Monday, 22 August 2022

Pair step up to complete Sky Tower Challenge

    1. Regions

    Firefighters from across Otago and Southland were among the energetic crews tackling this year's Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge on Saturday.

    The fundraising event featured more than 900 firefighters from all over Aotearoa, tackling the challenge of climbing up 51 flights of stairs at Auckland's Sky Tower, while wearing and carrying up to 25kg of kit and gear.

    Members of the emergency response teams from OceanaGold's Macraes and Waihi mines were among the crews competing in the event.

    Waitaki Rural Fire crew member AJ Burdon (left) and Macraes Emergency Response team member Aaron...
    Waitaki Rural Fire crew member AJ Burdon (left) and Macraes Emergency Response team member Aaron Packer take a well-earned rest after climbing 1103 steps in the Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
    Months of training paid off for the 10-person Macraes mine team from East Otago, who were still able to smile after completing the gruelling 1103-step challenge.

    Together with a team from the Waihi gold mine near Tauranga, they raised $65,000 for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand.
     
    This was the 18th year of the Sky Tower Challenge, which had to be postponed from its original May date due to Covid-19.  Firefighters this year raised a total of more than $1.2 million nationally.