Hot chips and a photograph with Commonwealth Games cycling medallist Eddie Dawkins was how four John McGlashan pupils were rewarded yesterday for completing a three-day, 260km fundraising adventure.
By trekking, running and cycling their way around the Queenstown Lakes District, head boy Henry Sullivan, deputy head boy Joshua Preston and prefects Charles Darling and Wilson Mitchell (all 17), have raised about $9000 so far for the Otago-Southland branch of the Child Cancer Foundation and its Beads of Courage programme.
Their efforts were for the Dunedin school's McGlashan Challenge, in which pupils set themselves a mental or physical challenge to raise funds for charity.
''We've only got three days of hard stuff but for some of those kids [affected by cancer] it goes on for months and months,'' Wilson said, explaining why they had chosen the Child Cancer Foundation.
Starting in Wanaka, the group biked to Raspberry Flat, before unsuitable weather thwarted their plan to traverse the Cascade Saddle.
Instead, they trekked beyond Aspiring Hut before returning to Raspberry Flat.
Early next morning they drove through Glenorchy to Chinamans Flat and ran up the Dart Valley for two hours then back again, before biking to Glenorchy.
Yesterday they completed their final cycle leg, from Queenstown to Wanaka via the Crown range.
They had taken turns cycling at the front of the group, shared around the load in their packs and encouraged each other throughout the challenge.
While refuelling on hot chips at the finish line in Wanaka's Pembroke Park yesterday, the boys were excited to gain an unexpected fan when Southland sprint cyclist Dawkins stopped to ask what they had been up to.
Dawkins was impressed by their achievement and happily posed for a photograph with them.
Further donations can be made at give.everydayhero.com/nz/mcglashan-challenge-2014.
