Indian Tuk-tuk tour de force awaits Northland pair

The Indian tuk tuk adventure will be full of surprises for Tracee Knowler and Kristin Edge. The pair are raising money for the Miriam Centre.

Advocate scribe leaps into the driver's seat at eleventh hour.

A Far North police officer's plan to drive the length of India in a tuk-tuk to raise money for victims of sex abuse is back on track thanks to an intrepid Advocate reporter.

Senior Constable Tracee Knowler, the sole police officer covering the area north of Kaitaia, is heading to India in August to cross the subcontinent on a seven-horsepower motorised rickshaw.

A former detective who investigated some of the Far North's worst cases of child abuse, she hopes to raise up to $70,000 to help the Miriam Centre provide counselling for the victims.

Ms Knowler's plans were derailed, however, when her fellow adventurer, South Auckland police Sergeant Marie Stratford, had to have emergency knee surgery. With only days to find a replacement, the Houhora-based policewoman feared that she would have to pull out of the tuk-tuk race and find a solo challenge instead.

That was until Advocate reporter Kristin Edge put her hand up for the ride of a lifetime.

It is no holiday - both women will pay their own way, a cost of several thousand dollars - and the three-wheeled vehicle they will be driving is described by organisers as a "glorified lawnmower" and "possibly the least suitable vehicle on the planet for covering the entire subcontinent in two weeks". They will also be completing the 3500km Rickshaw Run in their own time.

Ms Edge said she jumped at the chance to take part.

"You only live once, and every now and then you have to step outside your comfort zone and test yourself. This is for a really good cause, I wouldn't do it otherwise."

As a reporter for 17 years, she had seen first-hand the effects of abuse on victims and their families, as well as the trauma of going through the justice system.

Ms Edge met her teammate for the first time on Sunday and said she had a lot of respect for Ms Knowler's ability and experience, which included two tours of duty on Bougainville.

"I've got no worries about travelling with her. If we get into a tight spot, between us we should be able to get out of it."

Ms Knowler said she was "really, really stoked" to have a new teammate.

"Between the two of us we'll be able to carry on the Kiwi number-eight wire tradition," she said.

The pair head to India on August 2 and have named their entry the Chickshaw Blues. The race starts in the northern city of Shillong on August 6; contestants can take any route but have to be in Cochin, South India, by August 22.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:
To donate go to the Chickshaw Blues Facebook page or givealittle.co.nz (search for 'ChickshawBlues'). Cheques can be sent to Chickshaw Blues, 11 Lamb Rd, Pukenui. All donations go to the Miriam Centre.

Check out the race here: www.theadventurists.com/rickshaw-run/
Donate here: www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/chickshawblues