More than 50 motorcycle riders are expected to travel through Queenstown later this month in a bid to raise funds for the Auckland-based Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
The BMW Owners Register (BMWOR) is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the BMW GS motorcycle series by hosting a 12-day tag-along tour from Cape Reinga to Bluff.
The charity ride started on Sunday and will pass through Queenstown next Tuesday and finish in Bluff two days later.
Riders will then join the festivities at The Burt Munro Challenge (TBMC) in the Bluff area from November 24-28.
TBMC is an annual event that celebrates the career of Burt Munro, a Southland-raised motorcyclist who set two world land speed motorcycle records in 1967.
Ride organiser Justin Ryan said 10 core riders would participate in the full trip, with riders joining and leaving at various points on the way down.
"A few of us were kicking around ideas for this ride earlier this year and we thought if we're going to spend two weeks riding the length of the country, we should raise money for charity," he said.
Through online donations, the event is raising money for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, which over the past 40 years has saved more than 12,000 lives.
The cost of running it can be between $3000 and $7000 an hour.
The controller of ride operations for the Otago leg of the journey, David Caesar, said more than 50 riders were expected to pass through Queenstown about 6pm on November 23.
"We'll be entering Queenstown through the Devil's staircase ... we're hoping interested Queenstown people will be able to tag along around work restraints."
He said the BMW GS was a dual-purpose, off-road and on-road machine that the course would cater for.
The ride was not restricted to BMW motorcycles - anyone could join in, although they must be experienced, as the course would go "off the beaten track" as much as possible.
So far, more than $8000 has been raised via the donation website www.fundraiseonline. co.nz.
