Professional actor and novice tramper Bruce Hopkins is heading south on Te Araroa Trail, with more than 3000km before him from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island, in a bid to raise $50,000 for the charity Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.
And he's meeting some of those who desperately need help on the way, including a Far North man who is raising his 11-year-old son and six-year-old grandson, both of whom suffer serious physical disabilities.
The grandson was shuffled from pillar to post before finally coming into his grandfather's permanent care, but the little family are living in a tiny home that adds to the younger child's challenges.
His grandfather only recently began receiving support from Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, but it had already made a tremendous difference to his family's quality of life, he said. It had provided some of the basic necessities, such as clothing for the boys, care packages, one-on-one support, and was currently helping find a more suitable home for their needs.
The specifics of that family's plight might not match Bruce's experience, but with three grandchildren of his own he has no difficulty empathising with grandparents who are having to step back into the parental role, often as the result of a traumatic family breakdown, drug addiction and family violence.
