Tauranga City Council and Parafed Bay of Plenty are celebrating International Day of People with Disabilities with a family fun day and an opportunity for people to travel to the summit of Mauao or Hopukiore - Mount Drury in the all-terrain wheelchair Te Kaiwhakatere – TrailRider.

As well as finding out how Te Kaiwhakatere – TrailRider works, the community can come along to Hopukiore – Mount Drury Reserve on Saturday, December 3, from 10am - 5pm to enjoy some live music, adaptive yoga and CrossFit, and ocean activities and beach games on Mount Maunganui Main Beach.

With the help of whānau, friends and volunteers, four people will be taken to the summit of Mauao on the day, while others will have the opportunity to take a shorter trip to the summit of Hopukiore - Mount Drury.

Te Kaiwhakatere – TrailRider is a motorised, single-wheeled mobility transport supporter which supports the rider's weight with helpers to guide the rider up and down tracks. It is free to use and can be booked through Council's website or in person at Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.

With 27 per cent of people in the Bay of Plenty identifying as living with a disability, Council purchased the TrailRider in 2020 to give more people an opportunity to move about easily and safely without being limited by the environment.

'We want everyone to be able to enjoy and play a full and active part in our city. Te Kaiwhakatere – TrailRider is a great way to access some of the more hard-to-reach spots and we'd love to see more people using it,” says Council's community development team leader Dani Jurgeleit.

For more information, visit: www.tauranga.govt.nz/trailrider