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Every morning this mid-winter month, Helen Parkes has pulled on her togs, shed her towel at Matheson Bay and ventured just after sunrise into the frigid waters of the Hauraki Gulf to swim for more than a kilometre.
Helen, 70, is participating in an event called The Big Swim, to raise awareness and funds for Coastguard NZ and last week she hit her target of 25km.
It’s a mission inspired by Helen’s journey of overcoming illness, and deep gratitude for the volunteers’ lifesaving efforts.
In 2021, she suffered from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and post-viral syndrome, struggling with chronic asthma and high blood pressure. Casting around for a solution, she discovered cold water immersion, and on February 6, 2022, took her first dip in the ocean, a moment that marked the beginning of her recovery.
“At first, I could barely swim 20 metres because I was so fatigued,” Helen recalls. “But I kept at it, swimming every day, and within weeks, I managed to swim 300 metres. It took six months to come off all the medication, and I haven’t had any since then.”
“I feel privileged every day I can swim” Helen Parkes
That first swim was in summer. Swimming for 35-40 minutes in July is a very different proposition, with the air temperature as low as five degrees and the water temperature around 13 degrees.
It’s not stopping her though, helped by beautiful sunrises, supportive swimmers joining her – including “lovely local Alice, a real mermaid” – and the unexpected treat of seeing a turtle in the wild for the first time.
“I love this place. It makes me feel alive,” she wrote in one of her daily updates. “The swim was beautiful, mirror calm water, very clear, and joyous to be in there. I feel privileged every day I can swim.”
As of last week Helen had raised more than $3000, well over her initial goal of $2500. She has another goal in mind: By the end of July, Helen expects to have swam 365kms over the past 12 months.
As a resident of Leigh, she has witnessed firsthand the vital work of Coastguard volunteers bringing people home safely. She has donated monthly for the last nine years, and after reading about The Big Swim, “it was a no-brainer for me to take part”.
Coastguard says the initiative celebrates the joy of swimming while raising funds to support the volunteers who dedicate countless hours to keeping Kiwis safe on the water.
More than 1200 participants across the country are taking part.
To support Helen go to: https://bigswim.org.nz/h-parkes
