On discovering kids who learn road safety early make safer drivers as adults, Peugeot NZ general manager Grant Smith put his money where his mouth is and launched the Peugeot Kids Driving School, supported by the AA and NZ Police.

Pitched at kids aged three to seven, the school gives children a driver ‘licence’ and handbook, teaches some basic road safety concepts, then sends them onto a track in their pedal cars to practice at give way and stop signs.

There's a bit of mayhem at first, with cars going every which-way and kids cutting across the 'grass' to avoid traffic-light queues (sound a bit like Auckland?) but they soon start getting the hang of it - with feedback suggesting they then keep their parents  honest about obeying road signs.

Strategic Road Policing Manager for Waitemata District, Superintendent John Kelly, said “We know that as children approach driving age their attitudes and approach are pretty much set in stone and that’s why it’s important to teach them early.”

“We learned from the McDonald’s ‘make it click’ programme that if you can get the message to the children they can take it to their parents. It would be great if the Peugeot Kids Driving School had the same impact and had kids talking to their parents about driving more safely.”

The Peugeot Kids Drive School starts its national road show in May. Participation is by donation to the Cure Kids charity.

Good news for owners of classic and vintage cars worried by news that from May 1, they’d have to surrender their numberplates when they put their vehicle registration on hold.

Seems that is reserved for second offences. Do it once, and you’ll keep the plate. But for second and subsequent offences you must hand the plates over.

If you’ve never been caught driving without, you can put your vehicle on hold and keep the plate.

If you have surrendered your plate, you can apply to reactivate the old rego number when the vehicle goes back on the road, good news to risk-taking owners of classics with personalised plates.

If your car uses the old black plates though, the replacement will be the modern white-faced version. Bear that in mind if you’re tempted to take a quick run without a current rego.

Otherwise the new rule will see police issuing fines and demerit points for unregistered vehicles from May 1.

By golly this Harley’s a big, brash beast; a mobile armchair to ride with its comfy pew, its radio and cruise control. But parking it’s another matter, and big brash blokes just don’t get it.

Why do I think twice before firing the black behemoth up that steep potholed driveway, over this kerb or into an awkward parking space? Because the Street Glide tips the scales at 368kg.

That’s over six times my weight.

My companion’s GSX1400 boasts 250kg or so – around three times his weight. To get the same experience he’d need a half-ton motorcycle; that’d give him pause for thought.

Perhaps a few more blokes should do their sums before looking down their nose at the compact mounts their girlfriends choose; often the ‘girly’ is muscling a far gruntier body-to-bike equation than their apparently huskier bloke is.

As its name suggests, the Kawasaki Sand Pit fringes the beach; its forestry trails are groomed on Monday and Tuesday but by Sunday it’s a sand-fest. The easy trails are worst – open, dry, and churned up by bunnies like me too intimidated by the deep, soft stuff to get up the speed required for stability; or riding bikes without the power to pull themselves out of the dragging dunes.

So I wasn’t initially keen to take a Honda CRF250X out there; with its sky-high seat I’d be guaranteed to fall…

But I’d yet to feel the advantages of enough power in a lightweight bike. Within the few minutes it took my companion to realise the easy loops weren’t that easy, I’d discovered I could use that throttle to fly over the stuff. Or at least to maintain control – no, the photo's not of me, but what a buzz.

Trouble is, I’m now spoiled. My own 24kg heavier, much less powerful machine no longer seems suited to the job.