Community
An adventure…
AND A SECRET Ben Mitchell spent a month cycling solo from Cape Reinga to Bluff to raise money for Diabetes NZ. He didn’t find out till he was almost finished that his wife Beverley – who lives with type 1 – had been keeping a secret that would have sent him rushing home.
Photo: Looking back up the Whanganui River.
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DIABETES WELLNESS | Winter 2021
W
hen retirees Ben Mitchell and Beverley James moved to Wānaka, the many beautiful cycle tracks around the region enticed them to take up biking more seriously. It was Ben who became interested in the Tour of Aotearoa. He says, “It was set up some time ago by cycling fanatics the Kennett brothers. They set themselves a target of creating a route from the top of New Zealand to the bottom and taking in as many of the famous cycleways and cycle trails as they could along the way. So it zigzags its way down and through and across the country, and it's got quite a following. Over the
years, I've cycled some of the cycleways that it traverses, and it just started to worm its way into my brain as an idea.” Billed as “one of the world’s great bikepacking trips”, Tour Aotearoa attracts adventurers from around the world in pandemic-free times. “There's a huge amount of work that the Kennett brothers and other volunteers have put into creating this ride, keeping it updated and supervising it. They don't ask for any money for it, but they do encourage people to donate to a worthy charity that means something.” Once Ben resolved to do the tour, the charity he would donate to was “a no brainer”.
