Hey there,
This is the blog to record the crazy adventures of Marc and I (Rach) who are embarking on an awesome journey to raise money an awareness for an amazing local charity – Homes of Hope!
Marc and I are are avid bush walkers with a passion for the outdoors, the Bay of Plenty (an awesome part of NZ) and helping people.
One point of difference is that, in true kiwi style, we tend to do most of our bush treks (which can range from 2hrs to 7hrs and are a mix from easy to advanced terrain) in Jandals!
On one of our recent treks we got chatting about how awesome it would be if we could combine helping out a local charity with doing what we love.
Marc has always wanted to do the Tongariro Crossing (a trek through a volcanic part of the middle of the North Island of NZ) and we had a thought that, if we were to do a charity walk we would need a point of different to draw the attention of people in order to get donations flowing in – this was when the concept for Hiking of Hope – Doing it with a Difference was born.
While we both realise that the idea does sound crazy and potentially risky we are both experienced trekkers and will be taking this challenge very seriously.
I have done the Tongariro crossing three times already, climbed Mt Ruapehu and done the 100km Oxfam Charity Walk and both of us have done various other treks around NZ.
The plan is to do the crossing on 25th of March 2017 and intensive planning for the trek has already begun! We would not put ourselves in unnecessary danger at any time. This would also include taking appropriate footwear so if at any stage we got to a point whereby we thought we could not continue or thought we were going to get an injury we would put on shoes so we could complete the journey without putting our health and safety at unnecessary risk.
On 29 January 2017 we walked 30km in Jandals in 7hrs in one go with no injuries and only used one pair of Jandals each (despite carrying a back up pair each and a pair of hiking boots). There will be a further blog posted shortly about this training session 
Homes of Hope is such a worthwhile charity that needs our support, for so many reasons, not only are they a local charity that do so much for the children in our community that need so much love and support they are one that often gets overlooked at times.
Over 6000 NZ children are in foster care due to serious neglect or abuse and, despite best intentions, they are often separated from their brothers and sisters and can change families up to 3 times per year.
We are looking forward to sharing our journey with you
Marc and Rach
