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To Rangiora Lions Club,
My name is Talisha Buckingham and I am the person that completed the entire Te Araroa Trail, in which I walked from Cape Reinga to Bluff over 182 days, covering 3,207 kilometres from October 2025 to April 2026. My biggest day was 12 hours of walking, 36kms and over 50,000 steps.
I walked for the 20,000+ New Zealanders living with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, collectively known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). I can’t thank you enough for your generous donation towards my fundraising efforts. Your support meant so much to me and reminded me that there were people all over the country believing in me and wanting to support what I was trying to achieve.
This wasn’t just a hiking adventure. I chose to walk to raise awareness and funds for Crohn’s and Colitis New Zealand Charitable Trust because the cause is very personal to me. In 2023 I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I first had symptoms in 2022 and was too scared to tell anyone. The only people that knew were my doctor and a specialist she sent me to for procedures. It wasn’t until 2023 when I had to have a colonoscopy that I finally told my family. During 2024 I became critically unwell, at my worst I lost 7kgs in a week, had tachycardia, lost half my hair, had skin rashes, became malnourished and was hospitalised for two weeks. After leaving hospital I faced weekly blood tests, more than 20 tablets a day, and couldn’t return to teaching because my immune system was compromised. I wondered whether I would ever be able to live a normal life again.
Ulcerative Colitis is an invisible illness. Many people who have it look healthy on the outside while dealing with pain and uncertainty everyday. 2025 was a take it easy year for me. My only focus was on my health. I started infusions every 8 weeks which I will have for the rest of my life and stopped the 20 tablets a day. This treatment helped me return to living a much more normal life. With the trail I wanted to show others living with chronic illnesses that an exciting and adventurous life is still possible, while also recognising and respecting your own limits.
The trail was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. There were long days, steep climbs, river crossings, knee deep mud, difficult weather, trench foot and booking hospital infusions along the way. During the first week I thought to myself that I didn’t want the hike to end, and I still felt like that in Bluff. I met amazing people from all around the world and the generosity of strangers blew me away everyday.
One of the biggest lessons I learned was that people genuinely want to help. Whether it was trail angels, people offering a place to stay, businesses donating supplies, or different organisations supporting the fundraising, every act of kindness made a huge difference.
I’m incredibly proud to say that I raised over $17,000, thanks to the generosity of people, businesses and community organisations like yours. This money will go towards campaigns and treatment outcomes and helping put on the annual Camp Purple Live summer camp. Camp Purple Live is a summer camp for young people with Crohn’s or Colitis. It provides a safe place where they can meet others who truly understand what they’re going through. I volunteered there in 2025 – it changed my life. It was the first time I met other people with IBD and the first time I spoke about it in a group. Crohn’s and Colitis New Zealand pays for everyone’s flights to and from camp in order to remove any financial barriers so everyone with IBD can attend camp.
Thank you so much again. I hope this update shows the difference your generosity has made to help support people living with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Thank you for helping me also raise awareness and be part of an adventure I will never forget.
Thank you,
Talisha Buckingham
