Scooter safari not for the faint-hearted

One scooter rider will be looking for Pokemon on the way (Mike Power)
One scooter rider will be looking for Pokemon on the way (Mike Power)

If you're heading from Christchurch to Hokitika on Saturday you may want to rethink your travel plans, or end up caught in a 250-strong scooter convoy.

The bi-annual Tranz Alpine Scooter Safari set off from Christchurch on Saturday morning, with scooter riders adorning a variety of costumes, from biohazard suits to fairy wings.

The safari is now in its fifth year and its aim is to raise funds for the Cancer Foundation. So far this year $160,000 has been raised.

And it's slow going. All the scooters have 50cc engines and top speeds of about 50 kilometres an hour, so they didn't reach Hokitika until around 4:30pm.

Newshub.