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Australian adventurer Huw Kingston and former Kiwi representative cyclist Laurence Mote will set off on their 4500km human-powered journey the length of New Zealand this week, in an effort to raise vital funds for climate-resilient classrooms in Vanuatu.
Dubbed ‘Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa’, the pair will begin their ambitious 90-day ski, hike, cycle and sail winter journey from Cape Reinga on Wednesday, June 25, to Slope Point. The route covers skiing at all 24 outdoor ski fields across the country, as well as Snowplanet in Auckland, along with extensive cycling, hiking trails, and sailing the Cook Strait.
For Mote, who is legally blind and continues to manage symptoms from a life-changing brain injury in 2013, caused by a bee sting, anaphylactic shock, and subsequent stroke, the expedition is expected to be exceptionally demanding.
Kingston completed a 700km ski and trek journey through the Australian Alps to raise funds for an Indigenous literacy project, Our Yarning, in 2022. He said Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa is even more ambitious.
“It’s good to be in New Zealand, to have met up with Laurence and to be sorting a mound of equipment for the next three months. Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa is an adventure, a celebration of New Zealand, of mountain life and a call to action. Our Pacific neighbours are living on the frontline of the climate crisis, and it’s vital we all step up to make a difference,” Kingston said.
“I arrived across the Tasman just in time to attend the celebrations for Matariki, the Māori New Year, an auspicious start to our journey across the landscapes of this stunning country.”
Mote added that over the weekend, he was “blessed with a perfect view of Matariki”, which left him with a “shiver of anticipation of what was to come”.
The pair is aiming to raise more than $75,000 to support Save the Children’s and the Vanuatu Government’s Ministry of Education and Training’s innovative climate classrooms pilot project in Vanuatu. Recent climate-related emergencies, including back-to-back and out-of-season cyclones, have caused widespread damage and destruction to schools across the country and disrupted children’s learning.
Save the Children Vanuatu Country Director Polly Banks said the forward-thinking shipping container classrooms will help children get back to learning and a sense of normality faster.
“In times of crisis, children returning to normal routines as soon as possible, including school, helps with their recovery,” she said.
“Our climate resilient classrooms will give children the chance to get back to school quickly, reconnect with friends and teachers, and help them feel better and safer. Huw and Laurence’s fundraising efforts will be used to pilot these classrooms and, if successful, we will look to scale the concept to reach children around the country.”
The classroom design includes multiple facets of sustainability, such as locally sourced and sustainable building materials, improved natural light and ventilation, and renewable energy for lights and fans.
People looking to support the ambitious journey can donate to the cause or even buy a ski resort in a quirky fundraising initiative through the official website and fundraising page. To date, the pair have already raised $17,000.
