“We managed to raise about $1300 to help the local organisation, to support it in starting a drop-in centre where guys can go to secure help. The race was quite a mental challenge and quite fit to advocate for such a cause — so we named our team Hear4U,” Ms Spence said.
The team of four divided their roles in terms of their respective strengths, she said.
While she was head of logistics and overall leader, Mr Blake was in charge of navigation, Mr Button was a “pack horse” (carrying a lot of the gear) and Mr Clapperton was the medic and allrounder.
Teams were also allowed a support crew to help them out during the journey and team Hear4U had the services of Mr Blake's dad Roger, Mr Clapperton's wife Jackie, and Hear4U member Chris Fraser.
Originally a Gisborne team, they were joined by ex-raft guide and Rotorua businessman Mr Button after another team member injured his knee in training.
Initial preparations saw the team take on training missions in places such as Koranga Forks and the Waioeka area, hiking, biking and paddling together.
“We wanted to try out our gear and see what combinations worked, say, in paddling together.
“It was really hard for all of us to find time and train during weekends, as everyone has their full-time jobs and families, so we were doing what we could in our own time,” Ms Spence said.
The race started in Milford Sound, with day one packrafting/canoeing through the sound before the team switched on to their mountain bikes and rode through the Homer tunnel, then into white water paddling, followed by a 30km hike.
Mr Blake said on day two they walked up the Hidden Falls Creek, went through a tricky area called Hidden Falls, and at the end of the day climbed 800 metres to a saddle called Parks Pass.
The next day, the team crossed the top point of Alpine Pass to the bottom of the Dart River.
“On our third day, we went through major windstorms that I have never seen before in my life,” said Ms Spence. “But luckily it was a tail wind and we went down the Dart River for about 28km and paddled across Lake Glenorchy which is close to Queenstown.”
On reaching a transition point, the team was finally able to meet up with their support crew for the first time since the start of the race — a chance to recharge, change their gears and stock up on food.
After refreshments the team started out at 7pm for their next challenge, a 90km bike ride.
Mr Blake said they biked all night long. The first part of the ride saw them bike along the edges of Lake Wakatipu, relishing its beauty. They then turned inland from Mt Nicholas Station for a 35km uphill ride where they had to endure screaming southerly winds as the temperature dropped to 4 degrees.
Day four was spent mostly tracking up through checkpoints like Lincoln hut and traversing through mountain ridges.
On day five Ms Spence said she had to be “choppered out” from Eyre Mountain Range for medical attention, due to “severe wet feet”.
The final two days saw the rest of the team mountain biking again — a massive 170km ride to Lake Onslow which took them 23 hours to complete, including a two-hour sleep break — climbing through Nevis Valley to paddling 38km on Taieri River and finishing the race with a 20km hike to Brighton Beach in Dunedin.
Mr Blake said the teams were given a map and a handbook to help them navigate their way through 33 checkpoints and nine transition points, where their support crews greeted them with nourishments and helped them get ready for the next challenge.
For Ms Spence, the highlight of the journey was having dinner on the side of a mountain in the Hollyford Valley on the first night.
“It was a pretty cool team moment.
“We all slept in our sleeping bags and made sure we didn't roll down the steep slope as we basically had camped on the side of the mountain.
“To be away from devices, and see the stars and bush was awesome. I think more people should clock out from such things in life and just go and chill somewhere.”
As a cycling enthusiast, Mr Blake said he enjoyed riding up the Milford Road with no traffic in view and having the road to themselves.
Another highlight was the 90km bike ride which started at Glenorchy and finished near Mavora Lake.
“It was tough biking into the darkness at night and especially against a cold southerly. None of us could feel our hands or feet ,or even had the right gear to withstand such extreme conditions.
“I cherished this experience because we had to dig deep into our mental toughness to keep pushing on, and that's what makes GODZone interesting,” he said.
Ms Spence said the team had their own highs and lows and they made sure to keep a check on each other, providing “back up” when someone felt the heat.
One such situation was when the team was climbing up a dense bush area called the Hidden Falls Creek on day two and Mr Blake said he realised they had travelled only 500 metres in two hours.
“As a navigator, we could see the river heading in the direction of the hill and it all lined up — but it still made no sense because of our slow progress, and so there was that moment of doubt.
“But as a team we decided to stop and have dinner while I sorted out the issue. It did cost us time but it also meant that we weren't going in the wrong direction.”
Ms Spence had a near-death experience while walking across a scree mountain top in the Eyre Mountains range — a feature of South Island mountains, where broken rocks move downhill and make it difficult for climbers to have a foothold.
“I slid about 10 metres downhill till a boulder stopped me. It wasn't too far, but enough to really scare me — as it was a couple of hundred metres drop from where we were climbing,” she said.
It was only three hours later that the team had to make the tough call to fly out Ms Spence to get immediate medical attention.
“My feet turned white and I felt like the whole skin of my feet would have peeled off in a day or more if I continued. So it was better for the team to carry on.”
She felt “gutted” to leave the race temporarily as it meant the team would go unranked, since it is mandatory for all members to finish the race as one unit.
Mr Blake said overall the race was “emotionally a tiring journey”.
Previously having been diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), he said the race itself seemed quite similar to how he went through and dealt with depression.
“To keep pushing your limits even though your body is aching, stiff, and sore. Your eyes feel like sandpaper and you can barely move, but you've got to finish the race — and that's similar to depression.
“You have those lows and deep dark moments but when you have a good support crew around you, it helps you get through the struggle,” he said.
Team Hear4U completed the race in seven and a half days.
“It'll be great if we can inspire others to do Godzone, to explore and enjoy the outdoors and just give it a go,” said Ms Spence.
