The Pou Herenga Tai | Twin Coast Cycle Trail is a big part of life for a Kaikohe school – for recreation, education and a whole lot of fun. The tumuaki (principal) Marea Timoko shares the story.
Up in Te Tai Tokerau (Northland), Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kaikohe offers total te reo Māori me ōna tikanga immersion with a wharekura (high school) education for 260 students up to Year 13.
Over the last few years, the region’s Pou Herenga Tai | Twin Coast Cycle Trail has become incredibly important to the kura, according to Marea Timoko, who has been tumuaki for the last ten years. “Our trail is way more than just a way to get to school. And bikes are way more than just a mode of transport. The trail is our gym, our natural learning environment, our place of release.”
Tamariki are out on the trail in some way every week. “We don’t have a gym, we don’t have a big hall, we don’t have a swimming pool. We’ve had to grow the health and wellbeing of our students and staff by utilising what’s in our community, and what we have is the cycle trail. We get a lot of use out of it.”