Calling All Adventurers! Navigate Your Way To Fun And Raise Money For A Good Cause

Counties Manukau Orienteering Club (CMOC) is holding a family-friendly outdoor event on 27 March, where participants will have the opportunity to enjoy the fresh air,

sharpen their navigation skills, and explore the urban terrain of Pukekohe — all while raising money for a good cause.

The Academy Urban Rogaine on 27 March is a fundraising event for CMOC’s Development Academy, which supports talentedjunior orienteers to develop their

skills, contributes financially to the cost of competing in national and international orienteering events, and enables them to access camps and training opportunities.

“We have some juniors with great orienteering skills, and our Club has designed a pathway for them to develop those skills,”says John “Robbie”Robinson, a longstanding CMOC Executive Committee member and the organiser of the Academy Urban Rogaine.

“However, like all sports, the amount of money it can take for our youth orienteers to achieve their goals can be too much for most families. Being selected for the New Zealand Secondary School team can cost upwards of $3,000, and making it to the Junior World Champs is significantly more expensive. We don’t want cost to be prohibitive for our gifted juniors, and thus the Development Academy was established.”

The Academy Urban Rogainewas Robinson’s brainchild — a fundraiser combined with an exciting adventure race around Pukekohe. Suitable for all ages and levels of fitness, a rogaine is an orienteering event that feels a bit like a treasure hunt, where small teams use a map and navigation skills to visit as many checkpoints as they can in a set time frame. You can walk, jog, or run between checkpoints and work together with team members to identify the best route to take.

The Academy Urban Rogaine starts from Pukekohe Stadium at 9am, and teams have three hours to locate checkpoints worth 30, 40, or 50 points. Participants choose an allocated start time for their team of twoto four people, and three grades — Secondary School, Open, and Vets 50+ — gives everyone the chance to

enjoy the fun. Competitors can enter at entero.co.nz (look for “Academy Rogaine 2022”) and entries close on 20 March. The cost is $30 for adults and $20 for students, and all competitors will receive prizes and fun gifts.

“We hope to raise $30,000 for the Development Academythrough this fundraising event,” Robinson says.

“Plus it’s a great opportunity for people to see Pukekohe in a way they won’t have experienced before.”

The Club is also accepting donations to the CMOC Development AcademyFund so our young orienteers can access training and development opportunities.

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