Hello and thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I do currently have a Facebook page following the journey too at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095186463196

For those that don't know me, my name is Richie and in October I will be walking the Te Araroa Trail (which in Māori translates to The Long Pathway) in New Zealand. The trail starts at the very top of The North Island in Cape Regina and ends in Bluff which is at the southern most point of the South Island. The trail is 3,000km long which is in comparison to walking from lands end too John o' Groats twice with a bit extra. This trail is going to take me approx. 120 days to complete.

New Zealand is a diverse country featuring dense forests, volcanoes, mountain ranges and mis-labelled beaches (The ninety mile beach is 55 miles long). I am not experienced in hiking but recently discovered a passion for it, it's refreshing and pretty good for your mental health if you've kept track of where you are on the map.

I will be camping and using hostels along the way as I have a modest budget that should get me through. Enough for the odd fast food visit.

As like many other people I struggle with my mental health so I decided as this is something that I really wanted to do and would help my mental health why not do it and try and help other people that also struggle. Like many people suffering mental having a project is helpful and this has been mine since leaving New Zealand last year. Anyone willing to donate to Mind would be greatly appreciated, I'm doing something I've always wanted to do and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for charities like Mind and the services they provide.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.