Residents living in and around the Whakatāne suburb of Awatapu are fed up with being plagued by motorbikes day and night, but police say it is nearly impossible to catch the culprits.

One resident, who did not wish to be named for fear of reprisals, said the problem of motorbikes on Awatapu Reserve, the surrounding walking and cycling paths and stopbanks had become so bad recently, he felt as if he is living in the middle of a motocross track.

“It has been a problem on and off for years, but over the past five or six months it has been every day and every night - and pretty much every day and every night either I or someone else is ringing the police, at least once. But nothing changes.”

Whakatāne Police acting road policing manager Kevin Gread said police were aware of the residents’ concerns, but often the motorcyclists disappeared once a patrol unit attended.

“Unfortunately, motorcycles are a problem for police at the moment.”

The resident said the bikers often rode in groups of four or five and could be intimidating at times.

“I’ve personally watched a couple of ladies trying to walk through the park who got harassed, motorcyclists riding alongside them and around them. Other people feel too intimidated by the bikers to use the park.”

The laws the resident had seen broken included speeding, not wearing helmets, small children riding pillion with no helmets or foot pegs and sustained loss of traction.

“Having a telephone conversation or watching television is almost impossible because of the noise they make.”

The motorbikes often had no registration or warrants of fitness and often rode after dark with no lights, the resident said.

Darren Ohlson and Nandor Tanczos are on board with the idea of opening up riverside land for a motocross track in Whakatāne. Photo / Whakatāne Beacon

He would like to see police crackdown on such behaviour.

“If you’re a car on the road and do that, you get your car taken off you. Down there, they’re doing it every day. Quads, trikes and motorbikes, everyone from little tots riding unsupervised to senior citizens.”

Whakatāne District Council, which manages the reserve, was aware of the growing issue of unauthorised motorbike riding.

Open spaces operations manager Ian Molony said the council shared the community’s concerns and was working closely with police to address them.

“Catching offenders can be difficult, as riders often flee when approached. We urge residents to report incidents promptly, especially when safety is at risk or vandalism is occurring.

“Whakatāne Police will take action when provided with clear details, such as descriptions of those involved, vehicle information, registration plates, and photos.”

The resident said it was often his efforts to gather this information that tipped the riders off.

“When you ring the police, they ask you to describe the riders and their bikes. ‘What colour are the bikes, what are the riders wearing and how many are there’. Gathering this information, you have to go outside.

“We are told from time to time that a patrol car is on the way, but before you get to the end of the conversation with the police, with all the information they want, they’re gone.

“They’ve figured out we’re [reporting] them. Sometimes I’ll go outside and pretend to be having a phone conversation, and they will just disappear.”

Gread said police urged all motorcyclists to obey the road rules.

“If any member of the public has information of any offending, they can contact police who will attend if able. If they have any CCTV or photos of any offending, they can also forward that to police.

Is a motocross track the solution?

Awatapu Otamakaokao Kaitiaki Trust chairman Quinton Kingi believed a positive solution was to provide a motocross track on nearby reserve land.

“Rather than try to punish our whānau in Awatapu, we’re looking at trying to create opportunities. We’re trying to look for a positive solution. It’s also a safety concern as well because we don’t want our kids hooning around on the road.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen really.”

Kingi, fellow Awatapu resident Darren Ohlson and Whakatāne district councillor Nandor Tanczos went public with the idea in 2023.

They suggested using land on the river side of the stopbank surrounding the southern end of Whakatāne to create a proper motocross track for the local youth, which could be supervised to ensure bikes were being ridden safely.

Kingi said while there had been “a little roadblock” to his plan, in that they had not been able to secure the permission of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, he still had hope it would happen someday.

He said he had spoken to an environmentalist who told him there would be no environmental issues with creating a motocross track. He had also been in communication with a motocross club willing to help out with the construction of the track and running it if they were able to get permission.

He proposed to create the track as far away from residents as possible to avoid being a noise nuisance.

A resident, who did not want to be named, described the plan as unworkable.

Residents also expressed fears that the proposed motocross track would only serve to attract more motorbike riders to the area.

There would also be the issue of motorbikes using parks and paths to get to the track.

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.