Picnic on the lake
A picnic table will be powered across New Zealand’s largest lake in a bid to raise $20,000.
Matt O’Meeghan, Garth Oakden, Angus Webster, Nick and Mela Herbert and Samantha Elston, plan to take the picnic table across Lake Taupo¯ in January as a way to raise funds and awareness for The Cameron Wilson Trust.
They will all take turns skippering the picnic table across the lake. After originally building the picnic table boat for Flochella earlier this year, O’Meeghan said he had a bit of difficulty selling it.
‘‘After sitting in storage for an extended period of time, [I] decided to use it as a medium for one of New Zealand’s more unique fundraisers,’’ he said.
The sailing of the picnic table boat across Lake Taupo¯ is expected to be 41km from Turangi to Taupo¯ with it estimated to take about 10 hours. The planning process for this adventure has taken roughly six months.
O’Meeghan said sponsors from all around New Zealand are getting involved and he hoped people would donate to their cause.
The trust, which is located in Turangi, allocates financial aid to any family who has a child admitted to hospital with cancer. It is run by a local man, David Griffiths, who is a survivor himself of leukaemia.
‘‘[David] lost his godson [Cameron] to cancer in 2008 at the age of 14,’’ O’Meeghan said.
The Cameron Wilson Trust was established to create a vehicle that, if successful in establishing financial resources, would not only preserve Cameron’s memory, but would make a difference to families of child cancer patients.
As part of an initiative to reach their target goal, they are giving away two return flights for two people, two nights in the Hilton, a trip rafting down the Tongariro with Tongariro River Rafting, a day jet boating with Huka Falls Jet, and a bungy jump with Taupo bungy - all people have to do is donate $40 or more.
To donate to Float for a Cause visit www.float.org.nz.