Team Fork N Spoon Complete Challenge

Albany Rotarians Grant and Sarah Smith have just completed the $10 Queenstown Challenge to Cure Kids. Dressed as a Fork N Spoon they had to hitch all the way from Auckland to Queenstown with just $10 to support Cure Kids.

Beside hitching a ride, teams are given various innovative challenges along the way to test their brains, bodies, and creativity.

Each team was provided with a teddy bear that had to travel with them before being given to a Cure Kids child ambassador.

Their first challenge was to PIMP MY RIDE where they had to dress up a car in team theme, so they covered their car in plastic plates and forks and spoons.

Other challenges along the way included a high wire walk, an Army Boot Camp Challenge, riding a bucking mechanical bull, dance moves on unsuspecting victims in a dance dare challenge, wrangling sheep, stone carving and various treasure hunts.

23 teams entered this year’s event, and after an exhausting three days Grant and Sarah were glad of a great night’s sleep and the chance to reflect on what they had achieved.

“This was an amazing event and we were privileged to be part of an incredible group of people who were all passionate about Cure Kids” said Sarah Smith. “We were delighted to have personally raised more than $9000 for this amazing charity, and the whole event has raised over $200,000 for Cure Kids”.

Established by Rotary in 1975 as the Child Health Research Foundation, Cure Kids funds research into life threatening illnesses for children. So far they have invested more than $29 million into research, and have achieved breakthroughs that have saved, improved and extended the lives of kids from both NZ and around the world

Both passionate Rotarians, Sarah is currently President of Albany Rotary, and Grant is the District 9910 Rotary Foundation Chair.

Fork 'n Spoon Complete the $10 Queenstown Challenge

There were three Rotary teams in the Cure Kids $10 Queenstown Challenge just completed.

One of these was Grant and Sarah Smith from the Rotary Club of Albany in District 9910 (they had just returned also from the Future Leaders Seminar in Brisbane and the Rotary Institute so well done on both counts).  Here is their email:

Hi everyone, Well we made it! 

  What an awesome adventure. Three days to get from Queenstown to Auckland in fancy dress with just 10 dollars.

 Personally for us it was a real challenge which took us way outside our comfort zone. Hitching for a ride can be very demoralising as you watch the other competitors go by and wave, and you stand there for more than 30 minutes waiting for a ride. And then it starts to rain!  And you are totally reliant on other people for their generosity and support.

 We got on Breakfast TV on TV1 on Friday morning, and raised another $1000 with a sausage sizzle in Wellington CBD in just 1 hour.

 Lots of physical and mental challenges were also included, as we had a number of challenges to complete on the way. There were gum boot wearing races in Taihape with eggs in your gum boots, Luging challenge in Queenstown having to carry water in a glass as you go up in the chair lift and down on the luge without spilling any water. We had to defrost a frozen T shirt in Hunterville and then wear it, and then carry out communication challenges while blindfolded.

Thank you so much for your support, which will make a real difference to the children of New Zealand. Pictures of the event attached, and there is more info and pictures at www.curekids.org.nz. We personally raised more than $17,000, (second largest amount overall) and the whole $10 Challenge event raised more than $153,000 for Cure Kids. For Sarah and I this was an amazing achievement, and to meet so many incredible people along the journey was very rewarding. Highlight for us was getting a ride in a big rig Volvo truck of NZ Couriers out of Taihape. We met Dave and told him all about Cure Kids, and he then went on to pick up 2 more teams on the way to Taupo, and has now raised a whole lot of money for the charity and wants to do the event next year.

The final challenge was to play as a Samba band together as we crossed the finish line which was awesome. Bit rough to start but by then we were sounding good. There were taste and smell challenges in a winery just outside Queenstown, a 10km run through a mountain bike park in Rotorua, and then finally we had to move 1 cubic meter of mulch by hand in onion sacks in Bombay  to get our final points.

Rotary $10 Adventurers need your support

Even exciting Big Rig rides are had!

Each year some intrepid Rotarians seek adventure and to represent Rotary in the Cure Kids Accor Hotels $10 Queenstown Challenge.  Clubs are encouraged to support the team and therefore support Cure Kids and their amazing research.  It's for the kids! 

This event is not far away (16-18 August 2011) so help out soon.

To support the team (and the kids) donations can be made via the links list below but note that larger donations are best made direct to Cure Kids with the specific request that the "[team name]" team be credited

Teams are:

·         Rotary Woolly Wanderers (RC St Johns, Auckland, D9920) http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/RotaryWoollyWanderers/

·         Ambassadorial Scholars http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/RotaryAmbassadorialScholarBucc

·         Grant and Sarah Smith (is a Rotary team – RC Albany, 9910) http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/GrantandSarahSmith

NOTE that all funds donated "to the team" go to Cure Kids.

The $10 Challenge fundraising event involves teams of two undertaking a series of innovative challenges en route from Queenstown to Auckland over three days all on $10!  The Queenstown $10 Challenge was first run in February 1993. The event started as a fun challenge between two Queenstown locals and was to see who could make the return Queenstown to Auckland trip with no money and no assistance from friends and relatives along the way. Over the years the rules have changed slightly but the principles remain. Each team gets a $10 note to survive on throughout their travels.

Cure Kids (previously Child Health Research Foundation) was established over 30 years ago to address the lack of research into life-threatening childhood illnesses in New Zealand. Since then, they have invested over $25 million in medical research. This research has helped save hundreds of young lives and has improved the quality of life for thousands of children. They are committed to help find answers to the many cruel, life-threatening illnesses that devastate the lives of young children and their families.

http://www.curekids.org.nz/