A Cornwall couple were in Hawke's Bay last week as part of a 16,000km trip on a tandem bike raising awareness about UK charity ShelterBox.
Huw and Carolyn Thomas arrived in Hawke's Bay on Thursday and spoke to local Rotary Clubs, which support the New Zealand branch of the disaster relief
charity.
Shelter boxes sent to areas such as Haiti following the earthquake contained a family tent, blankets, tools and other vital equipment for a family of up to 10. The couple have worked with ShelterBox and were raising awareness and money for the cause.
"We wanted to do a big bike trip and decided to combine the adventure with doing something useful," Mr Thomas said. "The response has been wonderful. It's a simple concept and when people hear about it they like it."
They had their biggest day yet on Thursday cycling 120km from Dannevirke to Taradale, pulling their shelter box on a trailer behind them.
The Thomases have travelled through Canada and the USA and leave for Australia in March. All together they would spend about a year cycling through North America, New Zealand and Australia, Northern Europe and the UK and Ireland.
They were chronicling their adventures online at www.tandem10.wordpress.com
