Relief as gangs ride out of town

Visiting Hells Angels motorcyclists rode out of Nelson this morning, leaving police relieved after a potential gang clash.

On Saturday police averted a confrontation between the poker run riders and long-established Nelson gang the Lost Breed.

Senior Sergeant Grant Andrews, of Motueka, said they had stopped about 30 Lost Breed riders on the highway outside Mapua where the Hells Angels and others on the poker run had stopped.

"There was the potential for conflict but we got in the middle of them and solved it with diplomacy." He said the gangs had not come into contact and the intervention had allowed a breathing space.

About 130 people took part in the bike run, organised by Nelson Bays Motorcycle Events. About 30 members of the ride were patched gang members, though many others had removed their patches.

The ride marked the anniversary of the first public outing in Nelson last year of patched members of the Red Devils, a front gang for the Hells Angels.

The bikers met at Isel Park in Stoke, then went to the Golden Bear brewery in Mapua, parked at the beach at Marahau, then went on to Moutere Inn and back to Kraut's at Tahunanui where they stayed from 5.30pm to 8.30pm.

Originally a charity poker run, the venues and designated charity, St John, pulled its support at the last minute after threats were made by "Max", the leader of a gang calling itself the Southern Skinheads.

But the threat did not eventuate, though St John said it would not accept any money from the run.

This morning, the directors of Nelson Bays Motorcycle Events either could not be contacted or did not want to comment on where the charity money would go. At $20 a head, the ride would have raised about $2000.

The Nelson Mail spoke to a poker run rider on Saturday, who did not want to be named, but said the money would be offered to other charities until someone accepted it.

Most of the gang members spoken to by the Nelson Mail on Saturday said they did not believe the Southern Skinheads' threat was genuine. An unpatched rider said many of the riders were local businessmen and did not want any trouble. "It's not like we're towing a mobile P lab," he said.

The Auckland Hells Angels' vice-president, who did not want to give his name, said there was "no point" in making a comment on the threat. "We're here because our hosts invited us," he said.

The organised crime unit head, Detective Sergeant Brett Greer, of Nelson, said the threat was taken "very seriously" and police were still investigating it.

"We've got an obligation to do that on behalf of the moteliers and the general public," he said. "We would be hoping that whoever made the threats saw the error of their ways and decided it's not such a good idea making threats like that."

Despite the threat, Mr Andrews said there had been no issues or problems.

There had been a "big, visible and adequate" police presence, with officers monitoring the Beachcomber Motel, where the motorcyclists stayed, and several addresses in Nelson city.

As well as the Red Devils and members of Auckland and Whanganui Hells Angels, Mr Andrews said, there were also several members of the Christchurch-based Road Knights.

"Everyone's been well-behaved and have appeared to enjoy themselves," he said.

Gang members left Nelson today heading to Picton to catch the ferry to Wellington.

- © Fairfax NZ News