As Bike Month kicks off for another year, there are numerous activities for locals to get involved in from next week.

Each Monday of February, Whakatāne District Council and community safety advisor Richard Hamer will be leading cyclists in exploring the district’s trails, giving away free coffees and celebrating the end of Bike Month by attending the annual Big Bike Film Night.

The first ride on the calendar is the Burma Road Explorer, leaving from the council courtyard on Commerce Street at 5pm. Otherwise, meet the group at the top of Burma Road at about 5.20pm.

Mr Hamer said the special thing about the ride was it made you realise just how close Whakatāne was to nature.

“One minute you’re in town and the next you’re completely isolated in nature with the birdsong.”

As part of the ride, cyclists will travel through Ngāti Awa Farms.

The following week, the group will explore Whakatāne and Coastlands from 5pm, and the week after that, they will meet at Onepū Mountain Bike Park at 5.30pm.

“We’ve got some really cool rides here and we just want to explore with people and connect with new people as well,” Mr Hamer said.

All the rides are free to attend.

“The idea is that we ride as a group and get to know each other. We'll have a very short safety briefing at the beginning, make sure everyone is alright and see if there are any needs we should know about.

“It’ll be about an hour or so of riding at your own pace and really just enjoying what we’ve got.”

Mr Hamer said often people did not know what they had right on their doorstep when it came to the tracks available for public use.

Big Bike Film Night at WhakaMax has been described as an explosion of cycling brilliance.

The short film festival will showcase a range of different stories, all connecting by cycling.

Mr Hamer said normally more than 100 people turned up for it.

Some tickets will be up for grabs at the Go By Bike Day at Robert Harris on February 10 between 8am and 10am.

Tracks Concrete and Bay of Plenty Regional Council have contributed towards the spot prizes and Robert Harris is providing free coffees to attendees.

Eastern Bay Road Safety Programme and Bike Whakatāne Trust have organised the month of activities.

No registration is required for any of the events, but tickets must be purchased for the movie night.

Mr Hamer is happy to answer questions. He can be contacted by phone at 027 325 7792.