Swazi is thrilled to be supporting Shane Kidby, a 48 year old New Plymouth resident who's attempting to walk Aotearoa’s entire coastline to raise funds and awareness for cystic fibrosis and mental health in honour of his late brother and mother.   

Cystic fibrosis and mental health are close Shane’s heart. When he was only nine years old, Shane lost his little brother, Daniel, to cystic fibrosis. His mother passed away from cancer only months ago unfortunately and Shane, himself, had a hip replacement a few years ago as a result of Perthes disease as a child. Shane's all too familiar with mental health battles experienced as a consequence of ‘life’.

This epic adventure, Walking With Wings, is part of his grander plan to live his life with purpose and help others find theirs. 

Shane says this hikoi has been a long held dream, ever since he was a kid when he and Daniel would pretend to be explorers. 

"It’s been my lifelong goal, but there will be a lot of challenges," Shane explains. 

"New Zealand’s coastline has some wild and formidable terrain; and our winters are tough. 

I know it will be gruelling, both physically and mentally.

I have been training for a few months now with the help of experts. I will give it my best shot, but it’s a big challenge that only one other person has completed before. I am exceptionally grateful to Swazi for kitting me out in their gear. I am confident it’s going to keep me dry and warm and last the distance.  

Shane started the walk from Cape Reinga on July 15.  His intention was to tackle the coastline in stages - step by step, stage by stage.

Each stage alone is a huge achievement, he estimates the entire coastline will take him a couple of years to complete. 

Shane got as far as Herekino (about 133km's) when he realised his achilles wasn't feeling so great.  So he stopped and went home to New Plymouth for treatment.  After a rest and physio he got the green like to start walking again, just a couple of hours later, New Zealand went into Covid Level 4 lockdown. 

Thankfully he is back and has around 33 days behind him along with a few scary moments like when he nearly drowned

"It was my Mum’s wish to see me start this journey. Sadly, she didn’t make it to see me start but I know that my Mum and brother Daniel will be with me in spirit”.  

Shane will be using his trek to raise both awareness and donations for his nominated charities - Taranaki Retreat and Cystic Fibrosis NZ.

He invites New Zealanders to follow, donate and join him on this journey.  

• Who:  Shane Kidby, from New Plymouth.  
• What:  Attempting to traverse the 15,000 km coastline of Aotearoa (only one other person, Brando (Wild Boy) Yelavich, has ever done this before). 
• Why:  Raise funds and awareness for cystic fibrosis and mental health  
• When: 15 July 2021 (may take about 2 years).  
• How:  Will be done in stages and reviewed at the end of each stage.  

Check out Shane's adventures on Facebook, Instagram or follow Shane’s progress in real time on a map at  https://www.followmychallenge.com/live/walkingwithwingsnz/

Chosen charities:  Taranaki Retreat (suicide prevention centre) and Cystic Fibrosis New Zealand. Donate at walkingwithwings.nz