air off some of the jumps. I even got a little video of me hopping over a drink bottle. Extreme. :D



When I was about eight years old I wanted to race BMX like so many other kids were doing. I would race my Raleigh around the house, ride it off kerbs and rip skids like it was a BMX (sorry Mum). In 1987 the series "Steel Riders" hit our TV screens - I lapped it up. I would dream of getting a BMX bike for my birthday, or Christmas, or for any other good reason I could think of (like eating my vegetables). It didn't happen. I rode bikes for fun and transport, played other sports, and got right into my music. All good stuff.

And now finally, some 25 years later it has all fallen into place. I had a thoroughly enjoyable day despite the weather and being unable to really get familiar with the ABD pump track. I was in great company, and had a blast. I'm a BMX bandit - yeah!