Two Queenstowners are nearly halfway to their $5000 target to bring Nepal's top downhill mountain biker to New Zealand.
Raj Kumar has borrowed a bike since he was 9.
Now, the 20-year-old rising star has return tickets booked to Queenstown for a five-week mountain bike epic journey, thanks to the generosity of two names familiar to Queenstown mountain bikers.
Amy Freedman-Davies, of Canada, and Jarrah Healy, of Tasmania, visited Nepal last year in search of mountain bike trails and toured with Lost Earth Adventures. They noticed their young Nepali guide had some impressive skills.
''The skills he has are just unbelievable,'' Miss Freedman-Davies said.
Raj Kumar has been the Nepali downhill national champion for two years running and she wants to see him develop his skill in Queenstown to take back home to Nepal.
''It is getting more popular over there, but it is a different type of biking over there. It is more free-riding and intuitive.''
''All these little kids just play off one another. It is so cool to see.''
She and Mr Healy have helped raise over $2200 and need a further $2800 to cover costs when Mr Kumar arrives on February 21.
Miss Freedman-Davies has already paid for the flights and both locals will share their homes with the Nepali visitor to cut down on costs.
The aim is to see him take in the thriving Queenstown mountain biking scene and take some ideas back to expand the scene in Nepal.
''There is so much potential in the Himalayas for biking and building trails.
''This kid is so cool. He deserves to see more aspects in the biking world,'' Miss Freedman-Davies said.
Queenstown had already been generous. Atlas Bar and Restaurant contributed $500 and a further $500 worth in food, while the Queenstown Bike Taxis company has contributed $500 cash to the cause, as well as $500 worth of taxi chits for Mr Kumar's arrival.
Mr Kumar is pre-entered in the Mega Avalanche race up the Remarkables, the Dirtmasters Downhill event during the Queenstown Bike Festival and this week Skyline donated a half-season pass worth $499 for him to use the gondola to the Queenstown Bike Park trails for the five weeks. Miss Freedman-Davies wants to show the young rider some of Queenstown's adventure tourism, in addition to the biking, by taking him jet-boating or bungy jumping during his five-week stay.
''We don't want him to be restricted at all when he is here.''
Those who help out will go into a draw to win a trip to Nepal, where they will be taken on a mountain bike tour with Mr Kumar as their guide. Smaller prizes will also be offered at Mr Kumar's welcome party on February 25, at Atlas.
Donations can be made at givealittle.co.nz, search Kumar goes Kiwi.
