Tour Aotearoa - Tara Iti Whānau Charitable Trust
To show my support for The Tara Iti Whānau Charitable Trust, I will be cycling Tour Aotearoa (3000 KM’s) from Cape Reinga to Bluff!
Northland
Hi, my name is Matt Guzik. My wife, Linda and I are fortunate to be living here in Mangawhai and involved at Tara Iti Golf Club and the Tara Iti Whānau Charitable Trust.
Tara Iti and Mangawhai are very special to us. We moved here from the US 7½ years ago to assist Ric and Suzanne with their vision to a build a world class golf course with an incredible membership, while assembling a passionate, purposeful and professional team. Since arriving here, we have always felt an amazing amount of support from the community, our members, staff and friends.
In 2020, The Tara Iti Whānau Charitable Trust was established to support the employees, caddies and families of Tara Iti Golf Club and to assist people, clubs and organisations in the wider community. The Trust aims to make a meaningful difference to the lives of many. It supports people of all ages, from all circumstances and encourages them to be their very best selves.
The timing of the lauch of the Trust could not have been better as shortly after its inception COVID set in and an immediate need appeared. To date the Trust has distributed over $250,000 to assist our caddies, employees and local community. It has addressed issues such as staff/family member health, cancer, leukaemia, education and many other worthwhile causes that make a difference to the lives of our Whānau.
Use of funds
Funds will be donated to Tara Iti Whānau Charitable Trust to help fund the support given to employees, caddies and the wider local Community.
Other page links
Latest update
Tour Aotearoa | Day 24 - Blown away in Bluff 17 December 2021
Thursday 16 December
Mossburn to Bluff (The finish line!) - 119 km | 5h 47m | 20.6 km/h
It's my last day of the TA! Do you know the phrase “I’m not gonna let it rain on my parade”. Well, it did rain on my parade as we headed towards Bluff. It wasn’t too heavy just annoying. The good news though was that we had a slight downhill for the rest of the way which kind of zigzagged both left and right as we entered Winton which was approx 50 km from where we finished off yesterday.
We stopped off in the centre of Winton at the bakery, where we refuelled with eggs on toast, a date scone and a flat white. From there we travelled onto Wallacetown which is approximately 24 km away. It was here that Meg finished up and Linda joined me for the final sector. I had assumed we would arrive in Bluff around midday but by around 1230 pm we were still 10 km away! As we entered Invercargill, we took a wrong turn and got a little lost for few kms before getting ourselves back on track.
We pedalled hard against winds towards Bluff and once again the GPS and directions let us down so again, there was another short detour. Finally, back on track with just 2 km to go of the amazing 3000 km journey the headwinds pick up. It's a hard push to the finish line. We have gone from a pace of approx 24 km/h on the bike to around 6 km/h. And as frustrating as it was we pushed through many times standing up on the bikes peddling as hard as we could trying to advance.
Those that were dot watching us were wondering if we had stopped or started walking. However that wasn’t the case. It was just that Bluff ended up being windier than Wellington!
Finally, we hit Sterling Point. The end of the road, at the end of the country and the end of this epic journey. 24 days. 3000 km long. And it was time to savour the moment. Tears fell with emotion and the Tara Iti team were on standby as the first of all to congratulate me.
I was so emotional that I couldn’t take the call at the time, but I want to thank Zoey for all she’s done in helping us along the way. I also wish to thank the entire TI team who have supported me throughout and provided the wonderful daily quotes to keep me motivated. I want to thank Meg, and my beutiful wife Linda for being alongside me all the way.
I guess after settling down and seeing a few photos taken of me at the finish line. I will begin to digest the magnitude of this adventure and accomplishment.
After a celebration drink kindly arranged by the team, we drive back to Invercargill and stop by the local cycle shop to pack up the bikes. We then head onto the Quest Hotel for a shower and a rest before dinner. We celebrate the occasion at Invercargill’s best restaurant Louie’s and are grateful to the Trust for this wonderful treat.
Tonight I look forward to a great nights sleep and no alarm or distance to tackle on the bike tomorrow. We have a midday flight scheduled from Invercargill to Auckland where I look forward to returning home and looking back at my daily adventures and images of Tour Aotearoa 2021!
Thank you again to all of you for your incredible generosity, encouragement, and for following me along NZ’s best ever bike-packing adventure! Against all the odds we made it happen and it will most certainly rank high up there in my memory bank.
Happy Holiday everyone and all the very best for 2022!
Latest donations
On behalf of Linda, myself and the Trust thank you for your kind donation.
Thanks Matt. Yes, completed. I finished the Auckland portion today as Auckland was in level 3 at the time. Look forward to seeing you at the club!
Thanks for your kind donation Cuz. We had a blast and I scope out several fly-fishing and hunting spots along the way! Merry Christmas
On behalf of the Trust, thank you for your kind donation. I look forward to catching up over the Holiday season
Thanks Matt and Anita, I wish you could have been there as well. Happy cycling this Holiday season!
Who's involved?
Page Q&A
One question has been asked already. Check it out and ask yours here.Any concerns?
Report this pageThank the donor
Your message will be displayed on the page and emailed to the donor.
Your new message will also be emailed to the donor.
Saving a blank entry will delete the current comment.