The wheels are turning on Biketober

Anyone who arrives at tomorrow's Green Drinks in Wānaka by pedal power will be reimbursed the $5 entry fee.

The eco-focused, regular networking event is this time round set to deep dive into all things sustainable transport.

Editor of 1964 magazine Laura Williamson will be leading the chat to be held at Scroggin cafe with newly elected Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board member and Active Transport Wānaka voice Simon Telfer and Amanda Robinson from the Lightfoot Initiative. 

The Green Drink's theme sits nicely within Biketober, which is officially underway.

The month-long Southern Lakes bike festival kicked off last week with the Saturday Bike Market in Wānaka’s Dinosaur park and the GoGo Electric Bike Picnic at Remarkables Park.

The rest of October is chocka with events and activities across the district celebrating the "joy and importance" of riding bikes, organisers say.

Until Friday, young bikers are taking part in a school holiday program up at Cardrona that's aimed at getting kids keen on mountain biking.

On Saturday morning, a bike maintenance session is on at the Wānaka Community Workshop.

"To meet our climate action goals, we’ve got to both get out of our cars and stop buying new stuff. The best way to do that? Repair and look after the bikes we’ve got."

Over Labour Weekend Arrowtown will play host to New Zealand’s first E-bike festival, Cyclorama. Expect six different trails, some wining and dining, and of course, a whole lot of e-bikes.

There’s plenty of opportunity for pedal-powered sweat over the long weekend, too. On the Sunday, race to the top of Bike Glendhu (the Falcon’s Nest) for its long-awaited season opening. For a big day in the saddle, get around the Dean’s Bank 10 Hour Mountain Bike Race.

On Wednesday, October 26, ladies can join the women's ride at Sticky Forest.

Running as part of the Wao Summit and their Get SMART, Get Moving campaign, Biketober is about riding bikes, but it’s also about celebrating sustainable transport.

It makes it a perfect time to try out Wānaka’s first Community Shuttle trial. The three-month trial started on September 28, and will be running between Wānaka, Albert Town, Hāwea and Hāwea Flat. Check out the timetable here.

Also upcoming, The Lightfoot Initiative’s Test the Network challenge, where Queenstowners experiment with getting around with just a Bee card and an e-bike, as part of The Lightfoot Initiative’s Test the Network challenge.

The end of the month also heralds the beginning of the six-day Wao Summit. As part of the lineup of workshops, kōrero, films, tours and community events aimed at creating long term social and environmental change, there'll be several active transport events. 

On Saturday, October 29, get an idea for what a sustainable community looks like with a guided bike tour of Wānaka. The Sustainable Communities Tour will visit everything from native planting and a community garden to local and sustainable food shopping, with mini workshops along the way. It's followed by the Get SMART, Get Moving film session, a mini bike film festival exploring how we move and celebrating a pedal-powered future. 

"Climate change is happening now, and to stay within 2℃ to avoid catastrophic planetary breakdown, we have to halve the amount of time we spend in the car.

"So, on that note, we urge you to consider how you’re getting to these events. Grab a friend and jump on your bike, get a ride or walk down to town. You could even try out the new shuttle."

For more events (and more detail on these events), head to the official Biketober program.

Main image (supplied): A pedal-powered blended beverage at a Biketober event in Wānaka.