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Warkworth father and daughter team Justin and Anna Sollitt will take on the challenges of the Tranz-Alpine Scooter Safari on May 18 to raise money for the Cancer Society.
The Scooter Safari is an endurance charity fundraiser held every two years and involves around 250 scooters riding 250km from Christchurch to Hokitika, across the Southern Alps.
Since the inaugural ride in 2009, nearly $1.8 million has been raised for the Cancer Society.
This will be Justin’s third safari and Anna’s first.
Justin says that riding 250km across the Southern Alps on a city scooter in the middle of winter is not for the faint-hearted.
“It’s much harder than it looks,” he says. “It is the endless drone of a scooter and the bitter cold that gets to you, plus the fact that by the very nature of the Southern Alps, there will always be rain somewhere along the journey. The hardest leg is ascending Porters Pass, that’s the bit that really tests every scooter.”
Justin and Anna are encouraging locals to support their team.
“There is a long list of people I know that have been affected by cancer so we are doing our bit, because we can, and you just never know – one day we could be relying on our own fundraising.”
The scooters will leave Christchurch at 9am and should arrive in Hokitika around 4.30pm with four pit stops at Sheffield, Lake Lyndon, Arthur’s Pass and Kumara Junction.
Justin’s scooter resembles an aircraft, reflecting his enthusiasm for all things aviation, while Anna has taken a student transport theme, as she is currently studying at Otago University.
To donate to Team Justin & Anna Sollitt, go to: https://scootersafari.org.nz/t/justin-sollitt-team
