The third annual Central Otago Postie Bike Rally revs up in Millers Flat this morning with more than 60 bikes taking on the region’s back country roads.
"Postie bike" is the name given to the Honda CT110 due to its long time use by New Zealand Post and Australia Post as a delivery vehicle.
While Honda discontinued the CT110 in 2013, and the model is no longer used by New Zealand and Australian posties, the bike has developed a cult following of enthusiasts throughout pockets of the world.
Today’s rally, a fundraiser for the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust (OGHT), will see "postie bikes" and other motorcycle and scooter models with engine sizes between 50cc and 150cc travel at a not-so-fast pace along a 300km circuit.
After a hearty breakfast in Millers Flat the riders will make their way up to Lake Onslow then head to Patearoa and Naseby, before returning to Naseby via Serpentine.
OGHT treasurer Odette Hopgood said the first rally was held three years ago and the trust tweaked it to work around the Cavalcade host town each year.
"What we do as the OGHT is when we go to a town for the Cavalcade we like to do some heritage work and the Postie Bike Rally so then we invest ourselves for the whole 12 months [in that area]."
A heritage site review and the trust’s annual general meeting were also held in the town, with the rally the final event.
Riders had come from throughout New Zealand for the rally, including some from the North Island who rode their postie bikes down the country, Ms Hopgood said.
