OPINION: Glorious tales of adventure and pain from our most honourable Coastal Walkway.
Sharleen Wayner:
After the hubbub of my 54th birthday died down I guess that's when I first felt the urge to get a pair of bicycles so Dwayne and I could make the most Our Glorious Coastal Walkway. I chose the bikes and the helmets, purple matching ones, and Dwayne chose what type of grease we'd put on our chains. It was a real team effort. After just a few weekends of some beautiful cycling trips up and down the walkway I realised we didn't have the proper clothes. So off we went to the cycle store again to get kitted out. I chose the tops and the pants and Dwayne chose the socks so it was another real team effort. Then after another few weekends of some magnificent cycling trips up and down the walkway I realised we didn't have any pockets on our new lycra cycle gear. So I did what anyone else would do and made Dwayne a small pouch to wear around his neck. Some of his friends make crude jokes about what he keeps in there but we know it's only money for icrecreams. What else could it anyway?
Steve Ageeten
Look, I'm 16 and in high school but I still work 20 hours a week down at the local bike store. It's a good job and I'm one of those good kids people wish more of us were like. You know, honest, averagely good looking, not quite smart enough to be smarmy and not so poor that my family can't afford soap. So, yeah, life is pretty good. But if I could change one thing it would be my Thursday shift in the bike apparel section. Usually it's OK and it makes me proud I am doing my bit for Our Glorious Coastal Walkway, but I find the middle-aged women quite a challenge. I mean, they come at me with two different pairs of cycle pants and want me to tell them about the comparative gusset strength, sweat retention properties and blistering potential. Like I said, I'm only 16 and a good kid. Every time this happens I can't look mum in the eye for a week. How is that fair?
Terry Teo
Some people may remember me as the young schoolboy skater from the cult Terry Teo books and TV series of the early 1980s. You know, Terry Teo, uh oh, uh oh, Terry Teo. Ok, so maybe you don't but I do. I still get the skateboard out now and then but I don't take it anywhere near Our Glorious Coastal Walkway in New Plymouth. I live here now, with my wife Terri and my two boys Terry and Teo. I came here to keep it real after my life as a hit TV star and I would say it's worked. I'm middle-aged now and there is nothing I like more than taking Terry and Teo down for bike rides on the walkway. It's safe down there and it's great not having to worry about them riding out in front of a car or a truck or one of the city's new buses.
That means a lot to a father, especially one like me who is so easily distracted. Hey. What the hell? Terry! Teo! Uh oh, uh oh. Terry! Teo! Where'd they go? Did you see where they went?
Ben Grande
Basically it was a calling. The first time I heard the sweet notes of the 1975 Grifter Banana Seat bicycle-bell I was hooked and I've been making bells ever since. Business really took off when they built Our Glorious Coastal Walkway in New Plymouth and the middle-aged cycling crowd got into it. Mainly I sell two models. The older ladies like a bell that rings sort've like "toodle-oo, hello, toodle-oo" whereas the blokes want something with a bit more authority yet without being aggressive. So they go for the bell ring that kind've sounds like "Hey, hey, hey there man". For the life of me I can't imagine a walkway without bicycle bells. It just wouldn't be safe. And you know what, would it be as much fun?
Dwayne Wayner
I'm not going to lie here in my hospital bed and criticise Our Glorious Coastal Walkway. No sir. That's not the man I am. Sure it's the place where I was quite seriously injured and there were the weeks of ongoing torment preceding that but I can't heap blame on a concrete path for the way my life turned out. But I tell you what, parents have to keep an eye on their kids when they take them down there. That's the simple fact of the matter. If they did I wouldn't be here. You know I was ringing my bell, I was like "hey, hey, hey there man," but those two kids either didn't notice or didn't care and so after I took evasive action to avoid an imminent collision I ended up in here.
I'm OK though. The doctors say I managed to escape the worst injury because of some anatomical anomaly. I don't know what that means but apparently they've seen quite a few cases of it in the blokes around here. How lucky is that?
- Taranaki Daily News
Sharleen Wayner:
After the hubbub of my 54th birthday died down I guess that's when I first felt the urge to get a pair of bicycles so Dwayne and I could make the most Our Glorious Coastal Walkway. I chose the bikes and the helmets, purple matching ones, and Dwayne chose what type of grease we'd put on our chains. It was a real team effort. After just a few weekends of some beautiful cycling trips up and down the walkway I realised we didn't have the proper clothes. So off we went to the cycle store again to get kitted out. I chose the tops and the pants and Dwayne chose the socks so it was another real team effort. Then after another few weekends of some magnificent cycling trips up and down the walkway I realised we didn't have any pockets on our new lycra cycle gear. So I did what anyone else would do and made Dwayne a small pouch to wear around his neck. Some of his friends make crude jokes about what he keeps in there but we know it's only money for icrecreams. What else could it anyway?
Steve Ageeten
Look, I'm 16 and in high school but I still work 20 hours a week down at the local bike store. It's a good job and I'm one of those good kids people wish more of us were like. You know, honest, averagely good looking, not quite smart enough to be smarmy and not so poor that my family can't afford soap. So, yeah, life is pretty good. But if I could change one thing it would be my Thursday shift in the bike apparel section. Usually it's OK and it makes me proud I am doing my bit for Our Glorious Coastal Walkway, but I find the middle-aged women quite a challenge. I mean, they come at me with two different pairs of cycle pants and want me to tell them about the comparative gusset strength, sweat retention properties and blistering potential. Like I said, I'm only 16 and a good kid. Every time this happens I can't look mum in the eye for a week. How is that fair?
Terry Teo
Some people may remember me as the young schoolboy skater from the cult Terry Teo books and TV series of the early 1980s. You know, Terry Teo, uh oh, uh oh, Terry Teo. Ok, so maybe you don't but I do. I still get the skateboard out now and then but I don't take it anywhere near Our Glorious Coastal Walkway in New Plymouth. I live here now, with my wife Terri and my two boys Terry and Teo. I came here to keep it real after my life as a hit TV star and I would say it's worked. I'm middle-aged now and there is nothing I like more than taking Terry and Teo down for bike rides on the walkway. It's safe down there and it's great not having to worry about them riding out in front of a car or a truck or one of the city's new buses.
That means a lot to a father, especially one like me who is so easily distracted. Hey. What the hell? Terry! Teo! Uh oh, uh oh. Terry! Teo! Where'd they go? Did you see where they went?
Ben Grande
Basically it was a calling. The first time I heard the sweet notes of the 1975 Grifter Banana Seat bicycle-bell I was hooked and I've been making bells ever since. Business really took off when they built Our Glorious Coastal Walkway in New Plymouth and the middle-aged cycling crowd got into it. Mainly I sell two models. The older ladies like a bell that rings sort've like "toodle-oo, hello, toodle-oo" whereas the blokes want something with a bit more authority yet without being aggressive. So they go for the bell ring that kind've sounds like "Hey, hey, hey there man". For the life of me I can't imagine a walkway without bicycle bells. It just wouldn't be safe. And you know what, would it be as much fun?
Dwayne Wayner
I'm not going to lie here in my hospital bed and criticise Our Glorious Coastal Walkway. No sir. That's not the man I am. Sure it's the place where I was quite seriously injured and there were the weeks of ongoing torment preceding that but I can't heap blame on a concrete path for the way my life turned out. But I tell you what, parents have to keep an eye on their kids when they take them down there. That's the simple fact of the matter. If they did I wouldn't be here. You know I was ringing my bell, I was like "hey, hey, hey there man," but those two kids either didn't notice or didn't care and so after I took evasive action to avoid an imminent collision I ended up in here.
I'm OK though. The doctors say I managed to escape the worst injury because of some anatomical anomaly. I don't know what that means but apparently they've seen quite a few cases of it in the blokes around here. How lucky is that?
- Taranaki Daily News
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