Hi everybody,

Firstly, I would like to thank you for taking the time to visit this page. In December 2025, I will commence my hike of the Te Araroa, a four month, 3,000km journey traversing the length of NZ. The intention behind this potential madness is to raise funds and awareness for the APOPO charity; who train “heroRATS” to detect landmines and tuberculosis across the world. In October 2023 I visited the APOPO centre in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and was incredibly moved by their impact here. The landmine infested country has tragically lost over 64,000 casualties since 1979, as well as there being records of more than 25,000 amputees. Nearly half of these are children, who triggered a mine by running through fields. Having heard first-hand accounts of such incidents, I was incredibly compelled by the work of this amazing charity. I have since followed their growth and impact during the past couple of years, and have decided it’s about time I took action.

Their work in Cambodia is only a small part of the story. Hidden landmines and other explosive remnants of war have contaminated more than 60 countries, preventing communities from exploiting their agricultural land and causing catastrophic accidents. Giant Tanzanian rats have been trained to identify TNT through their incredible sense of smell. Whilst it could take four days to cover the area of a tennis court with a metal detector, this same area could be searched by a heroRAT in 30 minutes. The rats are too light to trigger the bombs, so rest assured they are not harmed in the process. APOPO has safely deactivated over 45,000 land mines and confirmed over 36,000,000 metres squared land safe because of the work of these heroRATs.

Tuberculosis continues to stand as the world’s most deadliest infectious disease, largely because of ineffective detection methods. 10.8 million new people contracted TB in 2023, 2.7 million went undiagnosed, and 1.3 million died from the disease. This is where the rats step in, helping in the early stages to lower these figures.

So, I’m sure you can understand my passion and desire to play a part in helping this amazing cause. This will undoubtedly be a huge challenge - one which will be incredibly physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding; four months of walking with a heavy pack will inevitably have its highs and lows. But with your support, and knowledge of the goodness of my cause, I hope to succeed! Anything you can donate to this incredible charity, I would be truly grateful. Thank You.

See you on the other side!

Megan