The date has been set and there is only a day to go until a King Country builder Kieran Powell will be downing tools to get on his bike to cycle the circumference of New Zealand raising money for Hospice Waikato.
Powell will start “The Long Way Home” cycle on December 1 from Raglan at 7am (near the Raglan Roast coffee shop), in memory of his 97 year old Nana who passed away in August after a short battle with terminal bowel cancer.
“She fought extremely hard to make the most of her time with us, she really was the strongest woman and we were so privileged to have had her in our lives,” Powell said.
“The help, support and love our family has received from Hospice Waikato over the last few months has been immeasurable. We feel as though we will never be able to say thank you or express our gratitude enough, fundraising to help them continue their amazing services is the least I could do.”
He expects the 12,000km journey to take approximately four to five months, travelling at around 120km a day.
“The nerves are definitely kicking in now, it’s going to be a hard slog but I’m really looking forward to the challenge.” He will head north up the West Coast around the top of the north island, down the East coast to Wellington.
From Picton he will cruise along the West Coast south to Invercargill, and back up the East Coast of the South Island.
His journey will able to be live tracked on https://maprogress.com/ with a gps donated by Shane and Jane Davidson for anyone who wanted to keep up to date.
Prepared for spending Christmas on the road and the isolation his journey will bring, Powell was also welcoming any cyclists to join him for a leg where they could.
“It would be great to see a friendly face out there to help me get through a few kilometres along the journey,” he said.
He was also asking any businesses or people along the coast that would be willing to help with donation boxes, put a roof over his head or supply a warm drink to get in touch.
“Hopefully I won’t smell too bad,” he laughed.
“At the end of the day, this isn’t for me so any help received would be greatly appreciated by not just myself, but Hospice staff, patients in palliative care and their families.”
“As an essential service, Hospice relies on the generosity of the public to make up a shortfall of nearly $82 million dollars a year that the Government does not provide so every dollar raised will go a long way.”
“Terminal illnesses and the mental and physical suffering that can come with a diagnosis is tough but Hospice gives those in palliative care and their families support, love and dignity in their final moments.”
The sole owner and employee of KP Building, he will be giving up his business to complete The Long Way Home and hopes to raise as much money as he can for Hospice.
Powell said his journey wouldn’t be possible without the kind support of sponsors G.J. Gardner, Fulton Hogan, PlaceMakers, Permapine, Loan Market, Business Collective, NPG, Torpedo7, the Speedy family and Holy Spoke.
You can donate to Hospice Waikato through the fundraising campaign by clicking this link and selecting “the long way home” under “type of donation”.
If you’re interested in supporting and following Kieran’s journey, please check out “The Long Way Home Aotearoa” on Facebook or Instagram.