Mayor Welcomes Fund Raising Adventurers To Ruapehu
Dubbed the Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa, the expedition sees the duo skiing, hiking, cycling, and sailing the length of the country through winter, all in support of vulnerable children and climate-affected communities.
Mayor Weston Kirton has welcomed adventurers Huw Kingston and Laurence Mote to Ruapehu as part of their inspiring 90-day, 4,000km journey across New Zealand to raise $75,000 for Save the Children and fund new climate-resilient classrooms in Vanuatu.
Dubbed the Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa, the expedition sees the duo skiing, hiking, cycling, and sailing the length of the country through winter, all in support of vulnerable children and climate-affected communities.
Their time in Ruapehu has been supported by Visit Ruapehu, the Department of Conservation, Whakapapa and Tūroa ski fields, Ngāuruhoe Ski Club, Massey University and Tukino Alpine Clubs, along with local businesses Ongarue Valley Retreat, Forgotten World Motel, and Kings Ohakune.
Mayor Kirton said it was a privilege to meet the pair. 'Huw and Laurence deserve huge credit for undertaking such an ambitious and inspirational journey for causes that truly matter,' he said.
'I also want to thank Visit Ruapehu for helping coordinate their visit and acknowledge the support from our local operators, DOC, and our ski areas.'
Huw and Laurence expressed their gratitude for the warm hospitality they received during their time in Ruapehu, saying they were blown away by the manaakitanga shown by the local community.
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He is accompanied by long-time friend Laurence Mote, a former elite mountain biker. In 2013, Mote suffered a severe anaphylactic shock reaction to a bee sting, causing cardiac arrest and subsequently a stroke. Mote is now legally blind but, after extensive rehabilitation, remains determined to pursue many of the outdoor activities he enjoyed before the accident. The goal of Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa is to raise $75,000 in donations for a pilot project by Save the Children to provide climate-resilient classrooms to the children of Vanuatu. The Pacific Island nation has been one of the hardest hit globally by the climate crisis, with its highest point 1879m above sea level. This cause is close to Kingston's heart as he had a chance to visit Vanuatu in November. He met some of the students who successfully brought a landmark case to the International Court of Justice, which last week ruled access to a 'clean, healthy and sustainable environment' as a human right and may hold states that infringe on this right internationally accountable. 'When you see what education can do by the very fact that these students at University of the South Pacific took this court case to the highest [court] of the land, in the world, because they had a good education in Vanuatu - education is a massively important thing to offer every child,' Kingston said. Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa adventurers Huw Kingston and Laurence Mote, who passed through the central North Island in late July, are still in search of a yacht for their Cook Strait crossing. The duo stayed in Mataroa near Taihape last week before visiting Mataroa Primary School to tell students about their journey. The pair said one of the highlights of their expedition so far had been meeting people and appreciating their hospitality. 'We are blessed to have had the most magnificent welcomes, the most amazing people taking us in, looking after us, some planned, some unplanned. You know, travelling with a purpose, I think really does open doors,' Kingston said. Now less than two days away from completing their trip through the North Island, the pair is uncertain if they will be able to gain access to a yacht by Saturday morning. If unable to source a boat, they will be forced to abandon their planned sailing route and depart on the Bluebridge ferry. 'We won't give up until we're at Wellington,' Kingston said.
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Huw Kingston and Laurence Mote are half-way through their 90-day, 4000-kilometre journey from the north to the south of the country, which will also seem them tackle the slopes of 24 ski areas. It's all in aid of raising funds for Save the Children - specifically, a project in Vanuatu to build climate-resilient classrooms. Resilience is something Laurence knows well - in 2013 the former Kiwi representative cyclist was left in a coma after a bee sting and is now legally blind. This Alpine Odyssey is not Huw's first - he did something similar in Australia three years ago - just one of many incredible expeditions he's undertaken. Both of them take a well-deserved break in their journey before they head across Cook Strait to tell Kathryn why they wanted to do this adventure, and the challenges they've struck along the way. More information about how to donate is here. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
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