Team Bhuna to be Wild

Follow the adventures of two daring Kiwis and a whinging Pom as we embark on the trip of a lifetime travelling the length of India in a glorified lawnmower.

Brendan, Ursula and Lottie, collectively team Bhuna to be Wild, armed with absolutely no mechanical or cultural smarts will be racing a Tuk Tuk 3,000km across India - what could possibly go wrong?!

Team Bhuna in a nutshell:

Brendan – A true blue ‘Naki boy despite his more recent Wellington and Jaffa years, Brendo is the only guy mad enough to agree to do this with the girls. Brendan brings top quality banter and will no doubt make fast friends with the locals and put New Zealand well and truly on the map by introducing them to his beloved L&P. If (when) we wind up lost, we’ll be relying on Brendan to guide us back to the nearest city, this lad can sniff out the Colonel’s secret blend of herbs and spices from miles off. #KFC4LYF.

Ursula – No stranger to life on the open road, Ursh is the least likely to wind up with cabin fever after hours and hours spent rattling along in a tin can. This girl is also the most capable of keeping the troops on their toes, growing up with Brendan and seven years of flatting with Lottie has her well equipped to handling their combined shit chat and borderline personality disorders. Ursula often misquotes common sayings and acknowledging her habit for communication issues has conceded she should not be first choice for team translator.

Lottie – Notorious complainer and dubious driver, the rest of the team have their work cut out putting up with two and a half weeks of this gal’s whinging and dodgy driving. Holding the self-proclaimed role of Team DJ, rather than doing any research into the route, common mechanical maintenance issues or geographic and cultural spots along the way, Lottie is concerned only with preparing a banger playlist to keep the troops entertained en route.

For those unfamiliar with the Rickshaw Run, here's the deal ...

The brainchild of The Adventurists - the Rickshaw Run is a race across India in an underpowered, unreliable, uncomfortable three-wheeler. With no set route, no back up plan and no roadside assistance, in the words of the organisers themselves the Run is "easily the least sensible thing to do with two weeks."

So why do it? Not only does the Run present an opportunity for unparalleled adventure and hilarity, it's also a charity fundraiser. Along with the other teams silly enough to take on the challenge, we will be raising money for Cool Earth the official Rickshaw Run charity. Cool Earth is a charity that works tirelessly alongside indigenous villages to halt rainforest destruction. Pretty bloody cool right? You can find out more about Cool Earth and the important work it is doing here: https://www.coolearth.org/

Team Bhuna have also decided to support New Zealand charity Pillars, which provides mentoring and support to children of prisoners. Children of prisoners are some of the most vulnerable children in the community. Pillars’ seeks to encourage and support these children and build stronger communities for the benefit of all New Zealanders. You can find out more about Pillars and the outstanding work it does here: http://www.pillars.org.nz/

So - if you think this all sounds like a fantastic idea and want to get behind us and donate some money to these wonderful causes then click the link below and pop along to our Give a Little page and make a donation. Then give yourself a big old pat on the back for being so lovely. Bravo!

(If you think this a terrible and dangerous idea then why not go ahead and donate anyway - just for funsies.)

All of your hard earned and kindly donated money will go to Cool Earth and Pillars, (unfortunately) none of it will be funding our trip. The donations will be split 50/50 between the two organisations.

We hope to keep you updated and entertained with our progress in the build up to and during the race, so keep your eyes peeled and watch this space.

Cheerio!

Brendan, Ursula and Lottie.