40 Hour Famine fundraiser has its ups and downs

Two Wakatipu High School pupils put up with confined space, sleep deprivation, cold and each other to spend nearly two days in a Skyline gondola cabin at the weekend.

Good mates Jack McBeth and Rohil Prasad (both 16) left their gondola cabin only for toilet breaks during their fundraising effort for the World Vision 40 Hour Famine, which ended yesterday.

When the Otago Daily Times joined the pair for a spin on Saturday, Jack said their first night was "pretty challenging".

"I don’t think we realised how small the space is."

Given the difficulty sleeping, they expected to be "pretty smashed" when their 40 hours were up at noon yesterday.

During the first night, until their cabin was taken off the line at 4am and stored in the bottom station, they had only snatches of sleep, and lost awareness of whether they were going up or down.

They had kept warm with donated jackets and sleeping bags.

Rohil said they were not allowed any form of entertainment, such as phones, books and games, so they occupied their time by talking and playing verbal games.

They were sometimes joined in the cabin by up to two friends or family, and chatted to Skyline staff as they passed through the stations.

Jack said he spent 40 hours in a one-person tent for the 40 Hour Famine two years ago, and the pair decided to tackle something on a grander scale.

"What’s the first thing you see in Queenstown? It’s the gondola, so if we could do it in a gondola, it would be a great way to get it across to the public."

They were among about 100 pupils at their school taking part in fundraising activities, with a combined goal of $10,000.

This year's 40 Hour Famine is raising funds for Sub Saharan Africa.

guy.williams@odt.co.nz