Billy Runs NZ For Forest & Bird (Te Araroa Speed Record)

Kia ora!

Beginning February 3rd I will be attempting to set a new self-supported Fastest Known Time on the 3,000km (1,900 mi.) Te Araroa Trail, which spans across the entirety of Aotearoa New Zealand. I'm aiming to average 70km (44 miles) / day for nearly 45 days in order to break the current overall, supported record of 49.5 days.

My hope is that future generations will also have the opportunity to attempt this record and thus I'm using this opportunity to raise money for Forest & Bird, Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading independent conservation non-profit. Every day, Forest & Bird’s members, supporters, and staff speak up for nature and have been putting in the hard yards to protect it for over 100 years.

As an avid thru hiker, trail runner, and landscape photographer, nature has always been a place where I can go to escape the noise and look inwards. It's existence is vital to ours. Yet the sad reality is that this existence is under threat. The twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are hitting Aotearoa New Zealand’s iconic wildlife and wild places hard. The country has the highest proportion of threatened species anywhere in the world, with more than 75% of indigenous birds, bats, reptiles and freshwater fish threatened with extinction or at risk.

If you have ever enjoyed or have hopes one day visit New Zealand's incredibly rich and biodiverse landscape, I urge you to consider making a donation so that we may continue to enjoy these wild & sacred spaces.

Cheers!