It’s better late than never for a quartet of wahine taking on this summer’s Oxfam Trailwalker – the last being held in New Plymouth after a four-year run and for NPDC as host city partner.

And while the prospect of walking 50 kilometres through some of the region’s most beautiful scenery is daunting enough, the biggest dilemma for Morgan Harrison and her Glorious Ladies of Operational Excellence (GLOE) teammates is what to wear.

The 2024 event is the first and last Oxfam Trailwalker appearance for the GLOE team and they mean to complete the event in style.

“Our team’s name stands for Glorious Ladies of Operational Excellence – loosely taken from the TV show, Glorious Ladies of Wresting. Outfit discussions are still to be had, but wrestling-inspired clothes may be in the mix,” says team member Morgan.

“This was a physical challenge we were willing to tackle as a team and glad we were able to do this while we still had the chance. Oxfam have been providing training plans which have been great to keep us moving and prepare for our 50km walk.

“We have our largest walk coming up when we walk the Pouakai Crossing.”

It’s not too late for teams to enter the charity event on 23 and 24 March, which features three different routes designed to provide stunning 180-degree views, including beaches, bush, farm, cityscapes, Pukekura Park, and Lake Mangamahoe.

There are three routes this year with the original 50 kilometre and 100-kilometre trails alongside a new 25km, nine-hour route, perfect for first timers, families or a Trailwalker legend looking for a shorter challenge.

About 2,000 walkers, friends, family, and supporters arrive in New Plymouth each year, with hundreds of teams coming from throughout the county to fundraise for the fight against poverty.

While sad New Plymouth will host the final ever Oxfam Trailwalker in New Zealand, NPDC Head of Major Events Neil Fenwick hopes people who may have had it on their bucket list will take the opportunity to sign up.

“The Oxfam Trailwalker has been a great outdoor adventure event for New Plymouth to host as it has been a chance to showcase our beautiful district to visitors and locals exploring their own backyard. Seeing teams taking on an intense challenge it shows the commitment people have to the event,” says Neil.

“Over the last four years, it has been exciting to see how the event has shaped up as an experience and in bringing positive impact to our local economy in our Sustainable Lifestyle Capital.”

Increased operation and living costs meant fundraising was more difficult for participants and an unpredictable risk the organisation could no longer carry, so Oxfam has decided the 2024 event would be the last.

To find out more and sign up your team, go the Oxfam Trailwalker website.

Fast Facts

• NPDC, and Venture Taranaki have been host partners since 2021
• NPDC won Best Event Use of Technology at the New Zealand Event Association (NZEA) Awards for Oxfam Trailwalker 2021, for a custom GIS mapping solution created for Oxfam Aotearoa.
• NPDC, along with Venture Taranaki, are host partners for Oxfam Trailwalker 2024.

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