Tracey's Walk for Wishes

Starting at Cape Reinga in the North and finishing at the Bluff in the South, the Te Araroa Trail, TAT, is 3,000km in distance and I will be walking its length, self-supported for five months.

I am walking to raise money for Make-A-Wish NZ.

Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children with life threatening medical conditions. These wishes are tailored to each child and designed to bring them hope, strength and joy at a difficult time in their lives.

I love living life to the fullest, giving everything I can a go and experiencing new things, and as a mother of two healthy adult children, I could not imagine how frightening it would be to have a child with a life threatening medical condition and it saddens me to think that some children may not get the opportunities or have the capabilities to live their lives to the fullest.

It is my wish that my contribution lets eligible kiwi kids have that one wish come true that allows them an experience that they otherwise may not get and a chance for them and their families to forget their struggles, if even just for one day.

The Bayleys Foundation are proud to be the Elite Sponsor for Make-A-Wish NZ and I am doing this in connection with the company I work for, Bayleys Taranaki.

Bayleys have over 70 offices throughout the country and they will be organising support crews for me as I pass through each location, where there are Bayleys offices, to help make this charity fundraiser a real winner.

While I have completed multi half marathons and long distance, forced pack marches and other small scale endurance events, this is by far the biggest physical and mental challenge I have set myself. I have nothing else to compare this trail with, but I know that I am capable of completing it through my mental and physical toughness and sheer stubbornness, as well as thorough research, forward planning, careful preparation and the support from the Bayleys network.

With special thanks to Macpac and Shoe Clinic for their support