Video: Watch: Dirt bike riders tear up Auckland’s Howick Golf Course
Click to watch video.
A band of unruly dirt bikers have been filmed taking to an East Auckland golf course doing wheelies and “boosting around” greens and roads while players try to execute shots.
Golfers enjoying a quiet round yesterday afternoon at Howick Golf Course found themselves sharing the greens with rowdy riders who ploughed over neatly manicured grass and did tricks down the main road.
One man playing on the course with friends at the time said five motorbikes drove down Musick Point Rd into the scenic course on the East Auckland peninsula.
“Three to five motorbikes came into the golf course road and started doing wheelies and what not,” said the man.
“It definitely annoyed the rest of the other golfers’ game.”
He said the joyriders left wheel marks on the greens.
Police blockade
More drama unfolded when one of the unruly riders tried to leave the course.
A video captures the moment the man, who is not wearing a helmet, motors towards the exit, only to discover a police blockade.
Dropping his bike on the road, he makes a dash for it back across the course to evade capture, running past a nearby group of golfers.
“One of the bikers came speeding back to the gate after realising they screwed up and entered a one-way in, one-way out situation. He comes speeding back then slammed on his brakes and dumping the bike he ran past us.”
The eye-witness said the rider uttered an expletive as he sprinted past the group of golfers.
A person can be heard shouting, “Where are you going to run bro?”
The man said he continued his interrupted game only to have another three dirt bikers drive over the course in search of an exit.
“They then disappeared after 15 minutes. We all assumed they got caught at this point as you couldn’t hear the bikes boosting around.”
Suspect apprehended
A police spokesperson said they received reports of a number of people riding dirt bikes without helmets around Bucklands Beach at Musick Point about 2.40pm.
The spokesperson confirmed they attended, with police impounding five bikes, one of them stolen.
A youth was apprehended in relation to the incident. Police were continuing to make enquiries and said there “there may be further action”.
It follows a spate of frightening trail bike rider episodes this month that have seen dangerous antics filmed on the city’s streets, parks and motorways.
Tāmaki Makaurau road policing manager, Inspector Scott Webb, said they continued to identify more of the riders involved and this type of behaviour on and off the road was unacceptable.
“Police want to reassure the community that we do not tolerate dangerous or reckless driving behaviour that puts the safety or road users at risk.”
