Andy Vause

MADDY HARKER

Wanaka’s Andy Vause and two friends are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime: a 2000km journey across India by rickshaw.

The journey is made more hair-raising by the fact that it has to be completed in just over two weeks, and Andy’s description of their vehicle as a "7-horsepower glorified lawnmower”.

"The distance is about 200km per day,” Andy said. "We worked that out at 20km per hour, we’re talking about something like 12 hours a day on the rickshaw.”

Andy, along with Matty Lovell (Christchurch) and Jalen MacLeod (Canada) will travel from Jaisalmer in India’s north to Cochin in the far south.

The trio will traverse diverse topography along the way. "The top of India is very hot desert, and the bottom is a rainy area, so it’s going to be a mixed bag,” Andy said.

The Rickshaw Run will begin in Jaisalmer and end in Cochin.

The two rules of the journey, organised three times a year and named The Rickshaw Run, are: you can’t drive at nighttime; and you have to get to the finish line with your rickshaw by January 15.

"The only certainties are that you will get lost, you will get stuck and you will break down,” the Rickshaw Run website states, comfortingly.

If you’re wondering what has possessed these three men to take on this epic, you might be surprised to hear it’s not a joyride, or crisis-induced: it’s to raise money for charity.

And raise money they have. The trio have surpassed their ambitious $50,000 goal by $25,000 already.

The funds will be divided equally between the Cricket Live Foundation (India) and The Inspire Foundation (New Zealand).

Andy, who works as a paramedic in Wanaka and also runs Black Peak Media, came on board after meeting Matty, and being enticed by the adventure.

"I met Matty earlier this year. Initially [my company] was to be one of the businesses that was to provide media for him. We didn’t know each other from a bar of soap and I started asking questions. ‘How many in a team? We’re looking for a third. What if I came on board and filmed the adventure? Yeah.’”

Andy was also inspired by Matty’s commitment to raise money for charity along the way (it was one of two things left on his bucket list, and he thought it was time to tick it off).

"I come from a background of volunteering and providing services to charity and our values were aligned,” Andy said.

The two charities were chosen for their commitment to helping people from all parts of life.

"Some of the young people the Inspire Foundation is supporting here in New Zealand are just amazing. These are our world leaders they are supporting. That’s one end of the spectrum and the Cricket Foundation is the other end of the spectrum.”

The objective of the Cricket Foundation, founded by kiwi Alex Reese, is to bring cricket to the children of Sri Lanka and India who currently live in underprivileged environments with limited opportunities.

"Using cricket as a medium, the foundation is changing people’s attitudes towards school and life,” Andy said.

The journey itself is expected to test the three men both physically and mentally.

 Andy described the team’s rickshaw as a "7-horsepower glorified lawnmower”.

"It will be a good test of our abilities and our character,” Andy said. "Traffic in India has no rules, so we have to be very careful how we drive. I think the horn is going to become our greatest asset along the way.” 

"And if people think we’re crazy enough, and it is worth it, then hopefully they can consider supporting our two charities.”

The trio plan to post on social media daily, with videos and photos provided along the way to show what they’re up against. Ultimately, they hope the trip will inspire others to go on an adventure of their own, for a good cause.

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PHOTO: Wanaka App