Do Mt Buller News readers remember three years ago (2022) the adventure snow hike and ski of Huw Kingston who covered more than 700kms of Australia’s snow-covered peaks raising funds for Save The Children?
Well, this year Huw has set off on a similar venture - this time from one end of New Zealand to the other.
“After traversing the length of the Australian Alps in my Winter 2022 Alpine Odyssey journey, I looked across the Tasman to Aotearoa/NZ…” Huw said on his website blog.
Huw along with good (and blind) friend, Laurence Mote, are traversing the length of New Zealand, skiing at every ski area; and as he did in Australia – ‘will be selling each resort he intends to visit’.
He is currently some 10 days into this mammoth 4000km bike ride, walk and ski trip.
A major chunk of the 4000km journey will be taken on mountain bikes, towing trailers with ski/camp gear on board. Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa will take some 90 days and commenced on June 25.
On his fourth day Huw said: “Four days into our journey and so much already. A farewell to Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean crash together like the All Blacks and Wallabies front rows. But the Cape, Te Rerenga Wairua, is not just the north point of the North Island, but a place of much significance to Māori. A place where the spirits, having travelled north along Te Oneroa ō Tohe, 90 Mile Beach, eventually leave Aotearoa for their journey across the Pacific to Hawaiki, the land where the original Māori migrated from.”
Huw has taken on the task this year of raising enough money to support the Shipping Container Classroom Pilot Project which will be made possible through donations aimed at AUD $75,000 plus New Zealand donations as well and through partnership with the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET). This partnership ensures the project aligns with national education goals and supports long-term planning.
“Our journey will raise funds for climate adaptation and resilience projects in the South Pacific, our island nation neighbours who are right on the frontline of climate change,” Huw said.
“In a country like Vanuatu, one of the most cyclone-prone and disaster-affected nations in the world, his initiative addresses the urgent need for safe, adaptable learning spaces.”
The funding will support the design and conversion of 20ft and 40ft shipping containers into durable, clime-resilient classrooms using local materials and builders, help to strengthen community skills for sustainability.
The project also includes essential classroom furnishings, transportation of the containers to selected sites, site preparation and installation of solar and battery, provided by Starlink.
Together with MoET, this pilot will serve as a scalable model for future classroom development across vulnerable communities, ensuring children have continued access to education even in times of disaster.
To follow Huw’s New Zealand Odyssey journey go to wwwhuwkingston.com/alpine-odyssey-aotearoa
Donations can be made through this site.
