"If you haven't got your health, you haven't got much."
That is the philosophy which encouraged David Black to get up long before the birds or the sun yesterday and walk for two and a-half hours from his Mosgiel home to work in Dunedin.
The 46-year-old was one of an estimated 600 people who made similar journeys, if not shorter ones, as part of Walk to Work Day 2010.
Mr Black left home at 5am.
He walked through Kinmont, Fairfield, Green Island, Lookout Point, Mornington and down High St - taking a short detour past Speight's to refill his water bottle - before arriving at work in the city centre about 7.30am.
"And I'd do it again next week," he said.
"It's funny.
When they had the Bike to Work Day last month, I thought blow that - too many hills between here and Mosgiel."
However, Mr Black said he was motivated to walk to work after a recent trip to northern Thailand.
"The kids there are perishing due to malnutrition and poor health.
"There's nothing like a visit to a developing country to make you appreciate what you've got."
Other groups walked from Ravensbourne, Northeast Valley and South Dunedin to the Octagon, where they were given vouchers for coffee and muffins.
Event organiser Charlotte Flaherty said she had 500 vouchers to hand out this year, and ran out of them before 8am.
Of the estimated 600 people who walked to work, about 200 started their journey by the train that ran from Waitati to Dunedin, stopping at Michies Crossing, Osborne, Purakaunui, Mihiwaka, upper Port Chalmers, Sawyers Bay and Maia.
She was delighted with the number of people participating this year - particularly the effort by Mr Black.
"The purpose is to encourage active transport and get people out of their cars.
"Mr Black's effort was magnificent - what an effort."
