It's bon voyage to bras destined for Fiji

A geographer-cum-yachtie has volunteered to take 3000 new bras from Whangarei to women who cannot afford them in the outer islands of Fiji.

The women's undergarments are just some of the 169,234 items collected by the Dargaville Girl Guides recently, in their successful world record attempt at the longest bra chain for breast cancer awareness.

Alison Newell, who regularly sails to Fiji with husband Peter Nuttall and their two children, said a lot of women in Fiji's remote islands had requested bras because they could not source them in their islands. In the past, Ms Newell had taken books, shoes and other stationery for poor children.

Her family spends time in New Zealand between November and April to escape the cyclone season in Fiji and sail to Fiji during winter here. They have been doing that since 2002 as part of sailing for sustainability in their yacht Hibiscus 3.

"We make our own solar power on board and we've used less than 40 litres of diesel in six months," she said.

The bras, she said, would be delivered to the South Pacific Girl Guides' headquarters in the Fijian capital Suva and she is also working with the Fiji Cancer Society.

Ms Newell said the two organisations in Fiji would use the bras in breast cancer awareness campaigns before delivering them to outer islands.

Fiji Islands Voyaging Society has offered its yacht Uto ni Yalo to help in the delivery.

"That [3000 bras] is quite a lot of bras and we are asking other yachts that are heading up to Fiji to help if they can," she said.

She first contacted bra-maker Bendon, which agreed to donate bras to the girl guides.