Maungatūroto volunteer firefighter takes on third 2021 Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Challenge nzherald.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nzherald.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Chris McKeen/Stuff
Jake Pokai, who came to NZ from the UK on a rugby scholarship, was diagnosed with leukaemia after leaving his fortnight in MIQ. He visited the fire station at Auckland International Airport, where he controlled a water cannon and climbed inside the airport s rescue hovercraft.
When Jake Pokai ran a fever during his stay in managed isolation, his parents worried he had come down with Covid-19 – but it turned out to be much worse. For more than a year the English teenager saved his money from his paper round for a dream trip to New Zealand to train with the best rugby players in the world.
Fire truck pull in Warkworth
The Fit Factory gym at the Grange in Warkworth is hosting a fire truck pull competition at 5.30pm on Wednesday, May 19, to support trainer and firefighter Tania Wood.
The gym is inviting teams of any size to register on the day to compete to pull a fire truck by a rope in the shortest time over a fixed distance.
There will be spot prizes thanks to sponsorship from Warkworth Butcher.
There will also be a BBQ, face painting, and kids’ activities.
Tania Wood is raising money for leukaemia and will be doing the Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Challenge on May 22.
How fast can you climb the Sky Tower? Hastings firefighter aims to beat personal best
13 May, 2021 06:00 PM
4 minutes to read
Hastings firefighter Ken Laurie training for the upcoming Sky Tower challenge at Mitre 10 Sports Park, Hastings. Photo / Warren Buckland
Hastings firefighter Ken Laurie training for the upcoming Sky Tower challenge at Mitre 10 Sports Park, Hastings. Photo / Warren Buckland
Manawatu Guardian
By: Sahiban Hyde
Ken Laurie has climbed the Sky Tower, the tallest building in the southern hemisphere, for three years running.
This year will be his fourth, and last. Laurie, 54, will be taking part in the Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Challenge on May 22 and is hoping to beat his personal best time at the annual fundraiser for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand.
The children, also dressed in red, did 22 laps each. Some carried dummies and stretchers. The school’s deputy principal Finn Barnett said they came up with the idea to support the challenge. The children raised the money through sponsors and then handed it to Fire and Emergency for the challenge.
David Unwin/Stuff
Pupils from Kairanga School take part in its fundraiser to support Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand. Pupil Caitlyn Turner, 10, was taking part in the walk, sporting a firefighter’s helmet, and she said the children were keen to support the cause. “One-thousand-one-hundred-and-three [laps] would be a lot to do by yourself, but when you’re splitting it into 22 each it wasn’t that bad.”