Firefighters scale tower for charity

Firefighters climbed the Sky Tower. Photo / Supplied

The Auckland Sky Tower Stair Challenge on Saturday saw 750 firefighters from across the country climb the tower, including 10 firefighters from Ngongotaha.

Lake Okareka and Mamaku brigades also took part.

The event, in which each firefighter raced up the 51 flights of stairs wearing up to 25kg of firefighting gear, was a fundraiser for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand (LBC).

The national charity is for patients and families with blood cancers and related conditions.

Ngongotaha firefighter Clay Gulliver was aiming to be fastest and Natasha Morrison was the only woman in their team of 10.

Ngongotaha Volunteer Fire Service acting chief Francis Boag said he was extremely proud of his team.

"Clay was the fastest out of our team, taking between 12 and 14 minutes to reach the top. Natasha did really well, too.

"We managed to reach our target - overall we raised more than $1 million for LBC.

"Big praises to all the firefighters and the support of the community, and a big thank you to the organisers for allowing us to take part."

The challenge kicked off at 8am and LBC chief executive Pru Etcheverry said the firefighters were competitive on the climb.

"We loved their enthusiasm and are deeply appreciative of their dedication and support," Ms Etcheverry said.

There was also a special squad of non-firefighters competing in the event, comprising well-known New Zealand celebrities, media personalities and LBC corporate supporters.

These included Seven Sharp presenter Nadine Chalmers-Ross and Sky Sports commentator and former New Zealand netballer Adine Wilson.