Rotorua community to brave the cold for Harold the Giraffe

Harold the Giraffe with the spinning wheel at last year's event. Photo/Supplied

Life Education Trust Rotorua's Dunk for Harold will see locals take the plunge into icy cold water on Sunday.

While the fundraiser has traditionally been held at Tikitapu (Blue Lake), this year it will be at the Rotorua Aquatic Centre's outdoor pool so more people can take part.

Life Education Trust Rotorua trustee Kylie Brackfield says she has been a trustee for three years.

She says her business is a part of Apparelmaster, which decided as a national group to take on Life Education as a national charity.

Kylie went to see the local trustees and introduce herself, then thought she should take the extra step and decided to join as a trustee herself.

She says the thing she likes about Life Education is it means supporting all the primary and intermediate children of Rotorua.

The Dunk for Harold event is a lot of fun and she enjoys seeing the children and adults taking on the challenge of jumping into the freezing water, she says.

"We make it a fun family affair. The Rotorua business community are really generous and we've got plenty of fun prizes.

"It's just a fun event to be involved in and know we are helping out Harold. We see 6000 children a year."

Despite the freezing water there were still smiles at last year's event. Photo/File

This year's theme for costumes is "Coats, Contraptions and Capes".

"It's really cool when you can see they've made a great effort to enter the 'Best Dressed'.

"The kids just love it. Harold is such a popular icon in their life."

The event will also include a sausage sizzle, spinning wheel, $2 lucky dip and hot drinks.

Kylie says with Harold the Giraffe and the Life Education bus the children start learning about their bodies, food and nutrition, and as they get older talk about bullying and keeping themselves safe.

As they get older it even broaches into substance abuse, she says.

"It's giving them life skills that sometimes fall between the cracks so when they are out in the community they can make educated decisions."

Life Education provides Rotorua children with the knowledge and skills to lead healthier lives.

The programme is not government funded and relies on fundraising efforts.

People can still enter on the day if they have a little bit of sponsorship beforehand. Those who are there as supporters are also encouraged to bring along a gold coin donation.

The Details
- What: Dunk for Harold
- When: Sunday June 24, 10am to 2pm
- Where: Rotorua Aquatic Centre