Red Lunday de Waal is a keen recreational cyclist. As a member of Devonport’s ‘Flat Whites’ and Frocks on Bikes, she loves riding her bike for transport and exploration. She’s also a keen walker and supporter of Living Streets Aotearoa: ‘I’m inherently a walker,’ she says. ‘I love being active and out there.’
Now she’s combining her two loves by walking the length of New Zealand to raise funding and awareness for Teau Aiturau‘s bike work in Mangere.
Red had it in mind to walk the 3000km Te Araroa Trail to mark a milestone year for herself – she wanted to spend the year leading up to her 60th birthday doing something meaningful.
Then, during the Bike the Bridge event, she saw a familiar figure up ahead. ‘I’d read about Teau, so when I saw this vibrant character in front of me on the bike, I knew it was him. I didn’t get to talk to him that day, but I wanted to do something for his cause. So I emailed him and said, why don’t I just come out and meet you. We hit it off immediately. He is the most amazing person. Having got his blessing I thought, I’ll get on with it. I felt like I’d been given a gift.’
Thus the fundraiser in support of Teau’s Mangere BikeFIT vision to make Mangere the ‘Bike Capital of the Pasifik’. You may have seen Teau on Seven Sharp this week – he’s a humble, dedicated guy who’s quietly changing the world by teaching local kids and their families to ride and fix bikes and feel confident on two wheels. Like Red, he’s in it for the love of it. ‘I’m just happy seeing them be happy,’ he says. (Watch the Seven Sharp segment here for a sense of how patient and powerful his mission is).
Red’s goal is to help provide a purpose-built space for Teau and crew to store and work on the bikes. If you’ve ever visited Teau at the Mangere Community House, you’ll know the miracles he works even without a proper clubhouse for the kids and lockable storage for the bikes and tools. Imagine what he could achieve with a real workspace!
For Red, as for Teau, it’s all in service of the bigger vision of making communities feel like home. ‘Being on a bike, or moving around your neighbourhood on foot, you have that immediacy of connection with community,’ says Red. ‘That’s what drives me, if you’ll pardon the pun – just being out and about.’
She joined in Teau’s night ride over Easter, a case in point: ‘Teau is bringing living streets to Mangere. That night ride with the children just brought the streets alive, with all of us claiming the space, really enjoying it, and connecting with people along the way.’
Red begins her journey on Sunday April 10 from Cape Reinga, taking 24 days to walk her way back to Auckland. Later this year in spring, she’ll set off again – the trail literally runs past her house in Takapuna – and heads south, to complete the trail in Bluff/Stewart Island some 3 months later.
You can follow her progress on Facebook, and support her fundraising efforts via her GiveaLittle page.
A wonderful journey for a beautiful cause – Red, we wish you all the best!
