In the challenge 33 teams race from Auckland to Queenstown on a budget of $10, raising money for Cure Kids.
Last year, the event, in which teams of two make their way down the country, completing challenges along the way, raised $400,000 for research.
The route the teams will take in the 2009 race is under wraps until the start and the challenges, designed by Clued Up, attract points which will be tallied at the race finish to determine the overall winner.
Cure Kids chief executive Vicki Lee said she was pleased with the strong support for this year's race.
"This reinforces for us that this event is firmly established as a fantastic fundraiser for Cure Kids.
"The people who have entered are totally committed to raising as much money as possible, at the same time having a lot of fun on the way.
"The competitors . . . help increase the profile of Cure Kids as they travel through the country, which is an important spin-off of the race."
Six Accor teams have entered, including one from Novotel Queenstown Lakeside hotel, where the race will finish on October 2.
The remaining teams represent a varied cross-section, including Rotary, the IT and travel industries and Cure Kids' key partners.
Teams have to raise $7000 to enter but most are focused on raising more in a bid to win the coveted Champion Fundraising Trophy.
The Gen-i Super Mums team of Alison Slyfield and Chrissie Barfoot, both of Auckland, have a special affinity with the goals of the challenge and Cure Kids because their children, James (3) and Harris (4), suffer from leukaemia, which has inspired them to enter.
"We only have to find the energy and the willpower to survive these three days, while the kids we are raising funds for have to find the same determination to face their challenges on a daily basis," Mrs Slyfield said.
"Every dollar counts and Cure Kids is such an awesome organisation."
Similarly, Aucklander Karen North, whose son Chris is a Cure Kids ambassador and suffers from asthma, has entered and will race through the country with team-mate Gaylene Leabourn, also of Auckland, as the Miracle Mums team.
Another Auckland resident, Beryl Robinson, representing Rotary, is returning to the race after competing in 2006, when she and her race partner were the champion fundraisers.
"This year, I am teamed with my husband, Colin.
"We must be crazy, but I regard this as an adventure, while making a very positive contribution to this wonderful cause to fund vital medical research for children with life-threatening illnesses," she said.
"I never had so much fun raising money for such a worthy cause and have convinced Colin that he should do The Amazing Race Cure Kids-style, too."
Competitors carry cellphones throughout the event to remain in contact with race headquarters and this year, for the first time, they will be equipped with a Palm Treo to upload photographs and Twitter updates on to their Windows Live page on the web.
• The $10 Queenstown Challenge begins in Auckland on September 30 and ends in Queenstown on October 2. Entrants must use their ingenuity and creativity to make their way down the length of the country, spending only $10 and completing various challenges along the way.
