Ray White New Zealand were honoured to sponsor the NZHL Women Beyond Cancer team who competed in the GodZone challenge in March. Each of the incredible women in this team beat cancer during the early stage of their lives. The four ladies, Frankie Sanders – Lake Hawea, Rachel Moore – Luggate, Deanne Blegg – Melbourne and Shanel Murray – Havelock North have never met before, they came together to form one of two all women teams competing in the 7 stage multi-day event. The team featured on the popular New Zealand TV show, The Project, watch the video here.
GodZone is the only annual non-stop, multi-sport adventure race in New Zealand, where teams have to pack and carry all of their own gear to allow for navigation, trekking, mountain biking and rafting throughout the rapidly changing New Zealand landscape.
This year it was held in Fiordland, the team began their adventure in front of the Ray White Te Anau office.
The team completed the event in 8 days, with a number of ‘highs and lows’ – “We generally slept around 3 hours per night and each of us struggled at times with the weight of the packs weighing up to 17kg. Navigation was tough and spirits were sometimes low, but we all worked together to pull each other out of our lulls. There was singing and word games and stories to pass the time, and painkillers to numb the pain. Highlights included beautiful scenery paddling across Lake Hauroko, rafting down the grade 3 Wairaurahiri river and caving in the Clifden limestone caves. Low lights – mud, mud and mud, bush bashing, blisters and having teammate Dee helicoptered out on day 5 due to illness.”
“To say that we were glad to see that finish line would be an understatement. What a crazy crazy adventure, but one that we are privileged to be able to stay we have completed and ticked off the bucket list. It does feel like quite an achievement to say that we have finished the longest and hardest ever chapter of Godzone NZ,’’ said Shanel Murray.
Thank you to Mairead Cornille from Ray White Rotorua, whose sister (Shanel Murray) was a competitor in the team and bought this sponsorship opportunity to Ray White New Zealand.