Northlanders eager for next year's sold-out Pork Pie Charity Run

Murray and Annie Hemsley, with their Minis, are preparing for the Pork Pie charity run next year.

Many Northlanders would love to take part in next year's Pork Pie Charity Run that retraces the tyre tracks of Kiwi movie classic Goodbye Pork Pie, but the event is already sold out.

Sixty Minis will sweep across the country next Easter in the spirit of the hit film.

The 60 duos participating in the ultimate road trip will follow the film's route from Kaitaia to Invercargill to raise money for the KidsCan organisation that supports 171,000 New Zealand students. The biennial six-day event is growing in popularity and the 60 available registrations sold out in just minutes last week.

The road trip across New Zealand will cover 2500km. The Minis will confront the worst of New Zealand's potholes and mountain passes, all in the spirit of Goodbye Pork Pie.

However, participant and previous event organiser Annie Hemsley, from One Tree Point, said the biggest challenge the Mini drivers will face is simply making it from Kaitaia to Invercargill.

Annie and husband Murray have organised the past five Pork Pie Charity Run events and next year they are driving the stretch of New Zealand just as participants.

They began this event with Rod Harris, another Mini Cooper owner, in 2009 after Murray drove his new Mini from Dunedin following the reverse Goodbye Pork Pie route. The charity run was a way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mini Cooper's introduction and raise money for a deserving cause.

The past five charity runs combined have raised more than $900,000. Although Annie isn't the organiser of this year's event, she said she would love for it to crack $1 million raised.

Her own goal for fundraising for the 2019 event is $5000 but she said: "It is more about the film and the fun."

As well as raising money by selling her watercolour paintings and hosting a film night for friends, Annie's team is sponsored by Freedom Farms which has already decorated the 1979 Mini the duo will drive in for six days next Easter.

Delwyn Hills from Whangarei is another eager participant already planning her fundraising methods. She is willing to sell plants, pack compost and garden to raise funds for the charity she believes is so deserving.

After seeing the group of Minis all making their way through Hamilton in 2015, Hills decided this was something she wanted to be a part of.

"It just looked like a whole lot of fun."

Unfortunately, she was one of the many entrants who missed out on registration for this year's run and she was put on a waiting list of 15 teams. Next year however, Hills and her sister, Beverley Chitty, were the 14th team registered.

Hills said: "It's going to be a fun challenge."