Liger Leadership Academy students Nikau Barnes, 14, and Joel van Beers, 15, are attempting to circumnavigate Lake Whakatipu early next year to support the Whakatipu Reforestation Trust.
In the first few weeks of January, the pair will take on the 250km journey, with about 8km of elevation gain, around the lake and up its peaks.
They expect it’ll take them between 10-20 days and along the way they’ll stop at important reforestation sites for documentation to give insight into the efforts being made for local reforestation and boost exposure for various projects.
Nikau says he got the idea for the challenge earlier this year when he was ski touring.
"I realised there were so many peaks around the lake I wanted to summit — so I thought, ‘why not combine it all into one trip?’"
After getting his classmate Joel involved, the pair thought taking on the challenge would be a good opportunity to raise awareness and funds for the reforestation trust.
"We wanted to relate our journey to the environment as it’s not at its best at the moment, and we want to help out," Joel says.
"We want to raise money for the trust, but also encourage people to go to planting days."
As part of the planning, the pair have reached out to industry experts like Erik Bradshaw — the first person to ski the Southern Alps — who has helped plan the route to ensure it’s the most efficient.
Also on board for the journey is Chris Prudden, a mountaineer with over 30 years’ experience.
Prudden’s an alpine assessor for the New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association and a guide for Queenstown Mountain Guides — he’ll help the boys up Single Cone, the highest point on the Remarkables.
Nikau and Joel are feeling both excited and nervous ahead of the big trek, but are eager to raise money for the environment, setting a goal of $2000.
To donate, visit tinyurl.com/4s7rsnct
