Karyn taking on the Tour Aotearoa

In February 2020 I will be biking the length of NZ, which will be a long, tough challenge. There will be times I want to quit, and others hopefully when I think I have it nailed. There are so many worthy charities so deciding "who" was not easy. But for me, the two I have chosen are both significant. The first charity is the Mental Health Foundation which is close to my heart. I've been affected personally, and I've seen people I care about affected. We have come a long way in bringing anxiety, depression etc it out in to the open, but we still have a long way to go. The Kiwi "Toughen Up" attitude needs to change, and all people,young or old, need to feel that it's ok to talk about it and it's ok to ask for help. If doing this ride helps raise awareness and money, that can then go further in raising awareness and removing the stigma, then that's going to be awesome

The second charity is The Whole Lotta Life Foundation, this is a local charity that is committed to providing a thriving community, support and hope for young adults in New Zealand affected by cancer. So many of us are or have been affected by cancer and I've lost to many friends and family to cancer so the more I can do to help this foundation the better.