Tīnui resident Lucinda Maunsell is raising money for the rural village after the February floods that accompanied Cyclone Gabrielle decimated some of the small community.
Maunsell, who owns Rahui Coastal Loop, is encouraging keen cyclists to join her this Sunday and ride the Tīnui Valley Loop.
The fundraiser event will also have farmyard animals, a gold coin BBQ, kids’ track, and spot prizes.
The event has been organised with help from My Ride, who Maunsell said had been a big support. Local business, Rewa Rewa Station, badly affected by the flooding, has donated goods to the fundraiser.
The Tīnui Valley Loop track is a 33km round loop that will take riders through areas that are often inaccessible. It’s a rare opportunity for people to get out and see parts of the countryside they wouldn’t normally be able to see, Maunsell said.
Since Cyclone Gabrielle, the small district has been slowly working to restore homes and important infrastructure that was damaged. About a dozen families were forced out of their homes due to flood damage and a lot of them are still waiting to return to their homes, Maunsell said.
“They’re kind of in limbo.”
She said that with the current state of housing, families were stuck between a rock and a hard place with regard to their immediate future.
The school, which also caters to children from Castlepoint, experienced substantial damage and classes were forced into porta-comms, half of the hall, and into playgroup.
Maunsell said the kids had been quite resilient but felt for the teachers who had to work under the pressure. It was “quite disruptive,” she said.
The event on Sunday will also have a raffle for the Tīnui and Whareama schools.
The Tīnui Café and Bar was seriously affected by the flooding and went under the hammer at auction in July this year.
The new owners have plans to reopen the bar once restoration is complete, but locals have been left without a community hub for months.
“It’s nice for the community to be able to go somewhere and do something [together],” Maunsell said.
She hopes that Sunday’s event could become an annual event.
Participants should pre-register for the event via phone or email. Registration costs $40. Full details can be found on www.rahuicoastal.co.nz
