The Hotel Truth: Standing Our Ground on Integrity

While we’re still buzzing from the success of last Saturday’s World Naked Bike Ride, we’ve hit a bit of a snag that we feel you, our members, deserve to know about. It’s about the "Naked Truth" of how our community is sometimes treated behind the scenes.

A Sudden Change of Heart

After the ride, as we gathered at the Waihi Beach Hotel for our usual social catch-up, we were met with a surprising demand. Despite having a clear, prior agreement that our riders could stay in their natural state in the outdoor garden bar area, we were told mid-event that everyone must get dressed immediately.

When we asked why the goalposts had been moved, the duty manager of the day made a pretty heavy allegation. He claimed that during our 2025 event, a sexual act involving one of our riders and a member of a stag party was filmed and posted to social media.

Setting the Record Straight

Now, here’s the "Truth" part: We don't buy it.

I, along with another member, were the very last to leave that spot in 2025. We were sitting right where this was supposedly happening, and we didn't see a thing. More importantly, our movement is built on a "natural and moral state"—that kind of behavior isn't what we’re about, and it's certainly not what we saw.

We’ve since sent a formal letter to the hotel proprietor asking for a look at this "video" or any shred of evidence. To date? Silence. No video, no proof, just a tall tale used to justify a sudden change in policy.

Where to From Here?

We value our local partnerships, but we value our integrity more. We won’t be pushed around by fictitious stories used to shame our members.

Does this mean the WNBR will be looking for a new home in 2027? Maybe. We want to be where we’re welcomed for who we are—not tolerated based on "ghost stories." We’ll keep you posted on the reply (if one ever turns up).

In the meantime, we keep riding. We keep being us.