More than just another long ride

Two people, two bikes, two islands, two weeks and more than 2000 kilometres. That's how Far North expatriates Rex Faithfull and his partner Fiona Jagiello were billing their cycling marathon from Bluff to Cape Reinga, which is now nearing Kaitaia, but they also have a very personal motive.

They have a cause - to raise awareness and funds for the Cancer Society, in particular Domain Lodge in Auckland, as a gesture of gratitude for all that was done for Rex's mother, Kathryn Faithfull, who died in early 2012, just months after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

They hope to raise $10,000 and as of yesterday had $8198.30 in the kitty.

Kathryn, the devoted mother of three children (Carolyn, Michelle and Rex), and wife of Clyde Faithfull, was a primary school teacher in Kerikeri when her cancer was diagnosed in late October 2011. She was admitted to Auckland Hospital shortly after diagnosis. Prior to that her symptoms, including pelvic pain and a general feeling of tiredness, had not rung alarm bells - until she collapsed at work.

It was when Kathryn underwent a hysterectomy that it was discovered how far the cancer had spread. Just before Christmas the family were told that it was terminal, and that Kathryn had only a few weeks to live.

She never lost her determination to fight the disease, and continued with treatment, but that meant she could not leave the hospital to spend Christmas with her family, or be at her daughter Carolyn's wedding, which she had spent months planning. That's where Domain Lodge, the Cancer Society-run facility across the road from Auckland Hospital, really came into its own.

Not only did it provided accommodation for the Faithfull family - Clyde stayed there for the duration of Kathryn's stay in hospital - but welcomed the family, including members from the South Island, Sweden and the UK, to celebrate Christmas 2011 there with Kathryn.

The Lodge was able to accommodate the extended family for her last Christmas, and responded to the news that she would not be able to travel for Carolyn's wedding in the Bay of Islands, provided the venue for that occasion too.

The couple were married in the Domain Lodge, with less than a week's notice, and photos were taken in the gardens, allowing Kathryn and Clyde to walk Carolyn down the aisle, a moment the family will never forget.

"This went beyond the call of duty for the staff of Domain Lodge to accommodate such a large event with little notice," Rex said.

"The staff recognised that with little precious time left, the final moments with Mum would be treasured by the family forever."

Rex and his partner Fiona are now channelling Kathryn's determination and spirit by cycling the length of New Zealand in just two weeks, covering an average of more than 150 kilometres per day. By doing so they hope to raise awareness for the Cancer Society and of ovarian cancer, as well as raising funds for Domain Lodge, so that other families whose lives are affected by cancer can benefit from the same care and comfort they found from there.

The trip would certainly not be a walk in the park, they said before setting off, but would represent the struggle faced by every person who was diagnosed with cancer, along with the friends and families whose lives were touched by the disease.

To know that there were places such as Domain Lodge was a small comfort for those families affected by cancer, they said.

Rex and Fiona didn't make it easy for themselves as they prepared for their marathon, and to abandon their desks (she is a solicitor, he an engineer). Once they complete the ride they will be heading for London, not permanently but "an OE sort of thing," Fiona said, via South America.

"It's not easy getting everything done before we leave," she added, a couple of days before she and Rex mounted up.