Orienteering Waikato’s Save the Sanctuary Rogaine raised nearly $9000 for Maungatautari Sanctuary Mountain.
Dan Howard and Tom Davies compare race plans at Orienteering Waikato’s Save the Sanctuary Rogaine.
Aidan Boswell, Andrew de Groot and Mark Gray created and set the course on the mountain for 218 competitors, while Rolf Boswell, Kaye Harding and Megan Brown worked hard behind the scenes after hearing Sanctuary Mountain Ecological Island Trust was strapped for cash.
Last financial year Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, operator of the world’s longest predator proof fence around the mountain near Cambridge, reported a loss of $547,976, compared to a $155,312 profit the previous financial year. The cash flow crisis was prompted by the Department of Conservation’s withdrawal of $1.5 million of contestable funding over four years.
Since then, the operation has cut its ranger staff from 13 to seven, launched an endowment fund, and received a surprise $750,000 boost from the Department of Conservation via the International Visitor Levy.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is home to more than 730 native species of flora, fauna, and fungi, including endangered wildlife such as the North Island brown kiwi, kākāpō, and Hochstetter’s frog.
Race planning for the two hour event
Save the Sanctuary Rogaine two-hour women’s team Got the Runs (Sarah Crome, Vera Crome, Miah Donald and Michelle Donald) were the first to finish at 1:48:08. Two-hour mixed team Onwards and Upwards (William and Jo Wood) followed at 1:48:14. Two-hour men’s team Harrity (Sam Garrity and Peter Hobbs) finished at 1:48:34. Two-hour junior team Manga Panga (Oliver and Toby Johnson) finished at 1:51:08.
Four-hour junior team Tahi Harris and Xavier White finished first with 3:44:08, four-hour men’s team Totally Random (Matthew Bell and Dave Crofts) finished at 3:52:43, four-hour mixed team Sibling Rivalry (Andrea Neal and Steve Smith) finished in 3:54:07. Four-hour women’s team Mad If You Don’t (Mums Hayley Bennett, Lou Blundell and Anna Goodman) finished at 3:54:54.
Eight-hour men’s team Fully Munted (Eric Kraayenhof, Paul Rust and Matt Lash) finished in 7:35:05. Eight-hour women’s team Sarah Lei and Georgie Griffiths finished in 7:49:04. Eight-hour mixed team Cholmano (Charlotte Baken, Noah Costar, Marcus Grierson, and Oliver Ng) finished in 7:58:16.
Race planning for the two hour event
“Amazing,” said Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari chief executive Helen Hughes when she heard of the $8700 raised.
It will go a good way towards the cost of two days of the $5000 a day operation.
“We are really grateful for the orienteering community coming together.”
There’s a possibility the event may become an annual or bi-annual event.
Sanctuary Mountain attracted 20,145 admission fee paying visitors in 2024, and 2025 is on track to attract more with a 24 per cent increase in both January and February.
This includes a 38 per cent increase in international visitors.
Race planning for the two hour event
“We are in a great geo location between two very strong tourism attractions – Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves – and we are getting better at leveraging this.”
Sanctuary Mountain has received a US$10,000 a month grant from internet search engine Google to help with online advertising and additional $30,000 marketing funding from WEL Energy Trust.
“We had funding to help market which we have been working hard on and seeing great results,” Hughes said.
Orienteering Waikato’s Save the Sanctuary Rogaine competitors Gail Cole, Kaye Harding, Carole Berry and Sarah Smith happy to be finished the eight-hour event
