Firefighters walk 280km for charity

Onerahi firefighters in training for a previous Sky Tower challenge.

Walking 283.5km from Waitangi to Auckland is no easy feat but 12 firemen dressed in full gear are taking up the challenge to raise money for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand.

The walk begins at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds on Thursday morning, after a 7am blessing, led by six members of the New Zealand Firefighters Charitable Trust.

They aim to finish the walk at Auckland's Sky Tower on May 17 for the Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge, where they will be joined by blood cancer patients and their families before climbing the 1103 stairs of the Sky Tower.

Northland brigades will show their support, with firefighters joining in along the way as the walkers pass through their patches.

The team hopes to raise $20,000 for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand and will be bucket-shaking as they make their way from Waitangi to Auckland.

Senior firefighter Maaka McKinney, of the Birkenhead Fire Brigade, says he's looking forward to finally setting off.

''We've spent a lot of time planning how to go about this, so it'll be good to actually be on the road where you know all you have to do is get from A to B,'' Mr McKinney said.

''For me this walk is a way to do something to help people who need it. I know there are families out there with loved ones diagnosed with a blood cancer. They're facing hard journeys of their own with no option of giving up. That's a really powerful motivator for what we're trying to achieve.''

The team hopes to get through an average of almost 30km a day for 10 days, the longest stretch a 60km walk from Wellsford to Helensville.

''On the last leg we will be wearing helmets that have been decorated by children with leukaemia and their siblings. Some of them will be walking up to the Sky Tower with us, which will be one of the best parts of the whole thing,'' Mr McKinney said.

Approximately 10,000 New Zealanders have blood cancer or related conditions, with six children and adults diagnosed each day. The Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge figures are 184 participating brigades and stations, 700 firefighters, 51 flights of stairs and 1103 steps.

* The walk starts at the Treaty Grounds on Thursday after a 7am blessing. The firefighters will spend the first night in Kawakawa; after reaching their destination they be holding bucket collections in Kerikeri, Paihia and Russell. On May 9 they will walk to Hikurangi, May 10 to Whangarei, and May 11 to Ruakaka. They will be teaching fire awareness and fundraising along the way.