The to-do list

Robyn Malcolm. Photo / Supplied

In the movie The Bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play terminally ill men who decide to work through a list of things they want to do before they kick the proverbial bucket.

But why wait until the Grim Reaper is tapping you on the shoulder? We asked some local identities what life goals they hoped to have ticked off before the meter runs out.

From trips to exotic lands, bathing in champagne, saving children in Africa, or even dying before their spouse, the answers may surprise you.

Robyn Malcolm
(actress, Outrageous Fortune)
* Act with and then get drunk with Meryl Streep.
* Go night-diving with manta rays.
* Take my boys on a road trip in a big old 70s Chevy across America.

James McOnie
(reporter on Prime's The Crowd Goes Wild)
* Make a movie starring the beautiful province of Waikato and former weather presenter Penelope Barr (who hails from Hamilton – pun intended!).
* Wedgie a head of state (John Key, watch your back. Angela Merkel, watch your front).
* Live in a tree house. (If attempted, this could lead directly to my death so it makes sense to leave this until last.)

Mark Richardson
(co-host The Crowd Goes Wild)
* Ride in a space shuttle.
* Tour the golf courses of Scotland.
* Climb Everest.

Maggie Barry
(4pm-6pm announcer on RadioLIVE)
* Do Outward Bound, again, just to see if I can still hack the pace.
* An Otago rail trail with my 11-year-old son Joe.
* Trekking in Peru.

Lesley-Ann Brandt
(actress, Diplomatic Immunity and the upcoming Spartacus)
* Learn to speak another language other than Afrikaans.
* Do a big trip through South America and Italy.
* Run a marathon ... maybe the New York marathon.

Roger Farrelly
(co-host on The Rock's Morning Rumble)
* Tour Ireland ... the home of my countrymen.
* Get my band back together and tour the country (turns out I'm doing this next month).
* Interview a massive rock star in the studio – Bono, Mick Jagger, Steve Tyler.

Nic Vallance
(conservation warrior, host of TVNZ6's Meet The Locals)
* Travel to the Galapagos and soak up the amazing wildlife.
* See stoats go extinct in New Zealand in my lifetime.
* Swim with a humpback whale.

Dai Henwood
(comedian)
* Walk a tea-trail in China.
* Have a room of my house that is an aquarium.
* Win some sort of best BBQ chef competition.

Alix Bushnell
(actress, Go Girls)
* Make more New Zealand film.
* Make films overseas.
* Travel everywhere and get married somewhere on that travel.

Leah Panapa
(co-host on The Rock's Morning Rumble)
* Ride bareback on the most beautiful beach in the world on a summer's evening to a picnic laid out on a hill overlooking the sunset with my hubby. Oh, and be sung to by Prince, Tom Jones and rock out later to Aerosmith.
* Take a bath in champagne (Veuve Clicquot). It probably would be sticky and too cold to stay in for long – but I would give it a go.
* Be a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Not sure though: what we would talk about?

Geoff Bell
(Sticky TV kids' presenter)
* Catch a marlin. I struggle to even catch snapper off the rocks.
* Find a gold nugget the size of a spud in the Arrowtown River.
* Build a car to participate in the Gumball 3000 Rally – anyone have a spare $100,000 for the entry fee?

Wendyl Nissen
(Herald on Sunday columnist; green goddess)
* I want to lead the fight to force commercial cleaning product manufacturers to label their products in a way consumers can understand.
* To live in a self-sufficient old cottage near the sea with hens, a kunekune, a cow, an old horse, a dog and six cats where I will churn out preserves, bake bread and write the occasional piece before going for long walks on the beach and tending my organic garden. I will also have to convince at least one of our five children that looking after the animals, the solar/wind/hydro generator and the composting toilet for six months while I avoid the winter and summer over in Europe is a really good idea.
* To make sure I pre-decease my husband. I wouldn't be up to much without him and I would take to the cougar lifestyle about as willingly as I would submit to Botox.

Greg Boyed
(One News presenter)
* Go on a long motorbike trip around Europe (six months at least). Basically, I think it's the best way in the world of getting around anywhere and particularly in a place you've never been to.
* Actually learn to play the piano. I started with great enthusiasm and little talent but that magic combo can only get you so far. I will return and scale the heights of my mediocre musical ability yet.
* Finish a half marathon in under an hour forty. I thought I could do this in the last half marathon earlier this year, and for the first three quarters I was well on target, then my legs turned to lead, my lungs turned to bluetac and I crawled over the line in an hour fifty five.

AJ (Alan) Whetton
(Solid Gold FM Breakfast Show announcer and former All Black)
* Take my wife Nicci to Europe for two months to show her the sights.
* See my two girls (Olivia and Maddison) grow into adults, be happy and hopefully be at their weddings to good buggers. Their shout!
* Spend time growing old with my grandkids and spoiling them rotten along with Mrs Whetton. I know – I am a soft, pink-shirt-wearing lover of Bee Gees music kind of guy! Still one of 15 though to hold the Webb Ellis Cup.

Robert Rakete
(co-host The Breeze Auckland 93.4FM)
* To watch, one more time, the sun set in Aitutaki, Cook Islands ... possibly the most beautiful place on Earth.
* To own a 1966 Shelby Cobra Roadster. If Ferrari is a sensuous and elegant woman, the Cobra is her sister ... the sister with tatts who partied a lot and stayed out late.
* To play the bass line to Footloose all the way through note perfect and without making one mistake. Kinda OCD-ish I know but you should listen to that song. Kenny Loggins had it goin' on!

Amy Dixon
(Auckland Zoo's team leader primates)
* Be remembered for making a difference – contribute to saving orangutans by having palm oil labelling made compulsory in New Zealand.
* Work in Africa with orphaned children.
* Write a children's book about endangered animals and what children can do to make a difference.

Phil Bostwick
(C4 presenter, The Official NZ Top 40)
* Travel South America.
* Design and build a house.
* Make a full length documentary about something fascinating.

Gin Wigmore
(singer)
* Drink mojitos with a gorgeous man in the hot sun of a beautiful apartment in Cuba while watching original Cuban music on the street below.
* Spend two weeks in the islands of Tahiti swimming off a big yacht (that I will own) with my close mates, snorkelling, eating, drinking and longboarding.
* Write a song with David Gray or Jack White.

Bryce Casey
(co-host on The Rock's Morning Rumble)
* Learn to dance as well as Monty Betham.
* Play one test for the All Blacks.
* Earn someone's respect.