Donate some bucks while Lachlan attacks the Huks. He will need to be at his best for this 24hr test.

Hi, I'm Lachlan. I am a 15-year-old, year 11 St.Johns boy from Hamilton.

I have been inspired by my neighbor Mike who is the Granddad to my friends (David and Joshua) to climb the Hakarimata Summit for 24 hours to raise money for Melanoma NZ, in honor of Mikes's nephew and David and Joshua's Dad, Gavin.

In May of 2015, just four months after arriving in New Zealand from South Africa, Gavin was diagnosed with melanoma. It was extremely aggressive and only 6 months later (23rd of November 2015) he passed away at the young age of 48, leaving his wife (Penny) and two kids (David and Joshua, 4 and 2 at the time) behind.

This really hit home for me, as my own Grandad Mark has just finished his intense treatment for his 2nd bout of an aggressive form of Melanoma cancer and is currently in remission. I saw firsthand how much pain cancer causes a family.

We all know someone who has been affected by the dreaded C in one way or another.

The big test will be on 25 November 2023 - Feel free to join Mike and me on the steps or just come around and show your support.

The first bit to the start (1 km) has 109 stairs up. Then, 1,359 to the top and a further 28 to the lookout. Totalling 1,496 stairs from Brownlee Ave to the summit lookout. How many stairs do you think I will climb in 24 hours?

Along with the support of Mike and my family, I have been training for the last few months. I would be very grateful if you could even donate $1 to support us!

Thank you for reading

Lachlan