The second Great New Zealand Tractor Trek is arriving in Napier this Saturday, raising funds and awareness for Cranford Hospice.
Led by Trek founder Phil Aish, a cavalcade of tractors, jeeps and trucks is travelling more than 2600km from Bluff to Cape Reinga visiting towns along the way. The trek will be joined by participants from various towns as they make their way north.
The public are invited to welcome the trekkers and check out the tractor line up between 4pm and 8pm, at Kennedy Park Resort in Napier.
"We look forward to welcoming Phil and the group to Hawke's Bay," says Cranford Hospice CEO Janice Byford-Jones.
"We invite the public to come down and meet the drivers and check out these tractors up close," she says.
Cranford Hospice marketing and fundraising manager Nathalie van Dort says there will be lots of fun activities to have a go at.
"Children can shoot hoops with players from the Taylor Hawks basketball team, play on the playground, jump on the giant jumping pillow or bounce on the trampoline.
"Parents can enjoy a picnic or buy some food at the onsite food trucks."
The Trek is a labour of love for Phil Aish, who did a similar Trek in 2016 to honour a promise made to his wife Janice in her last weeks of life.
Phil and Janice wanted to thank Hospice for the support provided the Aish family during Janice's last days. When discussing the practicalities of such a Trek, Janice told him to 'do it'.
"You can't put a price on having the burden of care lifted off your shoulders when someone close to you has a life-limiting condition.
"Hospices in towns all over New Zealand provide people and their families with a very special type of care and support.
"Our family didn't know it existed until we needed it. I want other families to know that these amazing services are being provided in their own communities, so they have an opportunity to acknowledge and support them in any way they can," Phil says.
This year supporters, friends and family hope to collect at least $100,000, the same amount raised during the 2016 Trek. All donations go directly to hospice services.
Each participant will fund their own trip, with each town providing the trekkers a place to stay and refuel.
People can also support the work of Hospice by donating to the Tractor Trek NZ 2018 at givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/the-great-nz-tractor-trek-2018