More than 100 patched members of the Red Knights motorcycle club are expected to descend on Central Otago for their annual gathering.
The club is made up of firefighters, both past and present, and their family members.
The group started in the United States and had expanded with chapters around the world.
The Cromwell chapter, also known as NZ10, was founded in 2018 by club president and volunteer firefighter Charlie Le Couteur.
It was two years ago when NZ10 stepped forward to host the annual national gathering, he said.
This year’s gathering would also celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Cromwell Fire Brigade.
Riders were due to arrive in town on Friday and would be greeted with a welcome dinner at the Cromwell Fire Station.
On Saturday the group planned to ride to Wānaka before returning Cromwell with a stop at Cardrona, he said.
During the ride, Mr Le Couteur who is a wedding celebrant, would marry two members under the Wedding Tree in Lake Hāwea.
Mr Le Couteur had been a celebrant for 10 years and offered his services to members of the uniformed services for free with couples asked to donate to Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand instead of paying a fee.
The charity had a connection with firefighters as each year firefighters climbed the Sky Tower to raise money and awareness, Mr Le Couteur said.
He had done the climb once and the donation was a way to help pay things forward.
On Sunday, riders would gather at Highlands Motorsport Park for breakfast and ride two laps of the track before they disperse.
Police and St John have been notified of the once-in-11-year event, and Mr Le Couteur asked motorists at junctions to be patient as it took time for a large group of motorcycles to pass.
The Red Knights were made up of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and, as most are volunteer firefighters, all are community focused, he said.
The club plan to raise and donate money to a Central Otago charity.
The charity would be decided at the presidents’ meeting to be held during the weekend, he said.
Comradeship was one of the important aspects of the Red Knights, and at this year’s gathering, donations would be collected for the family of a fellow Australian Red Knights who was killed in a motorcycle accident earlier this month, Mr Le Couteur said.
