Queenstown will this week host one of its most adventurous relays, honouring women in the resort's police force.
Two police staff torch relays began simultaneously on Friday - one leaving Bluff and the other leaving Cape Reinga.
The torches will move through all 12 police districts in New Zealand, culminating in a national parade of retired and current staff in Wellington on August 1, part of the 75th anniversary of women in policing in New Zealand.
Friday's event in Queenstown will start at Earnslaw Wharf with a karakia by police kaumatua and Queenstown Senior Sergeant Paula Enoka before she cuts the police tape with Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden and the resort's youngest serving female officer, Constable Amanda Shute.
From there, a relay with a distinctly Queenstown flavour will be held throughout the day.
The torch will travel by Segway with Const Zoe Albon around the CBD to the Skyline Gondola base building, up the gondola and to a luge before Senior Constable Lynne Donaldson delivers it to the Queenstown Rec Ground, by parapente.
A runner will deliver it to the Winter Wonderland Ice Rink on the Village Green where officers will skate with it, then take it to the police station where a welcome by Inspector Olaf Jensen and a speech from retired Inspector Paula Stevens will be attended by staff and invited guests.
Then the torch will be walked with local children to Queenstown Bay.
A Thunder Jet ride to the Frankton Marina will be followed by a group bike ride to the historic Shotover Bridge where the torch will be passed to a patrol car to go to Arrowtown.
There, Sgt Kate Pirovano will take the torch on horseback around the village, before afternoon tea with police volunteers. A patrol car will go to AJ Hackett's Kawarau Bungy where Detective Lisa Watt and Const Abby Pagel will tandem bungy jump with it before driving it to Wanaka staff at the top of the Crown Range.
Snr Sgt Enoka said 19 women - including non-sworn staff - would take part in the event, plus two male officers. The torch would be delivered to Alexandra, including cycling on the Otago Central Rail Trail from Ranfurly to Middlemarch on Sunday, where it would be handed over to Otago Coastal staff, to go to Dunedin.
