Swimathon fundraiser for Waikanae family trip

Hayze, Sapphyre, Indica and Reign Tangaroa are looking forward to their swimathon. Photo / David Haxton

Four young children from Waikanae will be taking part in a swimathon to help raise some funds for a trip of a lifetime.

The big swim for siblings Hayze, 9, Sapphyre, 11, Indica, 13, and Reign Tangaroa, 6, takes place in the Coastlands Aquatic Centre on Saturday April 27 from about 8am.

Indica is committed to swimming 6km, Sapphyre 3km, Hayze 300m and Reign 150m.

Funds raised from the swimathon will go towards a family trip to Europe in July with their grandparents Dot and Raman Hari.

They will visit Greece, Italy, France and Romania, with meeting family high on the agenda.
The children are learning various songs from each country as well as some waiata and the haka to perform to family and friends who host them.

There will be homework tasks to complete about each country.

And some of the financial support they received will be donated to the Nga Manu Nature Reserve.

"We are teaching our moko it is great to give," Dot said.

While the focus is on the upcoming swimathon, various other fundraisers have been completed, including selling homemade lemon honey, gardening within the community, busking at a local market, hosting two pop-up restaurants, mowing lawns, a garage sale and selling a painting.

"We would just like to thank everybody who has supported us all the way through.

"The support has been amazing."

Dot said the children had learnt it took hard work to achieve goals.

"A question I asked the children at the onset and throughout was 'how hungry are you for this?

"Would you like an entree, just the main course, or only dessert, or are you starving?

"To sit and eat a feast takes hard work.

"The enjoyment is to savour every morsel of your hard work."