Cycling the length of New Zealand has "always been on the bucket list" for Rotorua man Ray Hewlett and, at the age of 71, he has ticked it off.
Hewlett and Barry Williams, of Hikutaia, met during a trip to watch the Tour de France and share a passion for cycling. The pair, self-named the CapeBluffers, cycled from Cape Brett to Bluff in less than a month to raise money for Paralympics New Zealand and Waikato Paralympic cyclist Tim Williams, Barry's nephew, who broke his neck playing rugby as a 19-year-old.
Hewlett is no stranger to long-distance exertion. He has completed 12 Ironman events, including the World Championships in Kona, and run 73 marathons, including the Rotorua Marathon 30 times.
"I called Barry with the idea and he said 'yep I'm in', with no hesitation. We discussed raising money as an incentive and got in touch with Paralympics New Zealand. They agreed to give us some publicity and share the proceeds 50/50 with Tim," Hewlett said.
Tim's injury occurred during a scrum and left him with no motor function from the chest down, but almost normal sensation and feeling in his body.