Explorer lugs weight of 40 All Blacks
Slogging up Christchurch’s Port Hills in the driver’s seat of a weighty rickshaw before dawn breaks is not most people’s idea of a good time.
But for Sean Pawson, sweating it out with a passenger or two in the back is all part of a day’s work as he fundraises for a challenge designed to celebrate Sir Edmund Hillary’s centenary year.
Every morning, with a rider in the back seat, Pawson churns his way up the 300-metre climb from his Cashmere home, up Hackthorne Rd to the Sign of the Takahe and on to Victoria Park, reaching the summit before the sun rises.
On one occasion, he made the 434 metre climb to Marleys Hill, above the Christchurch Adventure Park.
Pawson is one of more than 320 participants taking on the Himalayan Trust Summit Challenge to raise funds for Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world. Participants are challenged to climb, run, walk or bike 8848m – the height of Mt Everest – in a month.
Pawson hopes to carry 4013 kilograms worth of rickshaw and passenger weight uphill in March. That’s the equivalent of about three All Black teams, or a small elephant. By Friday, he’d carted 17 passengers, including four children and a teddy bear.
It’s not the first time he has put his body on the line for a good cause.
Last year, he and friend Josh Geddes tackled the alpine crossing from Kumara Beach, on the West Coast, through Arthur’s Pass to New Brighton, Christchurch, in a bicycle-rickshaw for the Coast2Coast Rickshaw Charity Ride. The nearly $11,000 raised was donated to Stepping Stone Trust’s Caroline Reid Family Support Service, which helps children whose parents suffer mental illness.
Pawson, who opened a pedicab tour company two years ago, said despite his training riding around the city, the physical demand of riding uphill was ‘‘huge’’ and ‘‘perhaps even harder than anticipated’’.
‘‘It’s literal blood, sweat and tears, especially doing it on a daily basis, but I really wanted to raise money for the people I plan on visiting at the end of the year [in Nepal] and know I’d done something to make a difference for them.
‘‘Plus, I did a small amount of mountaineering and Sir Ed was somewhat of a boyhood hero for me.’’
Hasely Lobb, from New Plymouth, helped develop the idea for the challenge.
‘‘Last year, I hiked and biked trails around Mt Taranaki and even climbed flights of steps in New Plymouth to reach 8848m.
‘‘I had a fantastic time doing it and got a lot out of it – it certainly gets you fit,’’ Lobb said.
John Loof, general manager of the Himalayan Trust, said the challenge could be done anywhere and anytime in March by both teams and individuals. Last year, the event raised more than $55,000.
Anyone wanting a free ride on Pawson’s rickshaw can message The Cycle Chauffeur on Facebook, and in return are asked to make a generous donation to the cause.