At first glance, this group could be mistaken for a new motorcycle gang.
They all have powerful motorbikes and they wear leather gear, complete with a menacing emblem featuring a skull.
A closer look and a quick chat with the men and the illusion is dispelled.
They are keen to recruit more members but this is not a new gang and there are no back patches.
The group are members of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club.
The club is family-focused and has no political leanings.
''It's a club for ex- or currently serving servicemen in the defence forces who ride motorbikes and it's just like any other motorcycle club where people get together and tell tall stories, although our stories might be even taller,'' jokes Steve Chester, of Dunedin.
Together with three other Patriots, all ex-Navy men from Dunedin, he attended the Brass Monkey Motorcycle Rally at Oturehua over the weekend.
The men belong to the South Island chapter of the club, but hope to have a Dunedin-based chapter started by the end of this year.
Potential members have to have served in the defence forces, belong to an RSA, and own at least a 250cc, if not more powerful, motorbike.
The club's emblem features a skull, representing the members who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, crossed swords for the army, wings for the air force and an anchor for the navy.
''It's a play on the combined services emblem,'' Mr Chester said.
''Boot'' Herriott said the club also took part in fundraising for community events as well as raising funds for the New Zealand Fallen Heroes Trust, which was set up in 2012 to provide support for the families of soldiers killed or injured on operations overseas.
The Patriots club was started in Australia by five serving members of the Royal Australian Navy in 1993.
The club now has a presence in most Australian states and there are six chapters in New Zealand, which follow similar lines to the Australian organisation.
As well as the South Island chapter, which formed in 2000, there is a Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast chapter, which formed in 2006, and four North Island-based chapters.
